BoxRec

Big punching Heavyweight Jeff Simms fought many of the top names in the 1980's and early 1990's.

He learnt to box whilst he was in prison and on release soon turned professional.

He served as a sparring partner for Muhammad Ali during Alis last few years as a fighter. Simms gained some publicity from badly cutting Alis lip during one sparring session.

His punching power also broke the then unbeaten Tyrell Biggs collarbone before the Olympic Champion tattoed him with his left jab to win on points.

Simms like many big punching Heavweights recieved some hype early on in his career but he never forefilled his dream of becoming Heavyweigh Champion.

Simms was shot to death in 1993 at the age of 39.

I have never seen him fight, as far as I can remember anyway. Has anyone hear? What was his style like?

Any thoughts, memories or opinions on Simms fight fans?

http://www.boxrec.com/boxer_display.php?boxer_id=002170

I seen him fight numerous times. Big tall andf slim with a heavily defined physique. Dropped Earnie Shavers dead for 15 seconds in the bahamas but a very pro-Earnie referee saved him.

After his career went down hill he fought Jose Ribalta on the Tyson/Williams undercard when El Nino was getting lined up for a Tyson shot. That nearly all went kerblooey in the 6th rd when Sims smashed Ribalta with a left hook that literally turned him upside down.

According to Enrique who posts here and knew Sims personally he became cynical about the game in the early 80s when he stopped being regarded as a contender & stopped training, only taking fights for the payday.

His long layoffs were usually due to surgery from new gun shot injuries.

More later, i have loads of info on Sims.........

overhand_right wrote:I seen him fight numerous times. Big tall andf slim with a heavily defined physique. Dropped Earnie Shavers dead for 15 seconds in the bahamas but a very pro-Earnie referee saved him.

After his career went down hill he fought Jose Ribalta on the Tyson/Williams undercard when El Nino was getting lined up for a Tyson shot. That nearly all went kerblooey in the 6th rd when Sims smashed Ribalta with a left hook that literally turned him upside down.

According to Enrique who posts here and knew Sims personally he became cynical about the game in the early 80s when he stopped being regarded as a contender & stopped training, only taking fights for the payday.

His long layoffs were usually due to surgery from new gun shot injuries.

More later, i have loads of info on Sims.........

what fights have you got of Simms?.

I saw Sims fight 7/9/83 at DaVinci Manor in Chicago. Sims was on the undercard of a show featuring Frank Bruno's first US appearance. Also on the card were future champions Lloyd Honeyghan and Barry McGuigan. I don' really remember much of Sims bout. It was over quickly. Sims was already known as the guy who had busted up Ali sparring. What I remember most was seeing Sims outside the venue after the show. There was Jeff under the marquee of the converted movie theater, holding a boombox on his shoulder and wearing jeans pulled over his trunks, grinning like a kid and greeting fans. At that point he was still in good shape and apparently enjoying his work.

I saw him fight often and knew him from the Fifth Street Gym. He was a wacko character who could go from mellow to mean in a microsecond. Jeff had a solid punch but was limited in speed and seldom in top form. Even when he looked in shape, he generally tired after a few rounds.

Seem to remember the Shavers fight took place somewhere bizzare - like an airplane hanger? Checking his record it doesn't mention it though...maybe got the wrong fight.

His fight before that, to Tubbs, is listed as needing confirmation - wonder what that's all about.

silkov wrote:

what fights have you got of Simms?.

The standard ones that are doing the rounds. Off the top of my head i have his bouts with Earnie Shavers, Tyrell Biggs, Jose Ribalta, Tim Witherspoon, and Bonecrusher Smith. Probably some others too, can't remember. The guy could definitely pack a heavy wallop.

The fight with Shavers as i said was in the Bahamas. The other fella who mentioned the aircraft hanger is thinking of Larry Holmes and Tom Prater, part of that ABC heavyweight tourney in the late 70s that did take place in a bizarre location like that.

What i'd like for this thread is our buddy Enrique to share some personal info on Sims. Give us some more insight, would be interesting to hear more of this obscure & forgotten, long deceased heavyweight.

One titbit i can offer is that in 1990 when he fought Tim Witherspoon, he was the only guy willing to fight the spoon. The previous 27 men they approached apparently refused to fight him. Sims got decked in the 1st but looked likely to go the distance, but the ref bizarrely decided he had seen enough after 5 rds. What a rip off.

I'd love to hear about his fight with Jimmy Young.

MightyWarrior wrote:His fight before that, to Tubbs, is listed as needing confirmation - wonder what that's all about.

This has been a long running debate amongst the Editors here on Boxrec. Some record sources list the fight, others don't.

KOJOE90 wrote:

MightyWarrior wrote:His fight before that, to Tubbs, is listed as needing confirmation - wonder what that's all about.

This has been a long running debate amongst the Editors here on Boxrec. Some record sources list the fight, others don't.

Cheers Joe. Maybe someone should just ask Tony T, still in the game as a trainer I think?

Simms' career reminds me of another big hitting heavyweight underachiever - Jeff "Candy slim" Merritt. A Larry Holmes sparring partner I think, and a murderous puncher.

Wonder what he's up to these days, any of you fellows know?

overhand_right wrote: The fight with Shavers as i said was in the Bahamas. The other fella who mentioned the aircraft hanger is thinking of Larry Holmes and Tom Prater, part of that ABC heavyweight tourney in the late 70s that did take place in a bizarre location like that.

Yeah I think I must have the wrong fight, could've sworn it was a Simms fight though. That Holmes fight you mention looks like it took place on a ship - the USS something...

For some reason I like those fights that take place in bizzare locations - there was an Albert Davila title fight, I think, that took place on a boat at sea.

Be good to hear more about Mr Simms though.

Overhand - do you have any fights of Jeff Merritt? Just wondered if they're avaiable in the UK - a legendary character and favorite of mine

I think the Davila fight you mentioned is his defense vs. Enrique Sanchez. The ring was set up on the beach in Miami or someplace in Florida. A torrential rainstorm blew in during the fight. Winds blew the rain almost horizontal. Davila cleverly kept manuevering Sanchez so the rain pelted him in the face. Davila won by KO in 11.
The Holmes-Prater bout was on board the USS Lexington in Pensacola FL. The Lex was a semi-retired training ship at the time. If I'm not mistaken, it was recently towed out into the Gulf and sunk to provide a man-made reef. The same fate may await Holmes if he keeps larding up.
Another bizarre location is the courtyard of the Playboy mansion in LA. Some ESPN shows have been telecast from there.

overhand_right wrote:
I'd love to hear about his fight with Jimmy Young.

From The Ring magazine, October 1981:

WEST PALM BEACH AUDITORIUM-- Jeff Sims, Chris and Mike Dundee's heavyweight hope, had his big chance to hit the big time, and he almost made it. Sims 206 1/2, Belle Glade, lost a split decision to veteran Jimmy Young, 216 1/2, Philadelphia, 10.

Young was in the best shape he's been in for years. Sims won three of the first four rounds, but Young took the middle sessions giving Jeff a boxing lesson. In the eight, Young landed a solid right followed by a barrage of stinging left jabs that had Sims wobbly at the bell. In the 10th round, Dundee sent Sims out to dance thinking that he had the contest won. Young became the aggressor, landed a few solid shots, won the round--and won the fight.

Scoring: referee Eddie Eckert, 97-95, Young; judge Al Fox, 98-96, Sims; judge Dave Kyser, 97-95, Young.

crooked nose wrote:I think the Davila fight you mentioned is his defense vs. Enrique Sanchez. The ring was set up on the beach in Miami or someplace in Florida. A torrential rainstorm blew in during the fight. Winds blew the rain almost horizontal. Davila cleverly kept manuevering Sanchez so the rain pelted him in the face. Davila won by KO in 11.
The Holmes-Prater bout was on board the USS Lexington in Pensacola FL. The Lex was a semi-retired training ship at the time. If I'm not mistaken, it was recently towed out into the Gulf and sunk to provide a man-made reef. The same fate may await Holmes if he keeps larding up.
Another bizarre location is the courtyard of the Playboy mansion in LA. Some ESPN shows have been telecast from there.

That's the one good tactics - similar to Ingemar Johansson moving Henry Cooper around the ring until he had the low level sun right in his eyes, then Ingo steps in and lands a left hand bomb leaving Cooper flat out.

MightyWarrior wrote:Cheers Joe. Maybe someone should just ask Tony T, still in the game as a trainer I think?

Tubbs is still an active fighter and looking for a title shot.

http://www.boxrec.com/boxer_display.php?boxer_id=000834

MightyWarrior wrote:Simms' career reminds me of another big hitting heavyweight underachiever - Jeff "Candy slim" Merritt. A Larry Holmes sparring partner I think, and a murderous puncher.

Wonder what he's up to these days, any of you fellows know?

Thats right Merrit was a big puncher. Broke Earnie Shavers jaw in a sparring session I believe. I am sad to say that Candy Slim Merrit is yet another casualty of Boxing. I have heard stories of drink and drugs and apparently he is often seen around Vegas begging for money when the big fights are on.

Here is a thread with more indepth information mate.

http://www.boxrec.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4004

There seems to be a cult curiosity about Jeff Simms and Candy Slim Merritt. Both were hard punchers but both were also limited as fighters and off the wall as human beings.

Simms was a convicted felon with a long rap sheet. He had worked -or so he claimed- at the sugar mills in Belle Glade, cutting cane with a machete. He had several bullet scars in his body from various incidents and his personality could switch from a mellow, laughing mood to a Liston surliness. There was an incident when he dove out an apartment window while somebody was shooting at him, wounding him in the process.

He trained regularly, but even when he seemed in shape, he tired in the later rounds. Although he had real punching power, he was on the slow side and could be hit.

Merrit was lean and a solid puncher but was also mediocre when it came to speed and stamina.

Both men liked booze, women and drugs, but in Candy Slim's case it became a total habit. He's a homeless addict in Vegas,

A few pointers- as far as video tape of Candy Slim goes, forget it. Despite a high profile kayo of Ernie Terrell and a bad knockout loss to Stan Ward LIVE on the Foreman/LeDoux undercard no tape seems to be doing the rounds.

As for Tubbs/Sims. In a recent interview right here on boxrec, Tubbs said he was surprised Sims was dead & had no recollection of their fight. It cant hardly have sprang out of thin air though, can it.

And as for the curiosity around Candy Slim, i didnt realise you guys cared so much. If you want to know how he is doing TODAY, check out this thread here. Aaaall the information you need is right here:

http://www.boxrec.com/forum/viewtopic.p ... ight=edgar

Curse that Freaky Deaky fella! What a fantastic, evocotive & erudite novelist he truly was.[/b]

Great feedback guys, keep it coming.

Hey Enrique,

I am aware that his post is way too long ago but I would like to learn more about Jeff Simms other than what's already been discussed. Can you tell me more about him? Since you know him personally... I really want to know more about him.

here is a little background info about Jeff Sims
from a newspaper article from March 1980.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=q2 ... 2910847&dq

The Jeff Sims vs Floyd"Jumbo"Cummings fight was the preliminary
to the Nationally televised Greg Page vs Jimmy Young fight in May 1982.
I cant remember if his fight with Ribalta in 1989 which along with Buster Douglas vs Oliver McCall was a preliminary
to Mike Tyson vs Carl Williams on HBO was aired.

here is a newspaper article July 1981 Jimmy Young vs Jeff Sims(with a photo)

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=oY ... 4,56471&dq

here is a newspaper article from March 1986 Tyrell Biggs vs Jeff Sims.
(scroll to left to view action photo)

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FV ... 7811960&dq

Here is Biggs vs Sims on youtube.
(check out the brief clip of Sims knocking out Floyd"Jumbo"Cummings.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svSR0lCc-oc

Jeff Sims was a sparring partner for Big John Tate,when Tate was preparing
to fight Larry Holmes for his title ,that was scheduled for April-6-1984 in Reno Nevada.
But a month earlier Tate had sparred 4 rounds with Sims,then started a round of sparring with Duane Bonds
but Tate injured some muscles in his left shoulder when he jabbed and then made a left hook.
The fight fight was canceled.

here is Tim Witherspoon vs Jeff Sims(1990)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkZdYfmV2Uc