John Tate (boxer)
| John Tate | |||||||||||||
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| Statistics | |||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | Big John | ||||||||||||
| Rated at | Heavyweight | ||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) | ||||||||||||
| Reach | 80 in (203 cm) | ||||||||||||
| Nationality | American | ||||||||||||
| Born |
January 29, 1955 Marion, Arkansas, U.S. |
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| Died | April 9, 1998 (aged 43) Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S. |
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| Stance | Orthodox | ||||||||||||
| Boxing record | |||||||||||||
| Total fights | 37 | ||||||||||||
| Wins | 34 | ||||||||||||
| Wins by KO | 23 | ||||||||||||
| Losses | 3 | ||||||||||||
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Medal record
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John Tate (January 29, 1955 – April 9, 1998) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1977 to 1988, and held the WBA heavyweight title from 1979 to 1980. As an amateur he won a bronze medal in the heavyweight division at the 1976 Summer Olympics.
"Big John" Tate (named due to his 6'4" height) captured a bronze medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, losing to Olympic boxing legend Teófilo Stevenson.
Tate lost in the finals of the 1975 National Golden Gloves to Emory Chapman. He lost in the quarterfinals the next year in a split decision to Michael Dokes. He avenged his loss to Dokes in the Olympic Trials by decision, and beat 1976 National AAU Champion Marvin Stinson to advance to the Olympic team.He also beat future heavyweight champion Greg Page by 2 close decisions, one in the quarterfinals of the 1975 National Golden Gloves tournament.
Tate met his future trainer, Ace Miller, during an amateur tournament in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tate and Miller worked together through 1983.
Tate turned pro in 1977 and scored a series of high-profile wins, knocking out highly ranked contenders Duane Bobick, Bernardo Mercado, and Kallie Knoetze. He captured the vacant WBA title on October 20, 1979 by defeating Gerrie Coetzee by decision, succeeding Muhammad Ali, who had relinquished the title that summer. Tate's fights with Knoetze and Coetzee were held in Apartheid South Africa, the latter before 80,000 fans.
Tate lost the title to Mike Weaver in his first defence just five months later. Tate was well ahead on all scorecards going into the 15th and final round when the big hitting Weaver landed a left hook punch to the chin that left the champion twitching unconscious on the canvas for several minutes.
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