Tony Tucker facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tony Tucker
Statistics
Real name	Tony Craig Tucker
Nickname(s)	TNT
Rated at	Heavyweight
Height	6 ft 5 in
Reach	82 in
Born	(1958-12-27) December 27, 1958 (age 66) Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	65
Wins	57
Wins by KO	47
Losses	7
No contests	1
Medal record Men's amateur boxing Representing  United States Pan American Games Gold 1979 San Juan Light heavyweight World Cup Gold 1979 New York Light heavyweight

Tony Craig Tucker (born December 27, 1958) is a former American professional boxer. He was known for his powerful punches and for being a world champion. Tony was a heavyweight champion for a very short time, just 64 days. He even called himself the "invisible champion" because not many people talked about him.

Tony is best remembered for his fight against the famous boxer Mike Tyson. Many people thought Tony gave Tyson a tough fight, even hitting him hard in the first round. But Tyson still won the match. Before becoming a professional, Tony was a very successful amateur boxer. He won several big competitions in 1979, including a gold medal at the 1979 Pan American Games.

Tony Tucker's Amateur Boxing Career

Tony Tucker started boxing because of his father, Bob Tucker. His dad was also a boxer and became Tony's trainer and manager. Tony's father put a lot of effort into helping his son's boxing dreams.

Tony boxed out of Grand Rapids, Michigan. For most of his amateur career, he competed in the light heavyweight division. This division has a weight limit of 178 pounds.

People in the boxing world thought Tony was very talented. Robert Surkein, a national boxing official, said Tony was even better than another famous boxer, Leon Spinks, at the same stage of their careers.

Amateur Highlights and Wins

Tony Tucker had many important fights as an amateur. He showed great skill and power in these matches.

Missing the 1980 Olympics

Tony Tucker really wanted to go to the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. He was chosen as an alternate for the U.S. Olympic Team. However, the U.S. decided not to send its team to the Olympics that year.

Instead, the U.S. boxing team planned to travel for exhibition fights. Sadly, on March 14, 1980, their plane crashed near Warsaw, Poland. All 22 boxers on board passed away. Tony Tucker was not on that flight because he had an injury right before the trip. This event made Tony feel that his life was spared for a special reason. He believed it was God's plan for him to become a world heavyweight champion. Soon after, Tony decided to become a professional boxer.

Tony finished his amateur career with an impressive record. He had 121 fights, winning 115 of them and losing only 6.

Tony Tucker's Professional Boxing Career

Tony Tucker became a professional boxer in 1980. His early fights were often shown on TV as part of a show called "Tomorrow's Champions."

His journey as a professional boxer was not always easy. He often got injured, like a knee injury that kept him out of the ring for over a year. Tony also changed his managers and trainers many times. Eventually, his father, Bob Tucker, took on both roles. After a strong start, Tony mostly fought in matches that weren't on TV for a while.

In June 1984, he won a big fight by knocking out Eddie "The Animal" Lopez. This was the first time Lopez had ever been knocked down. In September, Tony also beat Jimmy Young.

In September 1986, Tony finally got a major fight against James "Broad-Axe" Broad. This fight was for the USBA belt and was a step towards a world title. Tony won this fight by a unanimous decision.

Becoming the IBF Heavyweight Champion

In 1987, there was a plan to bring together all the heavyweight boxing titles. Tony Tucker was supposed to fight the IBF champion, Michael Spinks. But Spinks chose to fight someone else for more money. Because of this, the IBF took away Spinks' title.

The IBF then said that Tony, as the top contender, should fight Buster Douglas for the vacant IBF title. Tony won this fight by a technical knockout in the tenth round. This made him the new IBF heavyweight champion!

The Fight Against Mike Tyson

After winning the IBF title, Tony Tucker had to defend it very quickly. Just 64 days later, he faced Mike Tyson, who held the WBA and WBC titles. This was a huge fight to unify all three championships. Most people thought Tony would lose, with odds of 10 to 1 against him.

Even though Tony had a broken right hand, he fought Tyson on August 1, 1987. Tyson won the fight by a unanimous decision. This meant Tony had the shortest reign as a world heavyweight champion in history, lasting only 64 days.

Even though he lost, Tony showed great skill. He landed many punches and even out-jabbed Tyson, despite Tyson's longer reach. Boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard praised Tony for his smart and strategic fighting.

Tony's Comeback Fights

Tony Tucker returned to boxing in 1989. He won the NABF belt by beating Orlin Norris and successfully defended it against Oliver McCall. He continued to win, setting himself up for another shot at a world title.

In May 1993, Tony challenged Lennox Lewis for the WBC world heavyweight title. Tony was 34 years old at the time. Lewis won the fight by a unanimous decision and knocked Tony down twice. This was the first time Tony had ever been knocked down in his professional career.

In 1995, Tony had another chance at a world title. The WBA organization wanted him to fight George Foreman for their heavyweight title. However, Foreman chose to fight someone else, so the WBA took away Foreman's title. This led to Tony fighting Bruce Seldon for the vacant WBA heavyweight title in April 1995. Tony lost this fight when the doctors stopped it because his eye was closing shut.

Tony continued to fight, but he lost to Henry Akinwande and Orlin Norris again. In 1997, he traveled to the U.K. to challenge Herbie Hide for the WBO title, but he was knocked out in the second round.

In 1998, Tony challenged John Ruiz for his NABF belt. He fought bravely but was stopped in the 11th round. Tony won one more fight after that. However, his boxing license was later taken away due to concerns about his vision.

Professional Boxing Record Summary

See also

In Spanish: Tony Tucker para niños