Tim Witherspoon

Tim Witherspoon (born December 27, 1957) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1979 to 2003. He was a two-time world heavyweight champion, having held the WBC title in 1984, and the WBA title in 1986. He beat heavyweight world champions Greg Page, James Smith, Tony Tubbs, Frank Bruno and cruiserweight world champions Alfonzo Ratliff and Al Cole. He is best known for his fight against undefeated heavyweight world champion Larry Holmes in which he lost by split decision. Witherspoon also worked as a regular sparring partner for Muhammad Ali.

Professional career

Early years

Witherspoon had six amateur bouts, losing the last to Marvis Frazier on decision after getting knocked down.

Making his professional debut with a first-round TKO over Joe Adams on October 30, 1979, Witherspoon quickly rose through the ranks. In 1981, he participated in his first high-profile fight, knocking out future world cruiserweight champion Alfonzo Ratliff, after which he was signed by Don King. Witherspoon was a sparring partner of Ali as he was training to fight Larry Holmes and Trevor Berbick. Ali also gave Witherspoon his complimentary ring alias of "Terrible" Tim Witherspoon.<ref>Frank bruno's autobiography</ref>

In 1982, he was matched with Renaldo Snipes, who had just given champion Larry Holmes a fair challenge (and knocked Holmes down), and outpointed him over 10 rounds, setting up his own challenge to Holmes.

Witherspoon vs. Larry Holmes: WBC heavyweight title

Template:Main article On May 20, 1983, Witherspoon would have his first attempt at earning a world title by taking on the recognized top man in the division World Boxing Council champion Larry Holmes at the Dunes Hotel in Las Vegas. Witherspoon gave Holmes all he could handle, including rocking him badly in the ninth round, before losing a disputed twelve round split decision.

He returned later in the year to outpoint Floyd "Jumbo" Cummings, who had drawn with Joe Frazier in Smokin' Joe's last fight, and win the NABF title with a first-round knockout of James "Quick" Tillis.

First title reign: WBC heavyweight champion

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} In December 1983, Holmes relinquished his WBC title rather than defend against Greg Page, and chose to accept that of the newly formed IBF (International Boxing Federation).Template:Citation needed

Witherspoon was matched with Page for the vacant title on March 9, 1984. Page, in constant war with promoter Don King, turned up overweight and was outpointed.Template:Citation needed

Witherspoon's reign as champion would not be long however, as soon he himself was in constant war with King, and on August 31 of that year he was outpointed by Pinklon Thomas via majority decision.Template:Citation needed

Second title reign: WBA heavyweight champion

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} 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. This earned him another chance at a heavyweight title and he signed to fight reigning WBA champion Tony Tubbs on January 17, 1986 in Atlanta. Witherspoon won a close fight by majority decision, winning by only one point on one of the scorecards and three on another with one even, to become champion for a second time.

In his first defense of his newly won championship, Witherspoon traveled to London and fought a young up-and-coming English heavyweight and future world champion Frank Bruno at Wembley Stadium, as part of the heavyweight unification series. In the eleventh round of a scheduled fifteen, Witherspoon recorded a technical knockout and did something he had not done when he was champion the first time: make a successful defense of the title after winning it. After defeating Bruno, a rematch with Tony Tubbs loomed but Tubbs pulled out of the fight.

Needing to make a title defense, Witherspoon accepted a second fight with Bonecrusher Smith. Since dropping a lopsided decision in their first matchup (losing every round but one on all three scorecards) Smith had fought four bouts and recorded three wins, all against fringe contenders and journeymen.Template:Citation needed The fight was scheduled for December 12, 1986 at Madison Square Garden and Witherspoon a heavy favorite against the 17-5 Smith.Template:Citation needed With fifty seconds remaining in the first round, Witherspoon hit the canvas a third time and Rivera ended the proceedings. At ringside, HBO commentators Barry Tompkins, Larry Merchant, and Sugar Ray Leonard expressed disbelief at the outcome, with all three calling the bout a major upset.Template:Citation needed

Post-championship career

Following the end his second title reign, Witherspoon spent years in litigation against Don King.Template:Citation needed In 1991 won the USBA heavyweight title by defeating fellow contender Carl "The Truth" Williams but lost a points decision to Everett Martin.Template:Citation needed Ring magazine called this inexplicable loss the low point of his career.Template:Citation needed

In 1993 Don King settled out of court and paid Witherspoon a million dollars. By 1994 Witherspoon had won five fights in a row by knockout.Template:Citation needed Aged 38 he was signed by HBO and matched in high-profile fights with cruiserweight champion Al Cole and the Cuban amateur Jorge Luis González, both of whom he defeated.Template:Citation needed Later in the year he was matched with Ray Mercer but lost a 10-round decision.Template:Citation needed

After that loss Witherspoon laid off a year, and when he came back he was outpointed by Larry Donald on HBO, and, in 1998, lost a close decision when outworked by New Zealander Jimmy Thunder before travelling to Poland to be outpointed by Andrew Golota.Template:Citation needed

The 43-year-old Witherspoon resurfaced in 2001, knocking out the prospect David Bostice in one round, outpointing Cuban southpaw contender Eliecer Castillo and Syrian Ahmed Abdin, before his revival was ended by Lou Savarese, who stopped him in five rounds.Template:Citation needed

Witherspoon also competed in Cedric Kushner's 2003 Thunderbox Heavyweight Tournament, "Fistful of Dollars," but lost in the opening stages.Template:Citation needed

Life after boxing

Witherspoon resides near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he trains boxers, including his son, lightweight Tim Witherspoon Jr. and many others. He has also trained Light Heavyweight champion Clinton Woods in the U.K.<ref> {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} </ref>

In 2014, Witherspoon published his book with the help of British entrepreneur Kevin Baker and ghost writer Ryan Danes.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Professional boxing record

Template:Abbr	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Age	Location	Notes
69	Template:No2Loss	Template:Nowrap	Brian Nix	SD	10	Mar 15, 2003	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
68	Template:No2Loss	55–12–1	Lou Savarese	TKO	5 (12), Template:Small	Sep 22, 2002	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small	Template:Small
67	Template:Yes2Win	55–11–1	Ahmed Abdin	UD	10	May 18, 2002	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
66	Template:Yes2Win	54–11–1	Darroll Wilson	KO	2 (10), Template:Small	Mar 10, 2002	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
65	Template:Yes2Win	53–11–1	Ed White	TKO	1, Template:Small	Jan 18, 2002	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
64	Template:Yes2Win	52–11–1	Cleveland Woods	KO	1 (10), Template:Small	Jul 29, 2001	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
63	Template:No2Loss	51–11–1	Monte Barrett	SD	10	Jun 28, 2001	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
62	Template:Yes2Win	51–10–1	Danny Wofford	TKO	3 (10)	Apr 13, 2001	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
61	Template:Yes2Win	50–10–1	Elieser Castillo	MD	10	Mar 31, 2001	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
60	Template:Yes2Win	49–10–1	David Bostice	TKO	1 (10), Template:Small	Feb 22, 2001	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
59	Template:Yes2Win	48–10–1	David Smith	TKO	2 (10), Template:Small	Jul 8, 2000	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
58	Template:DrawDraw	47–10–1	Mike Sedillo	Template:Abbr	12	Apr 29, 2000	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small	Template:Small
57	Template:Yes2Win	47–10	Joe Ballard	KO	1	Feb 25, 2000	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
56	Template:No2Loss	46–10	Greg Page	RTD	7 (10), Template:Small	Jun 18, 1999	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
55	Template:No2Loss	46–9	Brian Nielsen	TKO	4 (10)	Apr 16, 1999	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
54	Template:No2Loss	46–8	Andrew Golota	UD	10	Oct 2, 1998	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
53	Template:No2Loss	46–7	Jimmy Thunder	UD	10	Apr 7, 1998	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
52	Template:No2Loss	46–6	Larry Donald	UD	12	Dec 13, 1997	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small	Template:Small
51	Template:Yes2Win	46–5	Levi Billups	TKO	1 (10), Template:Small	Nov 4, 1997	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
50	Template:No2Loss	45–5	Ray Mercer	UD	10	Dec 14, 1996	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
49	Template:Yes2Win	45–4	Jorge Luis González	TKO	5 (10), Template:Small	May 10, 1996	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
48	Template:Yes2Win	44–4	Al Cole	UD	10	Jan 12, 1996	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
47	Template:Yes2Win	43–4	Tim Puller	TKO	2 (10), Template:Small	Nov 14, 1995	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
46	Template:Yes2Win	42–4	Everton Davis	TKO	7 (10), Template:Small	Oct 31, 1995	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
45	Template:Yes2Win	41–4	Jesse Shelby	TKO	1 (10)	Mar 24, 1995	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
44	Template:Yes2Win	40–4	Nathaniel Fitch	TKO	6 (10)	Dec 17, 1994	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
43	Template:Yes2Win	39–4	Sherman Griffin	TKO	3 (10), Template:Small	Aug 12, 1994	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
42	Template:Yes2Win	38–4	Tony Willis	UD	10	Aug 25, 1992	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
41	Template:No2Loss	37–4	Everett Martin	SD	10	Jul 21, 1992	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
40	Template:Yes2Win	37–3	James Pritchard	UD	10	Mar 23, 1992	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
39	Template:Yes2Win	36–3	Jimmy Lee Smith	KO	1 (10), Template:Small	Feb 4, 1992	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
38	Template:Yes2Win	35–3	Art Tucker	TKO	3 (12), Template:Small	Sep 10, 1991	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small	Template:Small
37	Template:Yes2Win	34–3	Carl Williams	SD	12	Mar 8, 1991	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small	Template:Small
36	Template:Yes2Win	33–3	José Ribalta	MD	10	Jul 19, 1990	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
35	Template:Yes2Win	32–3	Greg Gorrell	TKO	3 (10), Template:Small	Mar 12, 1990	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
34	Template:Yes2Win	31–3	Jeff Sims	Template:Abbr	5 (10), Template:Small	Jan 11, 1990	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
33	Template:Yes2Win	30–3	Anders Eklund	KO	1 (10), Template:Small	Oct 19, 1989	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
32	Template:Yes2Win	29–3	Larry Alexander	SD	10	Jan 27, 1989	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
31	Template:Yes2Win	28–3	Mauricio Villegas	TKO	9 (10)	Feb 17, 1988	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
30	Template:Yes2Win	27–3	Mike Williams	SD	10	Oct 14, 1987	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
29	Template:Yes2Win	26–3	Mark Wills	TKO	1 (10), Template:Small	Aug 4, 1987	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
28	Template:No2Loss	25–3	James Smith	TKO	1 (15), Template:Small	Dec 12, 1986	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small	Template:Small
27	Template:Yes2Win	25–2	Frank Bruno	TKO	11 (15), Template:Small	Jul 19, 1986	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small	Template:Small
26	Template:Yes2Win	24–2	Tony Tubbs	MD	15	Jan 17, 1986	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small	Template:Small
25	Template:Yes2Win	23–2	Sammy Scaff	TKO	4 (10), Template:Small	Oct 12, 1985	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
24	Template:Yes2Win	22–2	Larry Beilfuss	TKO	1 (10), Template:Small	Sep 6, 1985	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
23	Template:Yes2Win	21–2	James Smith	UD	12	Jun 15, 1985	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small	Template:Small
22	Template:Yes2Win	20–2	James Broad	KO	2 (12), Template:Small	Apr 29, 1985	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small	Template:Small
21	Template:Yes2Win	19–2	Mark Wills	TKO	9 (10), Template:Small	Mar 25, 1985	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
20	Template:No2Loss	18–2	Pinklon Thomas	MD	12	Aug 31, 1984	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small	Template:Small
19	Template:Yes2Win	18–1	Greg Page	MD	12	Mar 9, 1984	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small	Template:Small
18	Template:Yes2Win	17–1	James Tillis	TKO	1 (12), Template:Small	Sep 23, 1983	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small	Template:Small
17	Template:Yes2Win	16–1	Floyd Cummings	UD	10	Jul 16, 1983	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
16	Template:No2Loss	15–1	Larry Holmes	Template:Abbr	12	May 20, 1983	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small	Template:Small
15	Template:Yes2Win	15–0	Renaldo Snipes	Template:Abbr	10	Jun 5, 1982	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
14	Template:Yes2Win	14–0	Luis Acosta	KO	2 (10), Template:Small	Mar 30, 1982	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
13	Template:Yes2Win	13–0	Alfonzo Ratliff	TKO	7 (10), Template:Small	Dec 5, 1981	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
12	Template:Yes2Win	12–0	Curtis Gaskins	KO	2 (8)	Nov 17, 1981	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
11	Template:Yes2Win	11–0	Jerry Williams	TKO	8 (10)	Jul 30, 1981	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
10	Template:Yes2Win	10–0	Bobby Jordan	KO	4 (10)	Jun 17, 1981	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
9	Template:Yes2Win	9–0	Dave Johnson	UD	8	Apr 11, 1981	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
8	Template:Yes2Win	8–0	Marvin Stinson	Template:Abbr	10	Feb 7, 1981	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
7	Template:Yes2Win	7–0	Ed Bednarik	TKO	1, Template:Small	Jan 24, 1981	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
6	Template:Yes2Win	6–0	James Reid	TKO	6 (8)	Dec 11, 1980	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
5	Template:Yes2Win	5–0	Oliver Wright	TKO	2 (8)	Oct 24, 1980	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
4	Template:Yes2Win	4–0	Charles Cox	KO	5	Jul 20, 1980	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
3	Template:Yes2Win	3–0	Robert Evans	Template:Abbr	6	May 9, 1980	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
2	Template:Yes2Win	2–0	Robert Ritchie	Template:Abbr	1	Apr 26, 1980	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small
1	Template:Yes2Win	1–0	Joe Adams	Template:Abbr	1, Template:Small	Oct 30, 1979	Template:Age in years and days	Template:Small

External links

• Template:Boxrec
• "Terrible" Times: A Life of Tim Witherspoon at boxing.com