Tucker Captures Ibf Heavyweight Title
By Bob Verdi | Chicago Tribune | May 31, 1987

Tony Tucker vs James (Buster) Douglas

Rather than face mandatory challenger Lennox Lewis, Heavyweight Champion Riddick Bowe publicly dumps the WBC title in a garbage can, thereby forfeiting the title to Lewis. For his first defense, Lewis crosses the pond to take on former titlist Tony Tucker. Lewis puts Tucker down for the first time in his career on a huge right hand in the third round. Tucker hangs in to stun Lewis in the eighth but ends the round out on his own feet. Lewis follows up with another knockdown in the ninth but fails to close the show and settles for a decisive points victory.

Star Spangled Glory: Lennox Lewis vs. Tony Tucker

Undefeated champions collide when WBC and WBA Heavyweight Champion Mike Tyson unifies the fractured heavyweight crown by annexing the IBF version held by Tony Tucker. Tucker appears to stun Tyson with an uppercut in the opening round, but Tyson catches him with power shots for the remainder of the bout. By the final rounds, Tucker resorts to clowning and loses a unanimous decision to "Iron" Mike.

The Ultimate: Mike Tyson vs. Tony Tucker

On November 5, 1994, 45-year-old George Foreman knocked out Michael Moorer in 10 rounds to win the WBA and IBF heavyweight titles. On January 27, 1995, the WBA Championship Committee unanimously denied Foreman's request to fight Axel Schulz on April 22 and threatened to strip him of the title if he didn't make his first title defense against the top available contender. Foreman appealed the decision, but his appeal was unanimously rejected by the WBA Executive Committee on March 4. Foreman chose to go ahead with the fight against Schulz and was stripped of the title.A teleconference was held on March 14 to announce that Tony Tucker, the No. 1 contender, would fight Bruce Seldon, the No. 2 contender, for the vacant WBA heavyweight title on April 8 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada.The card included four other world title fights: Felix Trinidad vs. Roger Turner for the IBF welterweight title, Julio Cesar Chavez vs. Giovanni Parisi for the WBC super lightweight title, Terry Norris vs. Luis Santana for the WBC super welterweight title and Oliver McCall vs. Larry Holmesfor the WBC heavyweight title. Bernard Fernandez of the Philadelphia Daily News reported:

Tony Tucker vs James (Buster) Douglas

Star Spangled Glory: Lennox Lewis vs. Tony Tucker

The Ultimate: Mike Tyson vs. Tony Tucker

Tony Tucker vs Bruce Seldon

Henry Akinwande vs Tony Tucker

Jimmy Young vs Tony Tucker

John Ruiz vs Tony Tucker

Tony Tucker vs Oliver McCall

Orlin Norris vs Tony Tucker II

Orlin Norris vs Tony Tucker

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