John Tate (boxer)

John Tate
Data
Birth Name	John Tate
Fight name	Big John
Weight class	Heavyweight
nationality	US-american
birthday	January 29, 1955
place of birth	Marion City
Date of death	April 9, 1998
Place of death	Knoxville
style	Left delivery
size	1.93 m
Combat Statistics
Struggles	37
Victories	34
Knockout victories	23
Defeats	3

John Tate (born January 29, 1955 in Marion City , Arkansas , † April 9, 1998 in Knoxville , Tennessee ) was an American heavyweight boxer and WBA world champion.

amateur

Tate came from a poor background. He only attended school until the age of twelve and then had to work to earn money for his family. He learned boxing in the back room of a pub.

In 1975 Tate won the silver medal at the US Golden Gloves and only came second in the trials of the Pan American Games . In 1976 Tate lost in the US Golden Gloves in the quarterfinals against Michael Dokes and in the US Championships in the semifinals against Marvin Stinson , but won the trials for the 1976 Olympic Games , where he was able to defeat Stinson on points and Dokes by knockout. At the Olympic Games in Montreal , Tate won the bronze medal. He lost it in the semi-finals by first-round knockout against the Cuban gold medalist Teófilo Stevenson , but had previously defeated Peter Hussing in the quarter-finals .

Professional career

John Tate began his professional career in 1977. In his twentieth fight he was able to win the vacant WBA title in 1979 against Gerrie Coetzee in South Africa as a black in a politically explosive duel . He was heavily criticized by civil rights activist Jesse Jackson for the decision to box there, but only commented on it with the slogan: "Jesse Jackson does not pay my bills."

In his first title defense in 1980 he went in the fifteenth and final round against Mike Weaver KO and had to give up the title again. In the next fight he suffered another heavy knockout defeat against Trevor Berbick .

He never recovered from these two defeats, he disappeared into oblivion and finally ended his career in 1988.

After his career, he came into conflict with the law and had drug problems. He died at the age of 43 in a traffic accident in which he suffered a stroke caused by a brain tumor.

Tate was considered a boxer with technical weaknesses, which he compensated for through great diligence and commitment.

Web links

• John Tate in the BoxRec database

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Tate inherited from Ali. In: Hamburger Abendblatt. October 22, 1979. Retrieved September 21, 2019 . 

predecessor	Office	successor
Muhammad Ali	Heavyweight Boxing Champion ( WBA ) October 20, 1979 - March 31, 1980	Mike Weaver