Home › Jeff Smith Championship Record: 32–1, 16 Knockouts

Grand Master Jeff Smith was the first Professional Karate Association (PKA) World Light Heavyweight Champion, crowned on September 14, 1974, in Los Angeles. He defended the title seven times, won a heavyweight title on the Ali–Frazier “Thrilla in Manila” closed-circuit card in 1975, and retired with a professional record of 32–1 with 16 knockouts. His only loss was a 1979 split decision to Dan Macaruso.1,2,3,4,5

What was Jeff Smith’s professional record?

Smith’s professional full-contact record is 32 wins and 1 loss, with 16 wins by knockout and seven world title defenses.3,4 Black Belt includes him among the greatest kickboxers of all time, and PKA Worldwide lists him among its greatest fighters.4,6 Smith says he was never knocked down or knocked out in his professional career.7,8 The STAR System world ratings list “1974 | JEFF SMITH (USA)” as the first undisputed light-heavyweight champion.9

Documented professional bouts

The table lists the bouts documented in independent and period sources, with a source for each. It is not the complete 33-bout record, much of which was never published bout by bout.

Date Opponent Venue / event Result and source
Sept 14, 1974 Budimir Vejnovic (Yugoslavia) Los Angeles Sports Arena; World Professional Karate Championships, preliminary Won by knockout, round 11
Sept 14, 1974 Wally Slocki (Canada) Los Angeles Sports Arena; final, broadcast on ABC Won decision; first PKA World Light Heavyweight Champion1,2
July 1975 Jim Butin Washington, D.C. Won by TKO, round 55,6
July 27, 1975 Ben Wilbor; Augie Evans Tommy Lee’s World Series of Martial Arts, Hawaii (non-title) Two knockouts, round 25
Oct 1, 1975 Karriem Allah Capital Centre, Landover, Md., on the Ali–Frazier III “Thrilla in Manila” closed-circuit card Won 11-round split decision; heavyweight title sanctioned by Don King’s organization10,5,11
May 25, 1976 Arno Koschnik (Germany) Palais des Sports, Paris Won 3-round decision; six knockdowns5
1976 Wally Slocki (rematch) Atlanta; promoter Joe Corley; televised on “The Champions” Won decision; title retained12,13,6
May 21, 1977 Jim Horsley Charlotte, N.C.; PKA Won12,5
May 22, 1978 Dominique Valera (France) Paris; PKA Won 9-round decision12,14,15
1979 Carl Beamon — Won 7-round decision5
1979 Dan Macaruso — Lost 12-round split decision; world title lost (only professional loss)5
1980 Mark Bunell Orlando Won by knockout, round 35
1980 Carl Beamon (rematch) — Won by TKO, round 3; U.S. light-heavyweight title5
1980 Steve Krowell Star Challenge Won by knockout, round 35

Fight video

Video from Grand Master Jeff Smith’s professional fighting career:

Key fights

From the 1975 Karriem Allah fight

Smith fought Karriem Allah for the World Heavyweight Contact Karate Championship on October 1, 1975, at the Capital Centre, on the closed-circuit card for Ali–Frazier III. The full story is on Jeff Smith vs. Karriem Allah, 1975.

Poster: Battle of Champions, Karriem Allah vs. Jeff Smith, World Heavyweight Contact Karate Championship, live from Capital Centre, Washington, D.C., on giant theatre screen TV, a Don King Production
Closed-circuit theater poster: “Battle of Champions, Karriem Allah vs. Jeff Smith, World Heavyweight Contact Karate Championship,” live from the Capital Centre, a Don King Production.
Karriem Allah, promoter Don King and Jeff Smith, from left, around their 1975 World Heavyweight Contact Karate Championship fight
From left: Karriem Allah, Don King and Jeff Smith, around their October 1, 1975 World Heavyweight Contact Karate Championship fight, a Don King Production.

After the ring

Smith coached the U.S. team at the WAKO World Championships for about a decade; at Munich in 1987 the Semi-Contact World Team Cup “was given to coach Jeff Smith.”16 In November 2022 PKA Worldwide named him President of Sports Operations, nearly fifty years after he won its first light-heavyweight title.17,18,19

Frequently asked questions

What was Jeff Smith’s fight record?

32 wins and 1 loss, with 16 knockouts and seven world title defenses.3,4

Who beat Jeff Smith?

Dan Macaruso, by a 12-round split decision in 1979. It was the only loss of Smith’s professional career.5

When did Jeff Smith win the PKA world title?

On September 14, 1974, at the Los Angeles Sports Arena, when he beat Wally Slocki in the final of the first World Professional Karate Championships.1,2

Related pages

Work with Grand Master Jeff Smith

School owners can book a free Growth Diagnostic: 30 minutes with Grand Master Jeff Smith and 30 minutes with Grand Master Stephen Oliver. See how it works.

Sources

  1. “World Professional Karate Championships 1974,” contemporaneous magazine report reprinted at Backkicks
  2. Wikipedia, “Professional Karate Association”
  3. Wikipedia, “Jeff Smith (martial arts)”
  4. Black Belt, “The Greatest Kickboxers of All Time”
  5. Karate in English (Lewis–Wallace history blog), “Jeff ‘DC Bomber’ Smith” fight chronology
  6. PKA Worldwide, “History”
  7. Taekwondo Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame page
  8. YouTube, interview with Grand Master Jeff Smith, “7x PKA Light Heavyweight Champion”
  9. Backkicks, “STAR System World Kickboxing Ratings”
  10. Martial Arts Professional, “Jeff Smith Interview”
  11. Mike Miles, “A History of Kickboxing, 1950s–1970s”
  12. USAdojo, “The History of Karate in America”
  13. Black Belt, “Benny ‘The Jet’ Urquidez and the Golden Era of Kickboxing” (2025)
  14. Karate in English, “Dominique ‘King’ Valera”
  15. Los Tres Dragones de Occidente, “Biografía de Dominique Valera”
  16. “Kickboxing World Championships (WAKO, 1987),” contemporaneous magazine report reprinted at Backkicks
  17. MixedMartialArts.com, “Kickboxing & Martial Arts Legend Jeff Smith President of Sports Operations, PKA Worldwide”
  18. Taekwondo Life Magazine, “BLEAV in PKA Worldwide”
  19. Dan Kuhl, “PKA Worldwide Set to Launch Rebranded Kickboxing Events in 2023,” Combat Press