Ex-Promoter Gets License for Boxing : Application Approved for Harold Smith, Who Served Time for Fraud

Harold Rossfields Smith, who served nearly six years in federal prison for bank embezzlement, has quietly obtained a California boxing manager’s license.

Smith, a high-rolling boxing promoter in Southern California a decade ago, was convicted of embezzling $21.3 million from Wells Fargo Bank. His conviction involved 29 counts of fraud, embezzlement, conspiracy and interstate transportation of stolen securities.

At the time, federal prosecutors called it the biggest computer fraud case in U.S. banking history. At the time, Smith was known as Harold Smith or Ross Fields. He since has put both names together.

Smith, who was sentenced to a 10-year prison term and fined $30,000, served slightly more than half his term. He was paroled from the federal prison at Boron, Calif., last November.

Smith’s application for a manager’s license was not put before the State Athletic Commission at one of its monthly public meetings. Instead, it was handled quietly in the commission’s Los Angeles office.

Neither Marty Denkin, who ran the commission’s Los Angeles office before he was suspended last week, nor Ken Gray, executive officer of the commission staff, was able to say Thursday why the Smith matter was never put before the state’s eight-member commission, at a monthly public meeting.

Denkin was suspended after unspecified managers, quoted in a newspaper article, accused him of extracting extortion payments for approval of their boxers’ bouts.

Gray said: “The matter was handled by the L.A. office, and we acted upon their recommendations. If we had denied Smith a license, he could have appealed the matter, and it would then have automatically gone to the commission.”

Gray said that Smith was issued a license “about 30 days ago.”

Denkin, who described Smith as “a friend of mine for many years,” said that Smith had asked for a manager’s license in November.

“I made it clear to Harold at the outset that because it was known he was a friend of mine, I would handle the paperwork on the application, but that the final decision would be Gray’s,” Denkin said.

“I told (Gray) that Harold had never had a promoter’s or a manager’s license in California, and that he had never violated the rules of the commission. With the application, we sent along a favorable letter from Smith’s parole officer, and Gray approved the application.

“I tried to handle (Smith’s application) like anyone else’s. At one time, Don King had a promoter’s license here, and he served time for murder (manslaughter, actually), and he was never asked to go before the commission for a license.”

Smith, 45, said that his license application process had been done “by the book.”

“They took me through more (procedures) than the average guy off the street applying for a manager’s license,” he said.

“I had to write letters. It took a lot of work. I’ve done my time. I’m still fighting my case, but I want to get on with my life.”

Some in the Southland boxing community expressed surprise that Smith had been issued a license without the commission’s being informed.

“Without question, we’re going to want some answers as to why this was handled like it was,” said Raoul Silva, commission chairman.

Don Fraser, a boxing promoter who was the commission’s executive officer from 1981-1983, called the handling of the matter “suspicious.”

“Given the seriousness of Smith’s background, you’d think they’d have automatically handled it publicly by letting the commission decide,” Fraser said. “You’d think Smith would want it handled by the commission, too--everything out in the open.”

Tony Curtis, matchmaker at the Forum, said he had no problem with Smith’s case.

“He made a mistake, he served his time--how can you deny him a license?” he said. “Besides, if they had denied him a license, he would’ve gone to the commission, and they’d have given him one anyway.”

Criticism of the handling of Smith’s application couldn’t have come at a worse time for Denkin. On Jan. 27, the San Jose Mercury News reported that several managers and promoters had accused Denkin of accepting cash and jewelry for approving their boxers’ bouts.

Denkin, who had approval power over all pro main events in California, heatedly denied the charges, attributing them to “guys I’ve fined over the last couple of years.”

It was learned that one of those levying charges against Denkin was a Los Angeles boxing manager, Ricardo Maldonado, who was fined $1,000 last year by Denkin after an altercation at the Sports Arena.

George Johnson, a commission staff member in the Sacramento office, has said that he has heard extortion rumors about Denkin for more than a year. Johnson also said Thursday that he hadn’t known Smith had been issued a license.

A year ago, Smith was accused of illegally managing heavyweight contender Tony Tubbs from behind prison bars. Trainer Richie Giachetti and manager Mike Love, who had been fired by Tubbs, accused Smith of managing Tubbs through his wife, Lee Smith.