in the first round, once from a clinch. The fighting was fast and rather fierce throughout. Smith was a 4 to 1 favorite in the early betting but may have lost some stamina from having to lose a pound prior to the bout to make the required weight of 142. Matthew's first meetings with Eddie Connolly On July 31, 1899, Matthews defeated Eddie Connolly in New York in a 25-round points decision at the Coney Island Sporting Club. The referee decision was not popular with many in the crowd, but several more knowledgeable observers ringside agreed with it. Important bouts leading to loss of the Welterweight Championship On August 14, 1899, he defeated George Kerwin in a sixteenth-round technical knockout at Coney Island, in Brooklyn, New York. Kerwin was a talented boxer who would win the Lightweight Championship of Iowa in Dubuque two weeks later. The St. Louis Post Dispatch felt Kerwin had the advantage throughout the bout, and he outweighed Kerwin by twelve pounds. On October 27, 1899, Matthews met Eddie Connolly again in a twenty-five-round draw at the Broadway Athletic Club in New York. The fifteenth and the twenty-first rounds were marked by the heaviest battling, with Matthews down for a count of five. It was a fierce combat throughout the fight and both men were marked noticeably. At least one reporter felt strongly that Connolly may have had the better of the bout. On November 20, 1899, Matthews defeated Charley "Rough House" Burns in a fifteen-round points decision at the Ohio Athletic Club, in Cincinnati, Ohio. He had previously beaten Burns on June 21, 1899 in a sixth-round knockout at the welterweight range of 145 pounds in Youngstown, Ohio. Burns was a competent but not exceptional light and welterweight judging from his record. On April 9, 1900, Matthews defeated New Jersey boxer Dan McConnell in a third-round technical knockout at the Niles Athletic Club in Youngstown, Ohio. The fight was ended when Matthews landed a strong right to the jaw of McConnell. One the same night according to several sources, Matthews defeated Billy Payne at the Niles Athletic Club in Youngstown, Ohio, in a fifteen-round points decision. On May 4, 1900, he fought a ten-round draw with Kid Parker in Denver, Colorado which a few sources reported as a World Welterweight Title match. The San Francisco Chronicle wrote that Matthews, before an audience of around 2000, connected