Tony Craig Tucker (born December 27, 1958) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1980 to 1998. He won the IBF heavyweight title in 1987, and was the shortest-reigning world heavyweight champion at just 64 days. In an interview with Barry Tompkins, he referred to himself as the "invisible champion," due to the press and general public largely neglecting him. He is best known for giving Mike Tyson in his prime a relatively close fight, in which he, in the words of Larry Merchant, "rocked Tyson" in the first round. However, Tyson went on to win a unanimous decision. As an amateur, he won the 1979 United States national championships, the 1979 World Cup, and a gold medal at the 1979 Pan American Games, all in the light heavyweight division.
Amateur career
Tony Tucker became a boxer under influence of his father Bob Tucker, also a former amateur boxer, who became his trainer and manager, put all his wealth into the development of his son's boxing career. Tony fought out of Grand Rapids, Michigan, competing almost his entire amateur career in the light heavyweight division with his billed weight at the 1979 Pan American Games exactly matching the weight limit of the division (178 lbs).
Robert Surkein, the national boxing chairman for the Amateur Athletic Union, said of Tucker: “Believe me, he's better than Leon Spinks. Spinks couldn't hold this kid's gloves at a comparable stage.” Rollie Schwartz, past national chairman of the AAU Boxing Commission, said of Tucker prior to the Olympics, "Tucker is a combination boxer and puncher, much akin to Joe Louis. He comes right at you. I'd take him tomorrow over the two so-called light Heavyweight champs."
Highlights
United States National Championships, Biloxi, Mississippi, April 1978: 1/8: Defeated Jerry Bennett by decision 1/2: Lost to Charles Singleton by decision U.S. National Sports Festival, Fort Carson, Colorado, July 1978: Finals: Lost to Elmer Martin by decision United States National Championships, Lake Charles, Louisiana, May 1979: 1/2: Defeated Kelvin Anderson by decision Finals: Defeated Andre McCoy by decision Pan Am Trials, Toledo, Ohio, May–June 1979: 1/2: Defeated Elliott Chavis by decision Finals: Defeated Andre McCoy by decision
Pan American Games, Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico, July 1979: 1/4: Defeated Sixto Soria (Cuba) by majority decision, 4–1 1/2: Defeated Patrick Fennel (Canada) RSC 3 Finals: Defeated Dennis Jackson (Puerto Rico) by unanimous decision, 5–0 World Cup, Felt Forum, New York City, October 1979: 1/4: Defeated Benny Pike (Australia) by unanimous decision, 5–0 1/2: Defeated Kurt Seiler (West Germany) by unanimous decision, 5–0 Finals: Defeated Albert Nikolyan (Soviet Union) by unanimous decision, 5–0
International Duals
February 1, 1979, Blackham Coliseum, Lafayette, Louisiana: Lost to Nikolay Yerofeyev (Soviet Union) by decision February 11, 1979, Estadio Latinamericano, Havana, Cuba: Lost to Hermenegildo Báez (Cuba) by decision February 24, 1979, Blackham Coliseum, Lafayette, Louisiana: Defeated Jacek Kucharczyk (Poland) by split decision, 2–1 February 10, 1980, Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina: Defeated Orestes Pedroso (Cuba) February 25, 1980, Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii: Defeated Ene Saipaia (Hawaii) March 1980, Schwerin, East Germany: Lost to Herbert Bauch (East Germany) by walkover March 1980, Schwerin, East Germany: Lost to Werner Kohnert (East Germany) by split decision, 1–2 March 1980, Rostock, East Germany: Lost to Jürgen Fanghänel (East Germany) DQ 1
1980 Olympics
Since 1979 Tony Tucker anticipated participating in the Moscow Olympics. Tucker was an alternate for the United States Olympic Team for the 1980 Summer Olympics (Lee Roy Murphy qualified as the prime.) President Jimmy Carter ordered to boycott the Olympics, which led the U.S. Team to cancel its participation in the Olympics, instead it embarked on a series of exhibitions in Europe. On March 14, 1980, en route to Poland, their plane Polish Airlines IL-62 crashed near Warsaw, with the U.S. boxing team aboard, consisting of 22 boxers, there were no survivors. Several people, including Tony Tucker, missed the flight and stayed in the United States due to various reasons, in Tucker's case an injury sustained just prior to the accident. At that point Tucker became religious, believing that God spared his life for a purpose, in order for him to become the heavyweight champion of the world. Shortly thereafter Tucker turned pro.
Tucker finished his amateur career having 121 fights under his belt, with a record of 115–6.