Some heavyweight upsets stay in the mind. The one that took place on this day back in 1986 might not rank up there with earth-shattering stunners such as Buster Douglas KO Mike Tyson, Hasim Rahman KO Lennox Lewis, or Muhammad Ali TKO Sonny Liston, but the shock-job James Smith, AKA Bonecrusher gave us as he took out Tim Witherspoon inside a round sure sent waves through the division.
Smith, a late sub for Tony Tubbs, got the fight after initial replacement fighter Tyrell Biggs turned the fight down. Smith had actually fought Witherspoon before, this back in June of 1985, the fight a WBA eliminator. “Terrible Tim” won via wide 12 round decision. This earlier result convinced many that Witherspoon would beat Smith again.
Instead, trained by all-time great Emile Griffith, Bonecrusher, instructed to start fast and “go home early,” stunned a less than superbly conditioned Witherspoon, the challenger scoring three knockdowns and ending the fight. Just like that. Smith, 18-5(13) always could punch, and Witherspoon, 25-2(17) found out this time, with one of his teeth being knocked out in the short fight.
Smith, at age 33, became the first college graduate to win a world heavyweight title. Witherspoon, at age 29, was deflated, yet at the same time he was perhaps happy as he was now free from the clutches of Don King’s unfair contract stipulations; Witherspoon famously taking King to court, robbed as he had been of a whole chunk of purse money from various fights, his July 1986 win over Frank Bruno most notably.
Whether Witherspoon was relieved or aggrieved, we fans now had a Smith Vs. Mike Tyson fight to look forward to. We will never know how a well-conditioned Witherspoon would have fared against the rampaging Tyson. Instead, in a famously duller than dull fight, Smith, thoroughly intimidated, clutched and hugged his way to the final bell in his March 1987 fight with Tyson.
Smith’s short reign as WBA heavyweight champ was over. Witherspoon regrouped and, with a new promoter, began working his way back into title contention. Despite some good wins, Witherspoon never did get another shot at a world title.
The three-minute, three knockdown fight that took place at Madison Square Garden some 38 years ago today still leaves a fight fan scratching their head. Witherspoon, by far the better, more talented fighter, had no business going down the way he did here.
Smith, who really could blow hot and cold, still makes some fans wonder how much more he could have achieved had he really gone out all guns blazing against Tyson.
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