tell me about Tony Tucker...

Tucker was a good fighter who was a big under achiever. He fought best when he was fighting someone who was regarded as better than him (Lewis, Tyson) He had a big drug problem and didnt train well for many fights.
Tucker fought good against Tyson and won a few rounds in what was one of his better performances.

 

He was a former amateur star who was highly touted, but due to drug problems and a knee injury that took him out for 13 months early in his career, didn't fufill that promise.He beat a faded Jimmy Young in 1984, James Broad in 1986 for the USBA title, and beat Buster Douglass to win the vacant IBF title.After losing to Tyson, those drug problems really took over and I understand his father ruined him financially.

 

1993 was not the end of his career. However, once he had tasted a true war and visited the canvas, Tucker lost interesting in boxing very quickly.

 

It was the end of his career as a serious contender. He basically became a gatekeeper after that.

 

Tony Tucker

A good amateur, turned pro in 1980.

He fought a string of bums, out-of-shape journeymen and tomato cans and somehow got ranked as the IBF number 1 contender to fight Michael Spinks in 1987.

Well, actually he beat James Broad in a dreary 12-round "eliminator" for in 1986 the number 1 ranking. Anyone who remembers James Broad will know he wasn't top worthy of being 2 among contenders ever.

Then the IBF stripped Spinks for not fighting Tucker, (or more likely for spoiling Don King's and Cayton/Jacobs fun with the HBO heavyweight unification tourney) and Tucker was matched with Buster Douglas in 1987 (same bill as Tyson-Thomas).

1987 was the begininning and end of Tony Tucker as an important world class heavyweight, IMO.
He beat Douglas then went 12 rounds with Mike Tyson. This was progress. Tucker had arrived as a world class fighter.

Then he went AWOL for a year or two, and then fought a string of bums and tomato cans, often looked dreadful, barely scraped past Orlin Norris and Oliver McCall and somehow got ranked number 1 by the WBC.

He challenged Lennox Lewis, looked old and unethused, got beaten easily by a sloppy Lewis, but went the distance.

The legend of "Tucker Tony" had been born.

I think he went back to fighting bums and tomato cans. Became ranked number 1 by the WBA this time, and then when George Foreaman refused to fight him he was matched with Bruce Seldon for the vacant WBA title.
Seldon beat him, then so did Akinwande a few months later.

A couple of years later Tony Tucker was matched with Herbie Hide for the vacant WBO title ! Hide thrashed him.


Tony Tucker is the all-time great beneficiary of boxing rigged-ratings.
Imagine all the brown envelopes and presents from Don King being passed around with little post-it notes saying "Tony Tucker" being delivered to the crooks who run the IBF, WBC, WBA and WBO.

A case study in corrupt rankings and the "miracles" delivered by Don King.
Tony Tucker.

 

He certainly was a Don king fighter,but I think your being a little tough on him. He had a few decent wins even after the Tyson loss, and is one of the few to go 12 with a prime Tyson.
By the way, arent most fighters beneficiaries of their promoters corruptness? Who the hell has actually earned every win and title shot they've gotten?

 

He did well against Tyson. He wasn't a bad fighter. But check his record.
He fought from 1980 to his title fight with Lennox Lewis in 1993, how many times ? FIFTY.
And he's often described as one of the top heavyweights of the 80s.
But few names of other top 80s heavyweights are among those fifty.
Guys like Tubbs, Witherspoon, Page, Thomas, Dokes, Berbick.

To some extent most fighters benefit from being connected to the right promoters, yes.
Tony Tucker benefitted at the highest level more than most heavyweights I can think of.

 

He was decent, tall with a real good chin and all right boxing skill. Even though he lost clearly to Tyson he gave a good effort, tagging him lots in the first round with a number of right hands and a good uppercut that seemed to stun Tyson for a secnd.

 

sums him up perfectly. good fighter

 

Think John Ruiz:hey

 

Another name on the list of could-have-achieved-a-lot-more-if-he-was-not-a--drug-addict of the 80´s.

 

Too much Geri Curl, and too much cocaine....Ahh the 80's

 

Yes, he looked just like Miles Davis........:good

 

He looked much different in the early 80's, where he had a mini-fro thing going, than the late 80's.He also was very fast early on.