Tony Tucker.. A talent that could have been great.

Tony Tucker looked like he had everything, he used his height, had a tremendous jab, had respectable power and a solid chin..  Tony enjoyed a very good amateur career. Capturing the 1979 National AAU light-heavyweight title, as well as winning a light-heavyweight gold medal at the 1979 Pan-Am games and winning the 1979 light-heavyweight World Cup, Tucker looked ahead to the 1980 Olympics. Tucker had a lot of tools that could have defeated Teofilo Stevenson, the Cuban favorite but Tucker was denied the opportunity due to the USA’s boycott of the Moscow games. However Tucker like most of the Olympic representatives took the opportunity to fly to Poland and compete, independently..  In Poland Tony won his bout, and in waiting around in the airport for his father he missed the scheduled flight home, taking the next flight out..   On arrival back to Grand Rapids the Tucker family were said to have thought they'd seen a ghost..  Unbeknown to Tucker, the plane carrying most of the remaining squad home had crashed killing all onboard..
Tony is a deeply religious man and always held the belief that God had spared his life for a purpose..
Tony turned pro in 1980 under the guidance of Kronks Emmanuel Steward, beating an overmatched Chuck Gardner in 3 rounds..
Over the next three years Tucker was matched strategically as to move him quickly through the ranks..  By 1984, he had beaten ranked Walter Santemore, got past durable Jimmy Young and after a solid win over the very dangerous James Broad in 1986, Tucker was 35/0, staring at a title shot...
Tony's title fight would come on the Tyson v Pinklon Thomas card in Las Vegas in 1987..  Michael Spinks had been stripped for not defending against the IBF number 1 contender who happened to be Tucker himself..    Tony Tucker would face James Douglas, a decent heavyweight who was notorious for blowing hot and cold throughout his career..   Tony would get off to a bad start, allowing James, who was more relaxed to get into a rhythm. It took until the eighth round until Tucker got a foothold, gaining Douglass respect with his jab..  Going into the tenth round it was still close, but Tucker looked the fresher, he backed James into the ropes and started to mount an assault, Douglas wasn't firing back, Tucker pouted it on and Mills Lane jumped in to save Douglas. Tony Tucker was 28 years old and the undefeated IBF heavyweight champion..    This victory was only the prelude to a huge Glory Hallelujah unification bout with WBA and WBC champion Mike Tyson..  Tony was a huge underdog in this fight and no-one gave him a hope.  Mike Tyson was the mechanical champion that everyone thought was invincible..  On this night, Tucker proved a lot of people wrong in defeat..  In round 1 Tony caught Tyson walking straight in with an uppercut, from that moment Tyson knew he had his hands full, Tucker however boxed conservatively, trying to nullify Mikes attacks only once standing toe to toe in the final seconds of a fight where he proved his true value, losing a unanimous decision to the best heavyweight around was no disgrace..
Following the Tyson loss,  problems found Tucker..
Most of Tony's problems was his father Robert. Tony's father signed a lot of paper with a lot of people , shares for up-front money and Tony was getting virtually nothing from his purses, all kinds of people had pieces of Tony Tucker..  Tucker had no choice but to tell his father Robert that he could no longer handle his career, he had almost broke his son..
1988 Tony Tucker went through a deep depression, he had no money, the Tyson purse was still ongoing and a lot of court hearings were getting him down..  He acquired a drug habit which he kept private and wouldn't box for three years..
Tony would return in 1989 under the watchful eye of Jack Cohen, a real estate investor who had seen Tucker's demise at the hands of Cocaine, lots of cocaine and deep depression...  Tucker was 30 pounds heavier, thick set, a sterner look on his face and the trademark Jeri curls had gone... Tony would rack up 14 straight wins in the next four years, beating respectable names, Orlin Norris, Lionel Washington, Oliver McCall, Frankie Swindell until in 1993, three years completely clean following numerous rehabs, he would be presented with a chance of a competed clean start..  WBC Champion Lennox Lewis offered to defend his new crown against Tucker, now heavily backed by Don King..     Tucker's $1.005,000 purse would be enough to square up all of the financial mess his father had made and enough to make him comfortable again..    Tucker would box very competently against Lewis, he had come a long way..  He got off the floor twice to go the full 12 against a man who would prove over the next 10 years as one of the best of the era...
In the next four years Tony would only lose to future world champions..    Orlin Norris the former cruiserweight champion, Bruce Seldon in a WBA championship fight on the Holmes v McCall card in Las Vegas, Henry Akinwande in Philadelphia, Herbie Hide, the WBO champion in Great Britain, then finally in an Nabf Championship fight to John Ruiz in 1998, the year he would fight his last bout, a one round knockout of Billy Wright..  Tony's record stands 57 / 7 with 47 knockouts..
Tucker now lives in Florida, has been clean of drugs since 1989 and coaches the next generation of young prospects in a local gym..  Tony still attends the major boxing events, I was lucky enough to speak with him in April of this year at the  Mayweather v Pacquiao fight in Las Vegas..    Tony Tucker is at peace with himself..     He only ever lost to world champions.