Tex Cobb vs Dee Collier ringside report

[Tuan_Jim]

Has anyone ever seen or been able to source a ringside report on this mysterious fight? I remember a year or so ago a report on Lionel Butler vs Oliver McCall was unearthed in order to counter Butler's false claims of scoring a knockdown. I think a lot of people would be interested to read about what went down the night old Tex collapsed against Collier.

[Controversial]

Has anyone ever seen or been able to source a ringside report on this mysterious fight? I remember a year or so ago a report on Lionel Butler vs Oliver McCall was unearthed in order to counter Butler's false claims of scoring a knockdown. I think a lot of people would be interested to read about what went down the night old Tex collapsed against Collier.

I"d be interested in this too, rumours are that Cobb took a dive but he was dropped four times so maybe just caught cold.

[Tuan_Jim]

He was down for the first time in his career the previous fight versus Eddie Gregg which I have seen, but it was a sort of fatigue/off-balance KD. If the Collier fight was on the level it must have been a hell of a punch to deck Cobb so early. Then again he was coked up and out of shape by then, so who knows? A description from an eyewitness is needed.

Collier was huge and I can imagine that getting in the way of his power punches would be dangerous.

[bwu]

There’s a write-up at latimes.com that was interesting. Just Google ‘Dee Collier v. Tex Cobb.’

I hadn’t realized there was a slip and I didn’t know Cobb basically talked the ref into letting it continue a couple of times.

[Controversial]

There’s a write-up at latimes.com that was interesting. Just Google ‘Dee Collier v. Tex Cobb.’

I hadn’t realized there was a slip and I didn’t know Cobb basically talked the ref into letting it continue a couple of times.

I didn't know about the slip either, from LA Times....

Tex Cobb was pleading with referee Lou Filippo. “Just give me a second,” he kept saying. “I’ll get there.” The heavyweight fight, at the Country Club of Reseda, was stopped at 2:33 of that first round after Cobb had gone down four times from a barrage of punches and a fifth time from “a slip.”

To me it sounded like a legit stoppage if he was asking the ref to let in continue and was knocked down that many times, maybe a combination of being in poor shape and caught cold.

I've posted on the record queries section as the report reads that it was a TKO rather than a clean KO

[Tuan_Jim]

For ease of reference:

Cobb Goes Down, Out in First Round of Comeback Bid
By STEVE SPRINGER
OCT. 30, 1985 12 AM PT

Tex Cobb was pleading with referee Lou Filippo.

“Just give me a second,” he kept saying. “I’ll get there.”

He never did.

Cobb, who went the distance against such renowned punchers as Larry Holmes and Ken Norton, couldn’t get out of the first round against little-known Dee Collier Tuesday night.

The heavyweight fight, at Reseda’s Country Club, was stopped at 2:33 of the first round after Cobb had gone down four times from a barrage of punches and a fifth due to a slip.

In his career, which includes 32 professional fights, the 31-year-old boxer had only been knocked down once--last spring against Eddie Gregg.

“I’m still learning,” Cobb said. “I haven’t had near enough.

“I just never seemed to regain my balance.”

Cobb, who had retired after losing to Gregg in May, had returned to the ring with the hope of winning a match with newly crowned heavyweight champion Michael Spinks.

Collier, who entered the fight 10-3 with four knockouts, put Cobb down with a left early in the round, then drove him into his corner and halfway through the ropes seconds later.

When Cobb went down in the other corner a moment later, the referee showed the first indication he was ready to stop the fight.

Cobb reappeared to talk him out of it at least twice.

But after another knockdown and a slip that could better be characterized as a poor stumble, Cobb was through and it was Collier’s turn to talk.

“I couldn’t believe it myself, to tell you the truth,” Collier said. “But it’s time for Tex Cobb to move aside and let us young guys in.”

Howard Cosell beat Collier to the punch on that statement. He retired from announcing professional boxing after watching Holmes pummel Cobb for 15 rounds in 1982.

But even Howard might have been left speechless by Tuesday’s performance.

[evrenb]

Here is some footage of Dee Collier. What do you think? Did this guy have the ability to stop Tex genuinely??

[Tuan_Jim]

Here is some footage of Dee Collier. What do you think? Did this guy have the ability to stop Tex genuinely??

Yes. He's huge and can hit. The decription of the fight, and Cobb's motivations for making a comeback, nullifies the dive theory.

Cobb had grown soft living the Hollywood life (had been in several big films by then). He also withstood a ton of hard punches versus Shavers, Norton, Mercado and Holmes. I imagine Douglas hit him plenty. Gregg did. The chin can't go on forever, it sounds like his punch resistance simply left him.

[Controversial]

Cobb had grown soft living the Hollywood life (had been in several big films by then). He also withstood a ton of hard punches versus Shavers, Norton, Mercado and Holmes. I imagine Douglas hit him plenty. Gregg did. The chin can't go on forever, it sounds like his punch resistance simply left him.

Indeed, plus the fact that Cobb went from fighting decent fighters and fairly regularly to not fighting for around 18 months after that defeat kind of suggests his motivation or desire might have been waning at that point of his life, especially as he never fought any top rated fighter ever again either.

[Tuan_Jim]

I wonder if Cobb vs Buster Douglas will ever surface? Holmes/Bonecrusher undercard. Don King has it in his archives. Reg Gutteridge who was ringside for ITV thought Cobb won.

[evrenb]

I wonder if Cobb vs Buster Douglas will ever surface? Holmes/Bonecrusher undercard. Don King has it in his archives. Reg Gutteridge who was ringside for ITV thought Cobb won.

I have the broadcast of Holmes vs bonecrusher broadcast by itv will have to check it out. Not sure if it's on YouTube...

[Tuan_Jim]

I wonder if Cobb vs Buster Douglas will ever surface? Holmes/Bonecrusher undercard. Don King has it in his archives. Reg Gutteridge who was ringside for ITV thought Cobb won.

I have the broadcast of Holmes vs bonecrusher broadcast by itv will have to check it out. Not sure if it's on YouTube...

Sadly I don't think they did. As I recall they showed clips from irrelevant fights between Weaver and Tubbs and journeymen opponents, but not Cobb 'losing' a shock decision to Douglas!

[Controversial]

On the topic of Cobb anyone notice a few fights later he was involved in a TD after 18 seconds of round one. An accidental clash of heads that was said to have caused several cut eyes. That must have been some clash of heads and the quickest TD in boxing history!!

[Tuan_Jim]

On the topic of Cobb anyone notice a few fights later he was involved in a TD after 18 seconds of round one. An accidental clash of heads that was said to have caused several cut eyes. That must have been some clash of heads and the quickest TD in boxing history!!

It was a head clash that terminated proceedings in the Dokes rematch too. A minute into round four and Cobb loses a decision! Should have been a TD or NC.

[Caractacus]

there was a radio interview with Dee Collier posted here a year or two ago.
I will try and bump it up for you.

[Controversial]

I’ve found another newspaper article regarding this fight and that says Cobb was down six times but two were ruled as slips.

[Caractacus]

what did Tex Cobb have to say about this fight anyway and why it ended as it did ?

[Caractacus]

This fight was 5 months before his fight with Dee Collier
May 1985

and this fight was the one before he fought Gregg, in which Cobb looked pretty good.
March 1985

[Controversial]

what did Tex Cobb have to say about this fight anyway and why it ended as it did ?

Don’t know immediately after the fight but I’m sure their were rumours he threw the fight. On reading the reports that doesn’t seem to hold up though, he was caught cold and never recovered.

[Caractacus]

The Dee Collier vrs Tex Cobb fight was in October 1985.
also Tex Cobb started to resume his acting career again in 1985
( he had been in THE CHAMP in 1979 and UNCOMMON VALOR in 1983.)
Here he is back in Hollywood in early 1985 in a spin-off of KNIGHT RIDER
CODE OF VENGENCE ( as a Bad Guy)that aired in June 1985
( beginning at 18:20 and again at 27:40 and conclusion approx 1 hr :10 of this clip)

then at some point he made a Major Hollywood movie that came out in December1 986.
( filming began in June 1986)

then Tex Cobb was back in Hollywood again in late 1986
to film an episode of MIAMI VICE (aired January 1987)