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| Date | 20 May 1983 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Venue | Dunes Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Title(s) on the line | WBC and The Ring Heavyweight Championship | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tale of the tape | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Result | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Holmes defeated Witherspoon by Split Decision | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Larry Holmes vs. Tim Witherspoon , billed as The Crown Affair, was a professional boxing match contested on 20 May 1983, for the WBC and The Ring heavyweight championship. [1]
Having made 14 consecutive defences of his heavyweight title, the longest uninterrupted heavyweight reign since Joe Louis, Larry Holmes having fought once already in 1983 (a one sided win against former European champion Lucien Rodriguez) agreed to face the undefeated Tim Witherspoon.
The event was billed as the world's first ever Heavyweight championship double header, with Michael Dokes making the first defence of his WBA belt in a rematch with Mike Weaver, after their first bout ended in a controversial first round stoppage. [2]
Holmes, who was a 6 to 1 on favourite with bookies, predicted he would knock out the underdog, saying that he "wasn't qualified to be in the same ring with me".
On the undercard Greg Page defeated Renaldo Snipes in a WBC Heavyweight Title Eliminator, and Ossie Ocasio successfully defended his WBA cruiserweight title.
In the co-feature for the WBA championship, Dokes and Weaver engaged in an entertaining slugfest that went the full 15 rounds. When the scorecards for this bout were read, judge Jerry Roth had the fight 145-141 for Dokes, but judges Larry Hazzard and Harold Lederman scored the bout a draw at 144-144 and 143-143, respectively, resulting in a majority draw and Dokes retaining the title. It was the first time in 69 years, dating back to the contest between Jack Johnson and Battling Jim Johnson in December 1913, that a world Heavyweight championship contest resulted in a draw. [3]
Witherspoon appeared to land a greater number of hard shots than the champion. In the ninth round, a right hand to the side of the head early, had Holmes in trouble. A left hook-right hand combination sent the champion into the ropes, where Witherspoon launched a barrage of punches in an attempt to finish the fight but Holmes was able to survive the round.
At the end of 12 rounds, judge Herb Santos scored the bout 115–114 for Witherspoon, while Chuck Hassett scored it 118–111 and Chuck Minker had it 115–113 both in favour of the champion, giving Holmes a split decision. The AP scored it for Holmes 115–113, while KO Magazine had it 114–114. [4]
The crowd booed the decision, many clearing feeling with Witherspoon deserved the victory. Witherspoon himself would say post match "I definitely thought I won. He's a great champion, but I think I'm better. I know I am." Holmes acknowledged it was a tougher fight than he was expecting, saying "Witherspoon had more than I thought he did. Or maybe I'm just going down a little bit. A couple of fights ago, the man wouldn't have worn my socks." [5]
Confirmed bouts: [6]
| Country | Broadcaster |
|---|---|
 United States | HBO |
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