Tim Witherspoon Versus

[Roars Like Me]

Strange call to say he'd lose to Bowe but beat Lewis, not sure of the logic there

Anyway Tim had the potential but struggled when he shouldn't have at times so hyperthetically speaking if he was consitent then he was good enough to have tight fights with all of them.

[Controversial]

To reiterate,

Tim Witherspoon defeated:

- Tony Tubbs
- Greg Page
- Frank Bruno
- Bonecrusher Smith
- Renaldo Snipes
- Quick Tillis
- James Broad
- Jose Ribalta
- Carl Williams
- Jorge Gonzalez
- Alfred Cole

*** He was also arguably robbed against Ray Mercer and may even have deserved a draw against Larry Holmes. I can think of a few linear heavyweight champions who can't claim to having a career like this.****

- Tony Tubbs = MD win
- Greg Page = MD win
- Frank Bruno = Stoppage win (behind on points)
- Bonecrusher Smith = UD win then lost in 1 round
- Renaldo Snipes = MD win
- Quick Tillis = 1st round win (good win over a nearly man)
- James Broad = Far from world class
- Jose Ribalta = MD win pts
- Carl Williams = SD win pts
- Jorge Gonzalez = Stoppage win but far from world class
- Alfred Cole = UD win over a cruiserweight who lost to almost every HW he fought

For someone so highly rated he sure did seem to struggle to beat 2nd tier heavyweights !!!

Did you see those fights or is it just convenient to look up boxrec ratings and agree with the judges? Also, you're calling those men " second tier heavyweights" when in fact, a lot of them were highly ranked at the time, and a few of whom Larry Holmes had even tip toed around.

I remember the 80s heavyweight scene very well. It was often described as the worst era in the divisions history at the time with either out of shape, inconsistent fighters fighting and winning titles often without making a single successful defence, Tate, Weaver, Dokes, Coetzee, Witherspoon, Thomas, Page, Tubbs etc...

Some were talented fighters but often didn't achieve their potential and came into fights overweight or with some other issue. They were highly rated but so are the current clowns who challenge the Klits. I'm sure in 30 years time people will be on this forum saying how great the Klits were, how they cleaned the division out against all the top 10 ranked fighters.

It wasn't until Tyson burst onto the scene and started knocking these guys over that things got interesting.

[SaadOffTheDeck]

I don't hold it against him, I just don't accept the convenient "fix" or "he threw it" argument. He got caught early and never properly recovered, simple as that in my opinion.

You don't have to accept it.

[SaadOffTheDeck]

Strange call to say he'd lose to Bowe but beat Lewis, not sure of the logic there

I think Bowe had a better chin and a more versatile offense. Obviously I look at the fighters when they were at their best. If they fought 10 times in varying condition Lennox would be a heavy favorite and Tim would take some from Riddick.

[drunkenpiper36]

="Controversial"]

Rubbish, watch the fight. Witherspoon was covering up and got caught with a big right hand and never recovered. When he got up from the first knockdown he was wobbly and had a bleeding nose, was trying to fight back and got floored again, slumping backwards into the ropes when he stood up. He was then being battered, trying to cover up but was clubbed to their floor. There is no truth behind the "fix" story, he just lost.

How exactly is a fixed fight supposed to look? For me, a fight that's on the level features two guys "trying" to win or at least tying the other guy up when in trouble, along with the absence of controversy and talks about black mail for decades to come. Spoon kicked Smith's ass a year earlier, then showed up looking dead in the water in the rematch and got sparked without an ounce of effort. That's what it looked like to me and Tim has consistently claimed for the past 25 years that he purposely threw the fight. Funny how he never made this claim about any of his other losses.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahygpJc-_Ek