What’s crazy to me is that back in this era, the experts called this fight boring and lackluster. This was a great fight. Loved both fighters.

TONY TUBBS was considered a "tough fighter" against everybody he fought, except for MIKE TYSON, where he was considered a "BUM" !!!! lol

Competitive fight between 2 skilled Heavyweights. They mentioned during the broadcast that Muhammad Ali had sparred with Witherspoon and other Heavyweights leading up to this fight, didn't know he was still getting in there in 1986.

This fight is incredible. Good fight man. Two legends

I always liked tony tubbs's style. For a big man he had fast and good foot work. His weight would let him down though but he had quality boxing skills and nobody can take it away from him as he became the WBA Heavyweight champion. many good fighter in the sport of Boxing has never become a World Champion.

Real Champions fought 15 rounds. Tubbs did have Fast Hands.

Tubbs was always super slick

Thank you - brilliant upload. If possible can you upload Bramble v Mancini 2 hbo broadcast please?

My Trainer and Friend My Homeboy And former Heavyweight Champion Jimmy Ellis in Tony Tubbs Corner..Tony Tubbs is fast like Dokes but I love the boys From Cinncy but Spooner I love too...I hope best man wins.

Despite Witherspoon being one of my favourite HW fighters, Tubbs always has my respect for being agile, quick, tough, and a great boxing IQ - he was the 80's version of Andy Ruiz Jr.

Was that Jimmy Ellis in Tubbs' corner?

Do you have Bonecrusher vs. Tony Tubbs? Would love to see that fight.

Underrated fight two of the best savoy fighters

Read that this fight gets criticised a lot and it's not pretty but is still entertaining and competitive for the most part. I've seen much worse.

22:10 start .

I trained Tubbs when he grew up in Cincinnati. Always had a weight problem. Often ate other boxers lunches and threatened to knock out anyone who complained. I once told him, "TNT means Tony's Not Training." He'd come to training eating donuts and pastries.

This entire event was a mess. It started with both fighters being woefully out of shape, Merchant stating that Tubbs had the quickest hands of a big man since Ali (e.g., prime Holmes and Dokes had quicker hands), the fight itself was dreadful, and the judge's decision (e.g., Witherspoon won by a comfortable margin) was typical of decisions cast by judges in heavyweight title fights since the mid 70's.

That was a good fight people don't realize those inside short body shots will paralyze a regular person

I was 12 when this fight happened - which must have been not long after Spinks's first win over Larry Holmes - and even though I used to know the history of the heavyweight division pretty thoroughly, I can't actually recall who won this fight (which makes watching re-runs all the more enjoyable). But I can see, early, that Witherspoon is just stalking Tubbs, from the opening bell. Tim Witherspoon was one of the harder punchers of that era, it's a shame that he kind of went the way that Riddick Bowe went a decade later. Considering that Mike Tyson fought Tony Tubbs just 2 years later, it's plain to see that Tubbs had nothing for Tyson. He never stood a chance!! Tim Witherspoon, on the other hand, could have presented a real problem for Mike Tyson ... which is probably why Tyson never faced him. Tyson's early career has been much lauded and applauded by his biggest fans, but in retrospect, who did he really beat during those years that was all that impressive? His win over a 38-year old Larry Holmes, who had been inactive for 2 years, was more disgraceful than it was impressive. And real boxing fans, at the time, knew that Michael Spinks stood absolutely no chance against Tyson either - even though that fight was ridiculously billed as "The Superfight!" The following year he took care of Frank Bruno and Carl Williams before a capable boxer, like Buster Douglas, fought the fight of his life and exposed the weaknesses that astute boxing fans always knew Tyson had, in Tokyo in February of 1990.

Nice video, but how do you cut off Chef? Isn't it enough he was brainwashed? 😏

Tony Tubbs was like Michael Dokes, a waste of great talent.

Tim Witherspoon was underrated, I would’ve loved to see him and tyson, if the scumbag don king didn’t blacklist him

Seeing that crook Don King sickens me

Not a very good heavyweight championship fight. Look like two old men grinding it out. Ray Leonard exaggerated this fight.

AND IN THIS CORNER, WEIGHING 244 LBS, WEARING THE “EXTRA LARGE” WHITE TRUNKS, IS TONY TUBBS,,,

Jesus Christ Loves You

Tony Tubbs was also known as tubby Tony.

that POS Don king ripped of witherspoon big time

Tubbs won this fight!

What you so mad about a black eye for I'm the champ the world champion it's nothing that's mahmammad

Tyson wouldve killed witherspoon

Thumbs up for you- the fight was a dog aful of a fight!