Tony Tucker
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Tony Craig Tucker (born December 27, 1958) is an American former
professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...
who competed from 1980 to 1998. He won the IBF
heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Male boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 2 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation an ...
title in 1987, and was the shortest-reigning world heavyweight champion at just 64 days. In an interview with Barry Tompkins, he referred to himself as the "invisible champion," due to the press and general public largely neglecting him. He is best known for giving
Mike Tyson Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1985 and 2024. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "the Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson i ...
in his prime a relatively close fight, in which he, in the words of Larry Merchant, "rocked Tyson" in the first round. However, Tyson went on to win a unanimous decision. As an
amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...
, he won the 1979 United States national championships, the 1979
World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...
, and a gold medal at the
1979 Pan American Games The 1979 Pan American Games, officially the VIII Pan American Games () and commonly known as San Juan 1979, were a multi-sport event governed by the Panam Sports Organization (PASO), and were held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from July 1 to Jul ...
, all in the
light heavyweight Light heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruiserweight (boxing), cruiserweight. The light heavyweight class has ...
division.


Amateur career

Tony Tucker became a boxer under influence of his father Bob Tucker, also a former amateur boxer, who became his trainer and manager, put all his wealth into the development of his son's boxing career. Tony fought out of Grand Rapids, Michigan, competing almost his entire amateur career in the
light heavyweight Light heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruiserweight (boxing), cruiserweight. The light heavyweight class has ...
division with his billed weight at the 1979 Pan American Games exactly matching the weight limit of the division (178 lbs). Robert Surkein, the national boxing chairman for the
Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It h ...
, said of Tucker: “Believe me, he's better than Leon Spinks. Spinks couldn't hold this kid's gloves at a comparable stage.” Rollie Schwartz, past national chairman of the AAU Boxing Commission, said of Tucker prior to the Olympics, "Tucker is a combination boxer and puncher, much akin to Joe Louis. He comes right at you. I'd take him tomorrow over the two so-called light Heavyweight champs."


Highlights

United States National Championships,
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, April 1978: * 1/8: Defeated Jerry Bennett by decision * 1/2: Lost to Charles Singleton by decision U.S. National Sports Festival,
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, July 1978: * Finals: Lost to Elmer Martin by decision United States National Championships,
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, May 1979: * 1/2: Defeated Kelvin Anderson by decision * Finals: Defeated Andre McCoy by decision Pan Am Trials,
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, May–June 1979: * 1/2: Defeated Elliott Chavis by decision * Finals: Defeated Andre McCoy by decision
Pan American Games The Pan American Games, known as the Pan Am Games, is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas. It features thousands of athletes participating in competitions to win different summer sports. It is held among athletes from nations of th ...
,
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,
San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan ( , ; Spanish for "Saint John the Baptist, John") is the capital city and most populous Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality in the Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the ...
, July 1979: * 1/4: Defeated Sixto Soria (Cuba) by majority decision, 4–1 * 1/2: Defeated Patrick Fennel (Canada) RSC 3 * Finals: Defeated Dennis Jackson (Puerto Rico) by unanimous decision, 5–0
World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...
,
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,
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, October 1979: * 1/4: Defeated Benny Pike (Australia) by unanimous decision, 5–0 * 1/2: Defeated Kurt Seiler (West Germany) by unanimous decision, 5–0 * Finals: Defeated Albert Nikolyan (Soviet Union) by unanimous decision, 5–0 ; International Duals * February 1, 1979, Blackham Coliseum,
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: Lost to Nikolay Yerofeyev (Soviet Union) by decision * February 11, 1979, Estadio Latinamericano,
Havana, Cuba Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Blackham Coliseum,
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: Defeated Jacek Kucharczyk (Poland) by split decision, 2–1 * February 10, 1980,
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,
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: Defeated Orestes Pedroso (Cuba) * February 25, 1980, Blaisdell Arena,
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: Defeated Ene Saipaia (Hawaii) * March 1980,
Schwerin Schwerin (; Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch dialect, Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch Low German: ''Swerin''; Polabian language, Polabian: ''Zwierzyn''; Latin: ''Suerina'', ''Suerinum'') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Germ ...
,
East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
: Lost to Herbert Bauch (East Germany) by walkover * March 1980,
Schwerin Schwerin (; Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch dialect, Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch Low German: ''Swerin''; Polabian language, Polabian: ''Zwierzyn''; Latin: ''Suerina'', ''Suerinum'') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Germ ...
,
East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
: Lost to Werner Kohnert (East Germany) by split decision, 1–2 * March 1980,
Rostock Rostock (; Polabian language, Polabian: ''Roztoc''), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock (), is the largest city in the German States of Germany, state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and lies in the Mecklenburgian part of the sta ...
,
East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
: Lost to
Jürgen Fanghänel Jürgen Fanghänel (born 1 August 1951) is a retired East German amateur boxer, who competed in 1970s and 1980s. Career Fanghänel won the bronze medal in the men's heavyweight division (91 kg) at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. Th ...
(East Germany) DQ 1


1980 Olympics

Since 1979 Tony Tucker anticipated participating in the Moscow Olympics. Tucker was an alternate for the United States Olympic Team for the
1980 Summer Olympics The 1980 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad () and officially branded as Moscow 1980 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1980 in Moscow, Soviet Union, in present-day Russ ...
(Lee Roy Murphy qualified as the prime.) President
Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...
ordered to boycott the Olympics, which led the U.S. Team to cancel its participation in the Olympics, instead it embarked on a series of
exhibitions An exhibition, in the most general sense, is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items. In practice, exhibitions usually occur within a cultural or educational setting such as a museum, art gallery, park, library, exhibition ...
in Europe. On March 14, 1980, en route to
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
, their plane Polish Airlines IL-62 crashed near Warsaw, with the U.S. boxing team aboard, consisting of 22 boxers, there were no survivors. Several people, including Tony Tucker, missed the flight and stayed in the United States due to various reasons, in Tucker's case an injury sustained just prior to the accident. At that point Tucker became religious, believing that God spared his life for a purpose, in order for him to become the heavyweight champion of the world. Shortly thereafter Tucker turned pro. Tucker finished his amateur career having 121 fights under his belt, with a record of 115–6.


Professional career

After turning pro in 1980, Tucker's early fights were often shown on NBC, as part of a collection known as "Tomorrow's Champions". Tucker's progress in the professional ranks was slow. He was injury-prone, missing more than a year with a knee injury suffered in a bout against Danny Sutton. Tucker also changed managers and trainers several times; his father, Bob Tucker, eventually performed both roles. After enjoying a high profile upon his professional debut, Tucker boxed in non-televised bouts for the majority of the 1980s. In June 1984, he scored a win by knocking out Eddie "The Animal" Lopez in nine rounds on the undercard of the Tommy Hearns
Roberto Durán Roberto Carlos Durán Samaniego (born June 16, 1951) is a Panamanian former professional boxer who competed from 1968 to 2001. He held quadruple champion, world championships in four weight classes: Lightweight, welterweight, light middleweigh ...
fight. It was the first time Lopez had ever been knocked down. Tucker followed it up in September by outpointing Jimmy Young . In September 1986, Tucker finally landed a big fight, against 242 lb James "Broad-Axe" Broad, for the USBA belt and a world title eliminator. Tucker won by unanimous decision.


IBF heavyweight champion


Tucker vs Douglas

Home Box Office and Don King Productions orchestrated a heavyweight unification series for 1987, planning among its bouts a match between Tucker and reigning IBF champion Michael Spinks. Spinks refused to face Tucker, opting instead for a more lucrative bout with Gerry Cooney. The IBF stripped Spinks of the championship on February 19, mandating that Tucker (as its #1-ranked contender) face its number-two contender, Buster Douglas, the very man who would eventually dethrone Tyson. As the co-feature of reining unified champion Mike Tyson and ex-champ Pinklon Thomas, Tucker won the bout and the vacant IBF crown via tenth-round technical knockout.


Tucker vs. Tyson

Tucker, as the winner of the IBF title, was obliged to immediately defend his title in a unification bout with WBA and WBC champion
Mike Tyson Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1985 and 2024. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "the Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson i ...
64 days after winning the title, in what would be the tournament final, where Tucker was a 10-to-1 underdog. Before Tucker was managed by Emmanuel Steward, who received a negotiated percent of each payday. By that time for that same purpose a
joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acce ...
named Tucker Inc. was formed by his promoters Cedric Kushner (18% of total share), and Josephine Abercrombie with Jeff Levine (also 18%), partnering with Dennis Rappaport and Alan Kornberg (13%,) and lastly Emmanuel Steward (6%). His father Bob Tucker also secured a share in Tucker Inc. (12%) Before the fight versus Tyson, Tucker had been on an eight-year-long winning streak, his last defeat was in 1979, while competing in amateurs. Despite having a broken right hand, Tucker faced Tyson on August 1, 1987. Tyson defeated Tucker by unanimous decision to unify the three championship titles, leaving Tucker with the shortest world championship reign in the history of the heavyweight division (64 days). According to the HBO Punch Statistics, Tucker landed 174 of 452 punches thrown, while Tyson landed 216 of 412, and in fact outjabbed Tucker, who had more than a 10-inch reach advantage (81" to 71"). HBO host and boxing great
Sugar Ray Leonard Ray Charles Leonard (born May 17, 1956), best known as Sugar Ray Leonard, is an American former professional boxer. Often regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time, he competed professionally between 1977 and 1997, winning quintuple c ...
said: "What Tucker displayed tonight was the fact that he is a non-conformist. He did what a lot of us thought he couldn't do, and that's why I respect him so much, because he boxed, he clinched, he was very strategic, very tactical, very intelligent fighter."Mike Tyson vs Tony Tucker 31st of 58 - Aug. 1987 "The Ultimate"
/ref> Coincidentally, this exact scenario would unfold again eight years later to give Tucker another title shot.


Comeback

Tucker returned to boxing in 1989 and was back in Don King's stable by 1992. He won the NABF belt with a 12-round split decision over highly-ranked Orlin Norris and successfully defended it against future world champion Oliver McCall, winning another 12-round split decision. He finished 1992 with a sixth-round TKO of Frankie Swindell and set himself up for another world title shot. Tucker had run his record up to 48–1 and challenged
Lennox Lewis Lennox Claudius Lewis (born 2 September 1965) is a British-Canadian boxing commentator and former professional boxer who competed in the heavyweight division from 1989 to 2003. He was a three-time world champion, a two-time lineal champion, ...
for the WBC world heavyweight title in May 1993. Lewis won a 12-round unanimous decision, knocking the challenger down twice in the process. The 34-year-old Tucker had never been off his feet in his pro career until this bout. After beating
Michael Moorer Michael Lee Moorer (born November 12, 1967) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2008. He won a world championship on four occasions in two weight classes, having held the WBO light heavyweight title from 1988 t ...
in November 1994 to become the oldest world heavyweight champion in history,
George Foreman George Edward Foreman (January 10, 1949 – March 21, 2025) was an American professional boxer, businessman, minister, and author. In boxing, he competed between 1967 and 1997, and was nicknamed "Big George". He was a two-time world heavyweig ...
began negotiations in early 1995 to make the first defense of his WBA and IBF titles against German mid-level prospect Axel Schulz. As Schulz was not ranked by either organization, Foreman could not defend their championships against Schulz without their permission. The IBF granted Foreman permission to face Schulz, which Foreman ultimately did. However, the WBA refused, insisting that Foreman instead face Tucker, their organization's #1-ranked contender."W.B.A. Says No to Foreman", ''The New York Times'', 1995-01-28, Retrieved on 2013-10-15.
/ref> The situation in which Tucker had found himself in 1987 now played out again: the WBA vacated the title due to Foreman's non-compliance, setting up an April 1995 title bout between Tucker and number-two contender Bruce Seldon. Seldon won by TKO after seven rounds when doctors stopped the fight due to Tucker's eye closing shut. Tucker lost his chance at a rematch later that year when he lost a ten-round decision to a newly-signed Don King heavyweight, British-Nigerian boxer Henry Akinwande. In 1996 he was outpointed by old rival Orlin Norris. He scored two low-key wins in California, and in 1997 traveled to the U.K. to challenge Herbie Hide for the vacant WBO title. Tucker was dropped three times en route to a second-round knockout. In 1998 Tucker challenged John Ruiz for his NABF belt. Despite a big sixth round in which he had Ruiz in trouble, Tucker was eventually stopped in the 11th round. He came back in May to knock out journeyman Billy Wright in one round, but later had his license revoked due to medical concerns about Tucker's vision.


Professional boxing record


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tucker, Tony 1958 births Living people Heavyweight boxers African-American boxers American male boxers Winners of the United States Championship for amateur boxers Boxers from Michigan Martial artists from Grand Rapids, Michigan International Boxing Federation champions World heavyweight boxing champions Boxers at the 1979 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1979 Pan American Games Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in boxing 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen