Tim Witherspoon


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

Witherspoon vs. Larry Holmes: WBC heavyweight title

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

In December 1983, Holmes relinquished his WBC title rather than defend against Greg Page, and chose to accept that of the newly formed IBF.
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.
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.

Second title reign: WBA heavyweight champion

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 Smith had fought four bouts and recorded three wins, all against fringe contenders and journeymen. The fight was scheduled for December 12, 1986 at Madison Square Garden and Witherspoon a heavy favorite against the 17–5 Smith. 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.

Post-championship career

Following the end his second title reign, Witherspoon spent years in litigation against Don King. In 1991 won the USBA heavyweight title by defeating fellow contender Carl "The Truth" Williams but lost a points decision to Everett Martin. Ring magazine called this inexplicable loss the low point of his career.
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. 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. Later in the year he was matched with Ray Mercer but lost a 10-round decision.
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.
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.
Witherspoon also competed in Cedric Kushner's 2003 Thunderbox Heavyweight Tournament, "Fistful of Dollars," but lost in the opening stages.

Boxing Style

Like other Philadelphia fighters, such as George Benton, Witherspoon was known for his use of the Philly Shell. Witherspoon would switch between the Philly Shell and the cross-armed guard depending on what punches he was defending against. Witherspoon used this defense in conjunction with rubber necking, which is turning the head to reduce the impact of punches, and effective counterpunching.

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 UK.
In 2014, Witherspoon published his book with the help of British entrepreneur Kevin Baker and ghost writer Ryan Danes.

Professional boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateAgeLocationNotes
69LossBrian NixSD10Mar 15, 2003Grand Casino, Gulfport, Mississippi, U.S.
68Loss55–12–1Lou SavareseTKO5, 2:42Sep 22, 2002Table Mountain Casino, Friant, California, U.S.For vacant WBO Inter-Continental heavyweight title
67Win55–11–1Ahmed AbdinUD10May 18, 2002Silver Star Hotel & Casino, Choctaw, Mississippi, U.S.
66Win54–11–1Darroll WilsonKO2, 1:02Mar 10, 2002Green Valley Ranch, Henderson, Nevada, U.S.
65Win53–11–1Ed WhiteTKO1, 1:10Jan 18, 2002Entertainment & Sports Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.
64Win52–11–1Cleveland WoodsKO1, 2:30Jul 29, 2001Palace Indian Gaming Center, Lemoore, California, U.S.
63Loss51–11–1Monte BarrettSD10Jun 28, 2001Turning Stone Resort Casino, Verona, New York, U.S.
62Win51–10–1Danny WoffordTKO3 Apr 13, 2001University, Hampton, Virginia, U.S.
61Win50–10–1Elieser CastilloMD10Mar 31, 2001Bally's Park Place, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
60Win49–10–1David BosticeTKO1, 2:21Feb 22, 2001Zembo Shrine Building, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.
59Win48–10–1David SmithTKO2, 2:12Jul 8, 2000Monroe, Louisiana, U.S.
58Draw47–10–1Mike Sedillo12Apr 29, 2000St. John's, Antigua and BarbudaFor NBA heavyweight title
57Win47–10Joe BallardKO1Feb 25, 2000Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
56Loss46–10Greg PageRTD7, 3:00Jun 18, 1999Cumberland County Crown Coliseum, Fayetteville, North Carolina, U.S.
55Loss46–9Brian NielsenTKO4 Apr 16, 1999K.B. Hallen, Copenhagen, Denmark
54Loss46–8Andrew GolotaUD10Oct 2, 1998Centennial Hall, Wrocław, Poland
53Loss46–7Jimmy ThunderUD10Apr 7, 1998Harrah's Hotel and Casino, Cherokee, North Carolina, U.S.
52Loss46–6Larry DonaldUD12Dec 13, 1997Foxwoods Resort Casino, Ledyard, Connecticut, U.S.For WBC Continental Americas heavyweight title
51Win46–5Levi BillupsTKO1, 1:44Nov 4, 1997Grand Casino, Tunica, Mississippi, U.S.
50Loss45–5Ray MercerUD10Dec 14, 1996Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
49Win45–4Jorge Luis GonzálezTKO5, 2:54May 10, 1996Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
48Win44–4Al ColeUD10Jan 12, 1996Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
47Win43–4Tim PullerTKO2, 0:45Nov 14, 1995Casino Magic, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, U.S.
46Win42–4Everton DavisTKO7, 1:34Oct 31, 1995Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
45Win41–4Jesse ShelbyTKO1 Mar 24, 1995Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
44Win40–4Nathaniel FitchTKO6 Dec 17, 1994Etess Arena, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
43Win39–4Sherman GriffinTKO3, 2:58Aug 12, 1994South Padre Island, Texas, U.S.
42Win38–4Tony WillisUD10Aug 25, 1992Harrah's Marino Resort, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
41Loss37–4Everett MartinSD10Jul 21, 1992The Palace, Auburn Hills, Michigan, U.S.
40Win37–3James PritchardUD10Mar 23, 1992Harrah's Marina Resort, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
39Win36–3Jimmy Lee SmithKO1, 2:27Feb 4, 1992Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
38Win35–3Art TuckerTKO3, 1:33Sep 10, 1991The Blue Horizon, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.Retained USBA heavyweight title
37Win34–3Carl WilliamsSD12Mar 8, 1991Etess Arena, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.Won USBA heavyweight title
36Win33–3José RibaltaMD10Jul 19, 1990Kingdome, Seattle, Washington, U.S.
35Win32–3Greg GorrellTKO3, 1:00Mar 12, 1990Gelora Senayan Main Stadium, Jakarta, Indonesia
34Win31–3Jeff Sims5, 3:00Jan 11, 1990Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
33Win30–3Anders EklundKO1, 1:11Oct 19, 1989Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
32Win29–3Larry AlexanderSD10Jan 27, 1989Bally's Las Vegas, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
31Win28–3Mauricio VillegasTKO9 Feb 17, 1988York Hall, London, England
30Win27–3Mike WilliamsSD10Oct 14, 1987Steel Pier, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
29Win26–3Mark WillsTKO1, 1:15Aug 4, 1987Steel Pier, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
28Loss25–3James SmithTKO1, 2:12Dec 12, 1986Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.Lost WBA heavyweight title
27Win25–2Frank BrunoTKO11, 2:57Jul 19, 1986Wembley Stadium, London, EnglandRetained WBA heavyweight title
26Win24–2Tony TubbsMD15Jan 17, 1986Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.Won WBA heavyweight title
25Win23–2Sammy ScaffTKO4, 1:04Oct 12, 1985National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, England
24Win22–2Larry BeilfussTKO1, 1:35Sep 6, 1985Tamiami Park Auditorium, Miami, Florida, U.S.
23Win21–2James SmithUD12Jun 15, 1985Riviera, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.Retained NABF heavyweight title
22Win20–2James BroadKO2, 2:35Apr 29, 1985Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York, U.S.Won NABF heavyweight title
21Win19–2Mark WillsTKO9, 1:13Mar 25, 1985The Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S.
20Loss18–2Pinklon ThomasMD12Aug 31, 1984Riviera, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.Lost WBC heavyweight title
19Win18–1Greg PageMD12Mar 9, 1984Las Vegas Convention Center, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.Won vacant WBC heavyweight title
18Win17–1James TillisTKO1, 2:16Sep 23, 1983Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio, U.S.Won vacant NABF heavyweight title
17Win16–1Floyd CummingsUD10Jul 16, 1983Dunes, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
16Loss15–1Larry Holmes12May 20, 1983Dunes, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.For WBC and The Ring heavyweight titles
15Win15–0Renaldo Snipes10Jun 5, 1982Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
14Win14–0Luis AcostaKO2, 0:42Mar 30, 1982Playboy Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
13Win13–0Alfonzo RatliffTKO7, 2:25Dec 5, 1981Sands, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
12Win12–0Curtis GaskinsKO2 Nov 17, 1981Playboy Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
11Win11–0Jerry WilliamsTKO8 Jul 30, 1981Martin Luther King Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
10Win10–0Bobby JordanKO4 Jun 17, 1981Martin Luther King Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
9Win9–0Dave JohnsonUD8Apr 11, 1981Concord Resort Hotel, Thompson, New York, U.S.
8Win8–0Marvin Stinson10Feb 7, 1981Steel Pier, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
7Win7–0Ed BednarikTKO1, 2:06Jan 24, 1981Martin Luther King Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
6Win6–0James ReidTKO6 Dec 11, 1980Martin Luther King Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
5Win5–0Oliver WrightTKO2 Oct 24, 1980Martin Luther King Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
4Win4–0Charles CoxKO5Jul 20, 1980The Great Gorge Playboy Club Hotel, McAfee, New Jersey, U.S.
3Win3–0Robert Evans6May 9, 1980Long Island Arena, Commack, New York, U.S.
2Win2–0Robert Ritchie1Apr 26, 1980Lynchburg, Virginia, U.S.
1Win1–0Joe Adams1, 1:58Oct 30, 1979Forum, Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania, U.S.