Grandmaster Jeff Smith<\/strong> \u2014 \u201cThe DC Bomber,\u201d 10th Degree Black Belt \u2014 is a martial arts legend whose career spans world-championship kickboxing, the early Professional Karate Association (PKA) era, Washington DC martial arts history, the Jhoon Rhee Institute, school ownership, and modern consulting for school owners through Martial Arts Wealth Mastery and Mile High Karate.<\/p>\n\n Smith began training at age 14 in Kingsville, Texas and earned his first-degree black belt under Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee in 1969. In September 1974 he won the very first PKA World Light-Heavyweight Kickboxing Championship — later broadcast on ABC’s Wide World of Entertainment — and defended his world title seven times, retiring with a full-contact record of 21–1. On October 1, 1975 he defended a world heavyweight kickboxing title against Karriem Allah on the Don King–promoted U.S. closed-circuit theater card tied to the Ali–Frazier “Thrilla in Manila” — a broadcast seen by an estimated one billion viewers worldwide, including 100 million on closed-circuit theater feeds and 500,000 HBO pay-per-view buys. He was the first recipient of the Bruce Lee Award, served as Senior VP of the Jhoon Rhee Institute (1970–1985), and coached the WAKO World Champion U.S. Team for a decade.<\/p>\n\n\nWatch: Jeff Smith — The DC Bomber (Kickboxing Pioneer)<\/h3>\n\n\n