Witherspoon admits to throwing the Bonecrusher rematch

He admitted it but I don't think it's entirely true. He had a tooth knocked out...not exactly how you "throw" a fight. I think rather he came in completely untrained and unmotivated because of how he was getting screwed, and got blitzed by an opponent that he didn't respect, but who could punch!

It's a good way to save face by saying he "threw" it.

The truth is often in between.

 

I believe Tim, when you're supposed to make I believe $500,000 for his previous fight beating frank Bruno and you end up getting $90,000 and change, less than 20 percent of what you were supposed to be paid that can cause a great loss in motivation.

 

Except winning the fight gives you or helps you keep a belt that Mike Tyson needs and therefore you’re going to get a much bigger payday if you win. It makes no economic sense to throw away a potential additional title and payday and bigger money fight. I think he just got caught by a big man who could punch.

If you notice, Smith came out with guns blazing, with a do or die attitude. Tim covered and tried to counterpunch. I actually think Witherspoon scored a knockdown that wasn’t counted. So to me, it looks like he’s trying to nail an aggressor.

 

Wasnt there one time that Tim went down after a punch did NOT land?

 

Jack Johnson also said he threw the fight with Jess Willard. Like this story the film evidence says otherwise.

 

I believe he went in there with the intention of getting Don King's hand out of his pocket.

 

They fought once before. Tim Witherspoon defeated Smith.

 

Tyson-Witherspoon was literally the next fight scheduled in the HBO tournament.

Tyson was next up for the winner in March.

Witherspoon wasn't prepared for Smith because he thought he was going to be fighting Tubbs that night and trained for another slow slog where two guys lay on each other round after round like his first fight with Tubbs.

But Smith jumped on him quickly. It was Smith's one chance. He wasn't going to win on points. And it worked. He caught Witherspoon. Even knocked his tooth out.

So, Smith got the fight with Tyson like three months later.

 

It’s fascinating how fighters’ recollections of events always side with versions that most protect their ego.

I’m sure if Tim could do it over again, he’d spend the late 80s fighting journeymen instead of getting a lot of money and a shot at greatness against Tyson.

 

Well, he got his wish. Then he spent the next decade begging King and others for a title shot.

The problem with believing his claim is Witherspoon lost other fights, too. And claimed he threw them or let the other guy win, as well. It was a pattern for him. In his own bio, as his career proceeded, when he lost, he claimed he "didn't really want to win."

If you believe him, then no other major heavyweight purposely lost and participated in as many fixed fights as Witherspoon claims he took.

And Don King wasn't the promoter of any of the others.

According to the New York Times, Witherspoon's problems were all self-made.

NEW PROBLEM FOR TROUBLED WITHERSPOON
Dec. 18, 1986

As if Tim Witherspoon did not have enough problems.

On Friday, hours before he defended his World Boxing Association heavyweight title against James (Bonecrusher) Smith, the Internal Revenue Service put a lien on Witherspoon's $300,000 purse for $180,148 in back taxes.

Later that night at Madison Square Garden, Smith knocked out Witherspoon at 2:12 of the first round.

Now it develops that postfight tests revealed marijuana in Witherspoon's system. There was an identical finding after Witherspoon won the title from Tony Tubbs in January. At the time, he was fined $25,000 and a rematch with Tubbs was mandated.

Jose Torres, chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission, said yesterday that Witherspoon would be suspended.

Torres then said he would suspend Tony Tubbs and Carl King until hearings can be held soon on their failure to notify his commission first of the shoulder injury that Tubbs said prevented him from fighting Witherspoon. Tubbs was replaced by Smith.Tubbs's suspension could be compounded by his withdrawal from a medical examination that was being conducted on him last week by Dr. Robert Schultz in Valhalla, N.Y., to validate or refute the fighter's injury claim. ''Halfway through the tests, Tubbs went to the bathroom and disappeared,'' Torres said.

Before Gerry Cooney, the heavyweight, agreed to fight the International Boxing Federation champion, Michael Spinks, Bill Cayton, co-manager of Mike Tyson, the World Boxing Council champion, said Cooney was offered a $10 million deal to fight Tyson if he did not undercut Home Box Office's unification series by fighting Spinks outside it.

Dennis Rappaport, co-manager of Cooney, confirmed the offer, saying his man would have gotten ''roughly parity'' with Tyson. Rappaport said he turned the offer down because it entailed too long a wait before Cooney and Tyson met. ''And anything can happen,'' said Rappaport, ''injuries, what have you.''

The early line from the Las Vegas Hilton sports book made Smith a 7-1 underdog against Tyson for their March 7 fight.