John Tate (boxer)
Overview
 
John Tate (January 29, 1955 in Marion, Arkansas
Marion, Arkansas
Marion is a city in Crittenden County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 8,901 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Crittenden County, and is part of the Memphis metropolitan area...

 – April 9, 1998 in Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...

) was an American prizefighter and Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...

 boxer, who briefly held the World Boxing Association
World Boxing Association
The World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962...

 heavyweight title from 1979 to 1980.
"Big John" Tate (named due to his 6'4" height) captured a bronze medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...

 in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

, losing to Olympic boxing legend Teófilo Stevenson
Teófilo Stevenson
Teófilo Stevenson Lawrence or Teófilo Stevenson is a former Cuban amateur boxer. He is one of the only three boxers to win three Olympic gold medals, alongside Hungarian László Papp and fellow Cuban Félix Savón....

.
  • Defeated Andrzej Biegalski
    Andrzej Biegalski
    Andrzej Biegalski was a Polish heavyweight amateur boxing champion. He reached quarterfinals in World Championships in Havana, 1974....

     (Poland) 5-0
  • Defeated Peter Hussing
    Peter Hussing
    Peter Hussing was a West German heavyweight boxing champion. Although one of the favorites in European Championship in Katowice in 1975, he was heavily KO-ed by Andrzej Biegalski from Poland, who later became the champion. Four years later, Hussing became the European Champion in Cologne 1979...

     (West Germany) 3-2
  • Lost to Teófilo Stevenson
    Teófilo Stevenson
    Teófilo Stevenson Lawrence or Teófilo Stevenson is a former Cuban amateur boxer. He is one of the only three boxers to win three Olympic gold medals, alongside Hungarian László Papp and fellow Cuban Félix Savón....

     (Cuba) KO round 1


Tate lost in the finals of the 1975 National Golden Gloves
Golden Gloves
The Golden Gloves is the name given to annual competitions for amateur boxing in the United States. The Golden Gloves is often the term used to refer to the National Golden Gloves competition, but it also can represent several other amateur tournaments, including regional golden gloves...

 to Emory Chapman.
 
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