Berbick-Tate KO -- One of the strangest KO's I've ever seen

I think he is trying to win by DQ for punches to the back of the head, like Mercer did vs Briggs

 

Tate had already been stretched by Mike Weaver. The trauma of that perhaps. Not everyone can overcome a KO loss, mentally as well as physically.

 

Think your correct.
The Weaver ko was one of those that kos that screw a fighter up.

 

After several examinations, I don't think he was hit in the back of the head, but in the ear.
Before that, he had already received two blows in that (right) ear. The center in the brain that controls balance has been disrupted (this happens from a blow to the ear).
A similar thing happened in the fights of Bowe vs Golota, and Andy Ruiz Jr. vs AJ.
So the blow was given from the back, but not to the back of the head.
P.S. John Tate already entered the 9th round ruined.

 

He may or may not have been somewhat ruined by the Weaver axing but he needed more time off and also an easier opponent to ease back into it. Like 6 months or more off.

Now they were desperately unlucky as their choice of Berbick seemed completely safe and it was - on paper. It was only the Tate fight and later deeds that put him on the map and showed he was a bonafide contender so nobody knew what they were really up against.

He had 8 months (docs orders)off post Berbick and actually began a long drawn out resurrection against 10 nobodies in a row, talk about chalk and cheese. This someone saw him signed to fight Holmes but he injured his shoulder just prior and away that went. After that were spending drama's, money control drama's, fights with his trainer and simply not fighting.

It's an incredibly tragic story really, John's.

https://www.wbir.com/article/sports...mpion/51-5bb35353-002a-44ee-afc9-a39c7da7c2ab

 

Curtis Shepard (Hachet man) used to palm (slap?) guys to the ear to set them up for the KO. He believed it dizzied them up.

 

Emanual Steward said Tate had no business even going to the gym for at least 6 months after getting ko'ed much less fighting. He had horrible management. Tate was exhausted after 8 rounds ,the same Tate that went 15 with the much more dangerous Gerrie Coetzee , what's that tell you? That version of Tate might have stopped Berbick

 

Big John had alot of expectations to perhaps be a great heavyweight. With that comes $ but pressure to get it. Not everyone in boxing cares about the fighters health.

 

Big George hit Smoking Joe in the back of the head.

 

Obligatory Rich The Fight Historian video

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I just watched it. In the second round a dazed Frazier turns his back on Foreman and is walking along the side of the ropes to G-d knows where and Foreman hits him in the back of his head.

 

That punch was really unsportsmanlike.