"Witherspoon-Tubbs" WBA title in '86 / HBO..

Both men were heavily criticized for the condition that they came in, and Witherspoon actually tested positive for having traces of THC in his **** from smoking Marijuana. Tubbs struggled mightily throughout most of his career with maintaining a healthy weight, and Spoon, though better off, had similar issues... The party scene really must have been somethin' back in those days.

 

My memory may be playing tricks but I remember that fight as being the nadir of an especially bad time in heavyweight history.

 

That was such a dreary time for the division. The great thing about Tyson was that he came along and cleaned all that crap up in no time. He just went out and made it crystal clear there was a new sheriff in town and he was the top gunslinger.

Speaking of Tubbs, I re-watched his bout with Wimpy Halstead the other day. How that type of victory gets you a title shot is incredible. At least he got a final payday for a Tyson bout, but he had zero chance going into the bout.

 

When you talk about under-achieving wasted talent look no futher than Page & Tubbs, spoon as we know got stitched up by Don King but all of them bought homes next door to a Burgher King/McDonalds.

 

If your memory's playing tricks,they're the same tricks as what are being played on my mind. Very boring time for heavyweights. Only problem being is that lot look brilliant in comparrison to today's lot.

 

Witherspoon-Tubbs doesn't look as bad now as it seemed at the time.
Tubbs was out-of-shape and it was just a bit too tame and slow-paced, but I've seen far worse in recent years, like Wladimir v Ibragimov, and other Wlad fights and just about every John Ruiz title fight.

 

is that fight on youtube?

 

This was the time that Don King was at his worst. These guys were told they were going to fight and then let down, postponed, not paid, etc. Thats why you saw so many of these guys forced into fights they werent ready for, didnt train for, or werent happy entering. Don King did a number on these guys and the guys who werent happy with King usually were the most inconsistent, because he made their lives hell.
Tubbs was a very talented fighter. Had he stayed in the gym and kept himself in shape, he could have emerged as one of the better fighters in that whole group in my opinion.
He was a barrel shaped guy, but he had very quick hands, and movement and the shape he showed up in didnt allow him to do it.

 

That whole group was a disgrace. Fat, lazy, poorly trained wstes of talent. Tubbs need a girdle and Witherspoon a bra ... King definately messed with them big time but you cannot blame it all on him. He equally messed with Holmes but the difference was that Holmes deserved to be a champion and had the heart and desire to keep the faith in himself while the others did not ... That whole Tubbs, Page, Witherspoon era was crap.

 

2000s was worse. And some of the guys today are A LOT fatter.

I agree though, cant blame it on Don King.

There were several 1980s top heavyweights who always came in top shape, to be fair.

 

6'3, 244 pounds sounds like an in-shape heavyweight these days...

Tubbs was impressive against Greg Page and Riddick Bowe.

 

Your right, Holmes was messed with big time as well, but he was smarter, much smarter. Thats why he never got into drugs or wound up broke like most of the rest.
Fat, lazy, poorly trained, wastes of talent fits the bill quite well.

Fat, lazy, poorly trained, no talent, is what we have today.