Tony Tubbs - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Tony Tubbs is a retired professional heavyweight boxer

Boxing

Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...

who was the WBA

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 Champion of the world from 1985 to 1986.

Amateur career

Tubbs compiled an amateur record of 240-13. In 1978, he lost in the quarterfinals of the World Championships to the great Cuban Teofilo 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....

. The following year, Tubbs won the National AAU title and the World Cup Championships.

In February 1980, the Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...

Amateur Boxing Club competed against the Joe Frazier

Joe Frazier

Joseph William "Joe" Frazier , also known as Smokin' Joe, was an Olympic and Undisputed World Heavyweight boxing champion, whose professional career lasted from 1965 to 1976, with a one-fight comeback in 1981....

Amateur Boxing Club in Houston, Texas. Tubbs, boxing for the Ali team, defeated Marvis Frazier

Marvis Frazier

Marvis Frazier is a former professional boxer of the heavyweight division.-Personal:Marvis is the son of former heavyweight champion and Hall of Famer, Joe Frazier. His sister Jackie Frazier-Lyde was also a professional boxer, as was his brother Joe Frazier, Jr...

(son of Joe Frazier) by decision, avenging an earlier defeat.

Tubbs also was a sparring partner for Ali. He helped Ali prepare for his rematch with Leon Spinks

Leon Spinks

Leon Spinks is a former American boxer. He had an overall record of 26 wins, 17 losses and 3 draws as a professional, with 14 knockout wins, and was the former World Boxing Council and World Boxing Association heavyweight champion of the world...

, which Ali won by a unanimous decision to regain the World Heavyweight Championship.

Early Pro Career

Tubbs, nicknamed TNT, made his professional debut on June 14, 1980, with a first-round knockout of Bruce Scott.

After 11 fights, he fought fellow undefeated prospect Clarence Hill

Clarence Hill (boxer)

Clarence Hill is a retired Bermudian boxer. At the 1976 Summer Olympics he won the Heavyweight bronze medal. He is Bermuda's first and so far only Olympic medallist.-Olympic results:*1st round bye*Defeated Parviz Badpa KO 3...

on August 7, 1982 and won by a ten-round unanimous decision. After outpointing slick stylist Jimmy Young

Jimmy Young (boxer)

Jimmy Young was a fast highly skilled Philadelphia heavyweight boxer who had his greatest success during the 1970s, when he most notably beat George Foreman, and many fans felt also Ali . He also fought many top names...

(who had defeated George Foreman

George Foreman

George Edward Foreman is an American two-time former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Olympic gold medalist, ordained Baptist minister, author and successful entrepreneur...

) on April 10, 1983, he was signed by Don King and began rising quickly up the rankings while appearing on several King undercards.

On March 15, 1985, he faced future WBA Heavyweight Champ James "Bonecrusher" Smith in a WBA title Eliminator. Tubbs won by a unanimous decision, taking his record to 20-0 (15 knockouts).

World Championship Fights

On April 29, 1985, Tubbs challenged Greg Page

Greg Page (boxer)

Greg Page was a boxer from Louisville, Kentucky. He was the World Boxing Association Heavyweight Champion from 1984 to 1985...

for the WBA Heavyweight Championship. Page and Tubbs fought seven times as amateurs, with Page winning six of them, but for their one and only meeting as professionals, Tubbs won by a fifteen-round unanimous decision.

On January 17, 1986, Tubbs made his first title defense against former WBC Heavyweight Champion Tim Witherspoon

Tim Witherspoon

"Terrible" Tim Witherspoon is an American boxer who was twice world heavyweight champion.-Early career:Witherspoon had eight and a half amateur bouts, losing one to Marvis Frazier on decision after getting knocked down....

. Tubbs weighed-in at 244 lbs, 15 more than he weighed for the Page fight, and lost the title by a fifteen-round majority decision.

Tubbs and Witherspoon had a rematch scheduled for December 12, 1986, but Tubbs pulled out of the fight. Tubbs claimed that he had an injured shoulder, but promoter Don King accused Tubbs of trying to finagle more money.

On March 21, 1988, Tubbs fought Mike Tyson

Mike Tyson

Michael Gerard "Mike" Tyson is a retired American boxer. Tyson is a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles, he was 20 years, 4 months and 22 days old...

for the Undisputed World Heavyweight Championship and was knocked out in the second round.

Ex-Champ

On November 21, 1989, Tubbs outpointed top contender Orlin Norris

Orlin Norris

Orlin Levance Norris, born October 4, 1965 in Lubbock, TX, is an American boxer who held the WBA cruiserweight title and fought in several noteworthy boxing matches in the 1980s and 1990s...

, winning the North American Boxing Federation title. However, Tubbs tested positive for cocaine. Tubbs was stripped of the title and the victory was changed to a "no contest."

On April 20, 1991, Tubbs lost a ten-round decision to rising prospect and future Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion Riddick Bowe

Riddick Bowe

Riddick Lamont Bowe is a retired American boxer. He is a two-time heavyweight champion and a former undisputed heavyweight champion...

.

On August 8, 1992, Tubbs was knocked out in the first round by journeyman Lionel Butler. Tubbs came back to outpoint future WBA Heavyweight Champion Bruce Seldon

Bruce Seldon

Bruce Samuel Seldon is a retired American boxer and former world champion, having won the World Boxing Association heavyweight title in 1995.-Amateur career:...

and the undefeated Alexander Zolkin, but then suffered another first-round knockout, losing to the lightly regarded Jimmy Ellis.

People's Choice Heavyweight Tournament

In December 1993, Tubbs took part in the one-night People's Choice Heavyweight Tournament in Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi

Mississippi

Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...

. He knocked out Willie Jackson in the first round and won three-round decisions over 1984 Olympic Gold Medalist Tyrell Biggs

Tyrell Biggs

Tyrell Biggs , is an American heavyweight boxer. He won the gold medal at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, CA in boxing at the Superheavyweight division, after gaining bronze the previous year at the 1983 Pan American Games....

, Jose Ribalta, and Daniel Dancuta to win the tournament. Depending on pay-per-view revenue, he had a chance to win $1 million. He ended up with $170,000.

Late career

From 1994 to 1997, Tubbs went 3-3 with one no-contest. He retired but came back in 2002. He lost two of his first three comeback fights, but then won his next five, including a win over 18-0 Brian Minto. His last fight was a six-round unanimous decision over clubfighter Adam Smith on November 4, 2006.

Trouble With The Law

Tubbs has been to prison for cocaine-related crimes and failure to pay child support for some of the 16 children he says he has. On November 30, 2009, Tubbs pleaded guilty to cocaine possession. At his sentencing on January 14, 2010, The judge gave him a choice: four-to-six months in a locked-down drug facility, followed by a year or more of aftercare in a residential facility, or six months in prison. Tubbs chose six months prison. http://thebuzzcincy.com/cincy/lincolnware/mother-fights-for-former-boxer/ http://www.newnation.vg/forums/showthread.php?p=318827

Professional boxing record

Adam Smith
|UD
|6
|04/11/2006
|align=left|

Waterfront Hotel, Morgantown

Morgantown, West Virginia

Morgantown is a city in Monongalia County, West Virginia. It is the county seat of Monongalia County. Placed along the banks of the Monongahela River, Morgantown is the largest city in North-Central West Virginia, and the base of the Morgantown metropolitan area...

, West Virginia

West Virginia

West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...