Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
10 greatest living heavyweights: Is Tyson Fury on the list?
When three-time heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali died at 74 in 2016, boxing lost arguably its greatest heavyweight of all time.
Who is currently the No. 1 living heavyweight?
Well, that’s up for debate, which is the point of this special report. Boxing Junkie gives you the 10 greatest living members of the sport’s glamour division.
Here’s the list, in reverse order.
10 greatest living heavyweights: Is Tyson Fury on the list?
When three-time heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali died at 74 in 2016, boxing lost arguably its greatest heavyweight of all time.
Who is currently the No. 1 living heavyweight?
Well, that’s up for debate, which is the point of this special report. Boxing Junkie gives you the 10 greatest living members of the sport’s glamour division.
Here’s the list, in reverse order.
Larry Holmes was fortunate to emerge with his perfect record intact. Tim Witherspoon, some believe, was robbed. The fans were the big winners. The fight in question is the Hall of Famer’s 15 th defense of his heavyweight title on this date – May 20 …
Larry Holmes was fortunate to emerge with his perfect record intact. Tim Witherspoon, some believe, was robbed. The fans were the big winners.
The fight in question is the Hall of Famer’s 15th defense of his heavyweight title on this date – May 20 – in 1983 at the Dunes Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
Holmes (42-0, 30 KOs) had jabbed his way through the division in the 1980s with relatively little resistance, as he became recognized as one of the best big men in history. This fight was different, although few saw it coming.
Witherspoon, 25, was ranked No. 3 by the WBC going into the fight but he wasn’t a well-known entity. He was a late starter, launching his pro career only three years earlier, and reportedly had only six amateur fights. He was only 15-0 (11 KOs) in the paid ranks.
In spite of all that, as Holmes and the fans would learn, Witherspoon was a good boxer when standards arguably were higher than today and he had punching power.
Thus, a fight that most figured would be another walkover for Holmes turned into a give-and-take battle that ended in a controversial split decision.
Holmes did well in the first half of the fight, although the early rounds were competitive. Beginning in the seventh, Witherspoon asserted himself by picking up the pace and had success. Then came an epic Round 9, in which Witherspoon hurt Holmes twice, sending him into survival mode the rest of the round. Holmes survived but it was a struggle.
Witherspoon, evidently believing he was ahead on the cards, took his foot off the gas in the final few rounds – while Holmes picked up his work rate – and it might’ve cost him the biggest victory in his career. One judge scored it for Witherspoon (115-114), the other two gave Holmes the nod (118-111 and 115-113). Few believe Chuck Hassett’s 118-111 score reflected what happened in the ring.
Afterward, Witherspoon showed little respect for Holmes.
“I was unknown and that was just politics,” Witherspoon told The Ring. “I had no problem dealing with Larry’s style, and if you watch the fight, at the end of the first round, I waved my hand to show him that I wasn’t impressed. He had nothing I hadn’t seen before, and I knew he couldn’t do anything with me.”
Meanwhile, Holmes served up a number reasons for what might be described as a sub-par performance. He said he over-trained, which might account for his relatively low weight of 213 pounds. And he claims he suffered from diarrhea the morning of the fight.
In the end, though, he acknowledged that it was a difficult fight but was satisfied to have his hand raised.
“I’m not ashamed of my fight,” Holmes told Sports Illustrated. “I’m 43 and 0, with 15 title defenses, and I’m the champion of the world. Now maybe that’s enough. I don’t know. I’m going to go home and think about it. I’ve been thinking about retiring for a long time. Now I’ll think about it some more. I’ll let you know.”
Retirement? Holmes’ last fight took place in 2002, 19 years later. Meanwhile, Witherspoon would become a two-time titleholder – outpointing Greg Page and Tony Tubbs to win his belts – before he finished up his career in 2003. But a victory over a then-unbeaten Holmes, which was within his grasp, would’ve changed the way he’s perceived today.
Jimmy Thunder, a Samoa-born heavyweight from New Zealand who became a title contender in the 1990s, has died. He was 54.
Jimmy Thunder, a Samoa-born heavyweight from New Zealand who became a title contender in the 1990s, has died, according to multiple reports. He was 54.
Thunder, whose birth name was Ti’a James Senio Peau, reportedly died in his sleep at a hospital in Auckland after undergoing surgery to treat a brain tumor.
Thunder (35-14, 28 KOs) recorded victories over former titleholders Tony Tubbs, Trevor Berbick and Tim Witherspoon and won a few minor belts but he never fought for a major title.
His most notable accomplishment as a professional might have been his first-punch, 13-second knockout of Crawford Grimsley in 1997. He landed the knockout shot in the first few seconds of the fight.
“I was hungry,” Peau said at the time of the quick KO, according to The Associated Press. “I missed out on my lunch, and I missed out on dinner, and I was getting ready for the fight, and I walked past the buffet, and I said, ‘Damn man, I wanna go eat.’”
Thunder was a successful amateur, winning the super heavyweight gold medal in the 1986 Commonwealth Games, but was passed over when New Zealand selected its 1988 Olympic team.
He turned pro the following year and won consistently, at least until the latter part of his career. He went 4-8 – including losses to John Ruiz, Chris Byrd and Monte Barrett – in his last 12 fights before retiring in 2002.
Former heavyweight titleholder and current contender Joseph Parker, also a Samoan-Kiwi, thanked his predecessor on social media.
“Thank you for your service to our countries, both Samoa and New Zealand,” Parker said. “You, along with many other greats, some passed and some who are still with us today, paved the way for us up and coming fighters to be seen and heard on an international scale.”
