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Boxing competition
Super Fight
|
Date
| March 7, 1987
|
---|
Venue
| Las Vegas Hilton
,
Paradise, Nevada
|
---|
Title(s) on the line
| WBA
and
WBC
heavyweight titles
|
---|
|
Boxer
|
Mike Tyson
|
James Smith
|
---|
Nickname
|
"Iron"
|
"Bonecrusher"
|
---|
Hometown
|
Catskill
,
New York
|
Magnolia, North Carolina
|
---|
Purse
|
$1,500,000
|
$1,000,000
|
---|
Pre-fight record
|
28?0 (26 KO)
|
19?5 (14 KO)
|
---|
Age
|
20 years, 8 months
|
33 years, 11 months
|
---|
Height
|
5 ft
11
+
1
⁄
2
in (182 cm)
|
6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
|
---|
Weight
|
219 lb (99 kg)
|
233 lb (106 kg)
|
---|
Style
|
Orthodox
|
Orthodox
|
---|
Recognition
|
WBC
Heavyweight Champion
|
WBA
Heavyweight Champion
|
---|
|
|
Tyson
wins via 12-round
unanimous decision
(120-106, 119-107, 119-107)
|
Mike Tyson
vs.
James Smith
, billed as
Super Fight
, was a professional boxing match contested on March 7, 1987 for the
WBA
and
WBC
heavyweight championships, as part of the
heavyweight unification series
.
[1]
Background
[
edit
]
Mike Tyson was coming off a dominating victory over
Trevor Berbick
in which he captured the WBC Heavyweight championship after knocking out Berbick in the second round. Tyson's next opponent would be the WBA Heavyweight champion
James "Bonecrusher" Smith
, who had knocked out
Tim Witherspoon
in the first round to capture the title four months earlier. The stakes for the fight were high as not only would the winner unify the WBA and WBC titles, but they would also get to face undefeated
IBF
Heavyweight champion
Michael Spinks
to determine the next Undisputed Heavyweight champion. However, only a month before the fight, Spinks would vacate his IBF title, instead choosing to defend his remaining
Lineal
Heavyweight championship against
Gerry Cooney
, temporarily putting plans to find the next Undisputed Heavyweight Champion on hold.
The fight
[
edit
]
Though Smith became one of the few men to last the entire 12 rounds with Tyson, he offered little offense during the fight, instead constantly grappling with Tyson in an effort to reduce the effectiveness of Tyson's punches. Because of the excessive holding, referee
Mills Lane
twice took a point away from Smith, first in second round, and then again in the eighth. Smith's best offensive pressure arguably was during the fight's final seconds in which he was able to land a right hand to the head of Tyson. Tyson would earn the victory by way of unanimous decision, winning every round on all three of the judges scorecards. Afterwards, Tyson was critical of Smith's tactics, "When I was trying to put the punches together he grabbed. This hurts boxing. This is show business. People expect a performance"
[2]
Undercard
[
edit
]
- Tyrell Biggs
knocks out David Bey at 2:18 of round 6
- Azumah Nelson
knocks out Mauro Gutierrez in Round 6 to retain his
WBC
Featherweight Title.
Aftermath
[
edit
]
Mike Tyson
would next defend his title against former WBC champ
Pinklon Thomas
, earning the victory by way of 6th round technical knockout. Meanwhile, the IBF organized a match between
Tony Tucker
and a then-unknown
James "Buster" Douglas
to determine who would be their heavyweight champion, with Tucker dispatching Douglas in the 10th round by technical knockout. This would set up the much anticipated Tyson?Tucker fight to determine the next undisputed champion. For the second time in three fights, Tyson went the full 12 rounds, eventually defeating Tucker by unanimous decision.
Undercard
[
edit
]
Confirmed bouts:
[3]
Broadcasting
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
Preceded by
|
Mike Tyson
's bouts
March 7, 1987
|
Succeeded by
|
Preceded by
|
James Smith
's bouts
March 7, 1987
|
Succeeded by
|
|
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Fights
| |
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Films
| |
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Television
| |
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Other
| |
---|
Team
Tyson
| initial (D'Amato stable)
| |
---|
mid-career (King's stable)
| |
---|
late career
| |
---|
|
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