Tim Witherspoon: “The Klitschkos lack the art of boxing, even though they became champions, they don’t know how to fight inside”

I recently had a chance to speak with former heavyweight champion, ‘Terrible’ Tim Witherspoon. Tim has a career that spanned 23 years and during that run he faced the top fighters of the 1980’s and 1990’s. In this interview I spoke to Witherspoon about his memorable fight with Larry Holmes, the fight in which he captured the heavyweight title, the heavyweight boxers of today. Here is what Tim Witherspoon had to say. 

Robert Brown: When did you first discover that you had talent for the sport?

Tim Witherspoon: I had the talent and I had the ambition and I loved sports but it took a good trainer to just polish me off and give me the confidence that I could think that I would be champ one day. I was a good athlete, I loved boxing but my trainer ‘Slim’ Robinson enhanced everything that I was trying to do. That’s what really made the difference, the person that was teaching me.

Robert Brown: I want to talk about your first shot at a title against Larry Holmes. Did you feel you were adequately prepared to be able to go up against someone like Larry Holmes?

Tim Witherspoon: Well at first when they offered me the fight, I doubted myself in a way because that was kind of fast. Then my trainer told me I’d kick his ass, and that’s what gave me the confidence. First, I didn’t care who it was, I was gonna fight them anyways, but that added on a little more to my career. I did doubt, I said, “This is kind of soon,” and he said, “No, you’re gonna whoop him,” and I did.

Robert Brown: You concentrated a lot on the body, particularly in the early round. Was that part of the gameplan going in, to go after Holmes’ body?

Tim Witherspoon: Yeah my trainer told me that Larry Holmes had a good jab and if I kept throwing that right hand to the body, that jab would come down and it would get weaker, and it did.

I kept whipping that right hand to the left side and I think that did take a little bit away from his jab. That was one of the things we took away from Larry Holmes, his jab. I blocked it, plus going to the body real hard and ripping the right hand to his left side. That was one of the plans to try to eliminate the great jab that he had.

Robert Brown: In the ninth round, did you feel that when you had him up against the ropes and you were pummeling him that you had him out? Looking back, is there anything else that you could have done to finish Holmes off?

Tim Witherspoon: Inexperience held me back from knocking him out. I hurt him, I was in the stadium with all these people screaming, it was like I was in a dream. I didn’t realize that I was beating up on the greatest heavyweight of that time, ready to knock him out.

I was really shocked myself and I lacked experience. If I would have had the experience, I think that it would have been a different outcome. I think I would have probably finished him off because I was a little too fast.

Robert Brown: You won the title against Greg Page. Were you confident going into that fight because of your experience with Larry Holmes? What did it feel like to get your hands on the heavyweight title?

Tim Witherspoon: Greg Page had more experience than me. I boxed him previously, I had sparred with him before but he had more experience than me but I was close behind him. Even though he was boxing longer than me, I was catching up to him and the other guys that were in the boxing world. I was in shape and I had a lot of heart. He still had more experience, had more amateur fights, had more years in, I was just that guy that was determined to win the fight and that’s what showed.

Robert Brown: Deontay Wilder is coming up the ranks, what do you think of Wilder’s talent and how far do you think he can go?

Tim Witherspoon: My thing is, I’ve viewed his fights, he’s a tough guy, he’s got a good right hand. I realize and I notice that the closer you get to him, the less he knows how to defend himself and the less effective he is. As long as you stay at a distance, you’re chances of getting knocked out are high.

I notice when you get close to him he lacks defensive skills. Everybody knows basic skills, putting your hands up on the side of your head and protect your body. Everybody knows the basics but sometimes you need more than that when a guy is on you every second. As long as you’re on the outside, that’s his game, but nobodies really tested him on his chin yet and that’s yet to be found out. I think there’s other heavyweights that are coming up that are gonna be credible heavyweights.

Robert Brown: How do you think the Klitschkos would have done in your era, up against Larry Holmes, Mike Tyson, Shannon Briggs and yourself? Do you think they would be successful?

Tim Witherspoon: There were a lot of good heavyweights during the late 80’s, a lot of young talent. Klitschkos are in really phenomenal shape but their skills, they just keep you on the outside, there’s no inside fighting. They don’t really fight inside, they don’t know how and that’s half of the art of boxing. When you come to their fights, you see outside stuff and holding.

When you see the guys in my era, they come inside boxing, body or the head. I think that those guys might have gotten good contendership, possibly won a title, but not as easy as today. They are big and strong, but we had all these different talents, move, shift and block. All these guys are basic.

It’s hard to tell, but me in top shape, that overhand right. They can’t fight, the art of boxing is in and out, and all they do is keep you outside where it’s gonna be a boring fight. Most of the guys in the 80’s, they fought inside and out. Now a days, the guys are too small to even get close to the Klitschkos. Corrie Sanders knocked one of them out, Lennox Lewis was looking like he wasn’t in shape and he cut one of them.

It’s hard to tell — those guys are good guys and they’re in good shape but I know that we had more talent and we boxed inside and out. These guys lack the art of boxing, even though they became champions, they don’t know how to fight inside. They can’t teach guys after boxing, they can’t teach them how to fight inside, so they have to make their champions guys that fight really good on the outside.