Tony Tubbs (born February 15, 1958) is an American former professional boxer….who competed from 1980 to 2006….while holding the WBA heavyweight title from 1985 to 1986….after on April 29, 1985, Tubbs challenged Greg Page for the WBA Heavyweight Championship…..which Tubbs won by a fifteen-round unanimous decision. On January 17, 1986, Tubbs made his first title defense against former WBC Heavyweight Champion Tim Witherspoon….a fight in which Tubbs weighed-in at 244 pounds (111 kg)…. in which he was 15 more pounds than he weighed for the Page fight…and subsequently lost the title by a fifteen-round majority decision.
Tubbs and Witherspoon had a rematch scheduled for December 12, 1986….but Tubbs pulled out of the fight and was replaced by Bonecrusher Smith….who knocked Witherspoon out in the first round. Tubbs said he had an injured shoulder, but promoter Don King accused Tubbs of trying to get more money.
Tim Witherspoon (born December 27, 1957) is an American former professional boxer….who competed from 1979 to 2003….and was a two-time world heavyweight champion….after having held the WBC title in 1984….and the WBA title in 1986….after defeating Tubbs….while being reflected in this post fight show with the HBO boxing crew of Barry Tompkins, Sugar Ray Leonard and Larry Merchant.
In 1985 Witherspoon regained his NABF belt by beating James Broad in two rounds….and made a successful twelve round defense against James “Bonecrusher” Smith in his first defense of the belt….which earned him another chance at a heavyweight title….when he signed to fight reigning WBA champion Tony Tubbs on January 17, 1986 in Atlanta….which Witherspoon won a close fight by majority decision….while winning by only one point on one of the scorecards and three on another with one even, to become champion for a second time.
