Tim Witherspoon: "Larry Holmes beat a sick man when he fought ALI" ~ Listen In

Thanks for that.

This helped to clear up a lot of suspicians that I have always had regarding the James Smith rematch....

 

Christ, we know Ali was Ill, Boxing Babe........... I watched the fight back in '80......... I have a copy on tape now... Take it from me......... In late '80, Ali looked amazing in the publicity photos' at near 220 pounds and his hair dyed jet black; he had me fooled---to a degree.... Come the weigh-in, Ali was 218 and looked like he was young again...... BUT! His speech was off...... Come the fight, Ali showed no speed whatsoever.... By round three, I knew Ali was screwed blue and in trouble...... It was all a hoax........... Larry Holmes was not to be denied at age 30 and 211 pounds............... A terrible PPV from SELECTV........ Jesus Christ, the main event was horrid..............

MR.BILL

 

Okay, how do we all know Rums is dead??? Who let the cat out of the box??? Also, what was the actual cause of demise???

MR.BILL:huh:deal

 

His comments regarding the Smith matchup make no sense. "The belt represents power and money, so I gave it to them" :huh
He doesnt understand why he wasnt paid as much as Bruno fighting him in Wembley??
Tim you're a great guy, but a business man you are not.

 

It makes perfect sense. Regardless of holding a title, the power and money weren't there. He was being robbed blind.

He was the defending WBA champion, while Bruno was a mere contender, yet he made only $95,000 whereas Bruno made $1.5 million, and had the luxury of fighting on his own turf. Does this not seem a tad lop sided to you?

A business man is only as savvy as his ability to call the shots. His hands were tied, and he was in no position to demand anything. Fighters did not set their fees. The promotors did, and Don King had just about every marketable fighter ( along with the governing bodies ), in his back pocket. For what its worth, Tim made a ballsy move by taking King to court over lost earnings in the Bruno fight, and won.

 

Obviously Ali was ill vs Larry, he looked like an imposter.

 

Spoon was a damn good fighter who MIGHT'VE been great with some added dedication to his game back in 1984 thru 1990................... Spoon was often lazy and jerkin' off on the side when he should've been serious....... However, yes, he ****ed up bad against Jimmy Smith in 1986 up in New York........ Ol' Spoon entered the ring looking like he just crawled outta bed with a couple of broads; he was whipped galore.... He had no speed or reflexes, and no eye of the tiger to win.... BUT! I was stoked for Smith at the time...........

Then Ol' "Lazy Bones" Smith looked like an idiot holding and hugging Tyson to death in early '87....... I was livid........:twisted: I thought that was gonna be a wicked fireworks display on regular HBO...... :rofl I was pissed.......:fire

MR.BILL

 

Your obviously not a business man either. Sometimes you have to invest a little to ultimately call the shots ala Bernard Hopkins.
Bruno was a far more popular fighter, and could fill Wembley Stadium. Tim couldnt fill his backyard. Does this make sense to you?

 

Business or no business, King did screw Spoon a great deal in 1986........... The fact that "Smith-Bruno" was held in London should've been a plus factor for Spoon................. Spoon was the WBA chump...... Bruno was the beloved countryman looking to win a title.......... Fact is, Spoon and Bruno needed each other to make money........... In all fairness, that fight would've and should've been a rare case in which both champion and challenger earn purse parity and each walks away fair and equal, win or lose................. KING ROBBED Spoon's purse money and left him hanging in the wind........... King could NOT screw Bruno nearly as good since Bruno had other links to English business men who would not tolerate King's bull****............
:deal

MR.BILL


Note:

King never would've gotten out of England in one piece had he jacked team Bruno around on the money....... King knew that, too.....

 

Nicely done..

Hopfully right cross will get it..

 

Nothing new with King. Just recently King was paid 350K to deliver Vic Darchinians opponent. He paid the guy who retained his title 30K.
How do you become in control of your own destiny? You keep winning. Promoters like King put up a lot of money to stage fights and fighters. When the fighter becomes popular he thinks its only because of him, but the fact is the promoter invests a lot in the beginning when they're not a household name. Witherspoon could have ultimately kept "winning" and moved onto bigger and better things, especially if he had a shot at Tyson next.
As I said in a previous post, Don King threw everything at Hopkins but the kitchen sink, and he couldnt get his title away from him. That title is ultimately what put Hopkins in control as he had something King wanted for Trinidad, just as Spoon would have had something King NEEDED to continue promoting Tyson fights.

 

Your as dumb as Spoon, thats why you will never get it. :good

 

Yepper....... Had Spoon beaten Smith in 1986, he'd have fought Tyson in early '87 on HBO for some more dough in a high-profile fight...... BUT! Smith had a huge / peak year for his career in 1986........ Smith beat "Weaver, Ferguson, Bey & Spoon" to round out the year..... That helped make "Smith-Tyson" very popular in 1987...........

Spoon got real lazy after beating Tony Blubbs in Jan. 1986 on HBO for the WBA belt...... Spoon was 227 for Blubbs, but then shot upward of 233 to 235 pounds for his fights with Bruno and Smith......... Spoon would've been harpooned by Tyson if he tried coming in at 235 soft pounds of lard in 1987..... Had Spoon somehow managed to get passed Smith in '86, Spoon would've had to get really serious in training or Tyson would for sure KO him in 1987...........

MR.BILL

 

Well you're the only personal who I have ever heard in 20 years say that the Spoon - Bruno deal was fair, so what does that say?