As Bermuda's heavyweight boxing champion in the 1940s and '50s, Mr. Edward "Polly'' Smith was accustomed to slugging it out with a string of iron-fisted opponents.

These days, however, the 71-year-old former pugilist is at the centre of an even nastier fight -- a bitter family dispute between son Mr. Brooke Salah and two female cousins over Mr. Smith's cash and real estate holdings.

"He (Mr. Smith) invested his boxing money wisely through the foresight of his mother,'' said Mr. Salah, whose former name was also Edward Smith.

"During (his career), he accummulated a nest egg as well as property.'' Mr.

Smith, a folk hero to many Bermudians at the height of his boxing career, was crowned the Island's heavyweight champion after he defeated Mr. Shiner Wright of the Royal Navy in front of "two thousand cheering spectators'' at the Bermuda Sports Arena in 1949.

Mr. Wright, the holder of the Middle East and Atlantic Royal Navy middleweight titles, was stunned in the fifth round of the seven-round knockout by what a Royal Gazette sportswriter called "a telling right hook'' to the ear.

Two rounds later, "another devastating right hook'' forced Mr. Wright to the canvas, and Mr. Smith, who was said to resemble US boxing legend Joe Louis, was launched on a career that saw him vie for the British Empire cruiserweight championship against Trinidadian Yolande Pompey and rack up an impressive four wins and two losses during a stint in the United States.

While he was never able to capture any non-Bermudian titles, Mr. Smith did amass a small personal estate that currently includes a modest home on North Shore Road in Pembroke. And that is the root of the present dispute.

Mr. Smith's nestegg, which his son has placed at some $126,000, had long been overseen by his mother and Mr. Salah's grandmother, Mrs. Edna May Smith of Pembroke.

When she died in 1983 at the age of 81, Mr. Salah said, his two distant cousins, Mrs. Ivy Smith and another woman, allegedly declared the former boxer incompetent, dispensed with Mrs. Smith's original will and replaced it with one that named them as beneficiaries.

According to Mr. Salah, who cites a witness that allegedly saw a copy of the "original'' document, both his father and his father's sister were initially listed as beneficiaries.

He also claims that a witness who signed the "second'' will has admitted to him that she did not do so in the presence of his late grandmother, and he has since pursued the matter with various lawyers.

One lawyer, Mr. Tim Marshall of Marshall and Co., declined to comment on the matter recently, citing lawyer-client confidentiality.

But another attorney, Ms Clare Hatcher of Smith, Barnard and Diel, confirmed to The Royal Gazette last week that she had petitioned the Legal Aid Committee on Mr. Salah's behalf in June but was unsuccessful in securing any funds.

Mrs. Ivy Smith, meanwhile, refused to comment on her cousin's accusation that she and the other relation have robbed him of his inheritance, saying only: "I am not about to discuss this with you over the phone. I have no connection to that boy (Mr. Salah) whatsoever.'' Mrs. Smith does, however, have a connection to Mr. Smith, who is presently under her care. Under the terms of what Mr. Salah alleges was his grandmother's second will, Mr. Smith is to live in the North Shore Road home that he shares with Mrs. Smith until his death.

The former champion currently spends his days in the Seniors' Day Centre at the Pembroke Rest Home, where Mr. Salah, the eldest of his five sons and two daughters, "regularly'' visits him.

Mr. Salah said he is not comfortable visiting his father at his home. "If it wasn't for this constant strife, I would be living with him,'' the boxer's son said. "But I can't go by (the Smith house). I just don't go there.'' Asked if he could characterise his father's state of mind, Mr. Salah said that Mr. Smith had suffered "a little brain damage'' during his boxing days and "a seizure'' two years ago but was still mentally stable.

Mr. Salah also said: "I wouldn't say that he is very happy (at the centre).

All he does is sit around all day.'' Until her death more than 12 years ago, Mr. Smith was a constant companion of his mother's, Mr. Salah said.

He added that the dispute with his cousins was ongoing and would be pursued to a legal end.

THEN AND NOW -- Former Bermuda heavyweight champion Mr. Ed "Polly'' Smith (shown at left during the height of his boxing career and at right as he is today) is at the centre of bitter family dispute over his monetary legacy.