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00:00Lennox! Lennox Lewis!
00:11Oh, you are so awesome.
00:14The gentleman with the dangerous right.
00:17Such a proper chap.
00:19I love you, mate.
00:23Nice try, fella, but you're still not getting my triple edit tickets.
00:27Spoonie!
00:28Yo, Timmy Witherspoon!
00:30My main man!
00:31The Spooner, the comeback kid.
00:34Hanging with the Spooner.
00:36I love you, brah.
00:39Don't leave me hanging.
00:41Let me guess.
00:42You won triple edit tickets.
00:44Ain't gonna happen.
00:46Spooner, don't dish me, man!
00:48The following is a special presentation of HBO Sports.
01:03On a typical Friday evening in New York City, approximately 43,000 theatergoers witness the greatest live performances Broadway has to offer.
01:14But tonight, the toughest ticket in town is just blocks away, where Madison Square Garden plays host to one of the biggest nights of heavyweight boxing in recent history.
01:23For fight fans from all walks of life, this is the place to be.
01:27Mr. Mayor, can you give us your thoughts on tonight's heavyweight event?
01:32Well, I'm certainly hoping to enjoy one of the biggest sporting events ever in the great mecca of boxing right here in Madison Square Garden.
01:40It's great for New York, and for fight fans, Ted Koch.
01:44The greatest mayor in New York history.
01:47Standing up for the working man.
01:49You are so special.
01:52Well, thank you, son.
01:53I wish everyone remembered me that way.
01:55Oh, are you kidding me?
01:57Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, and Ted Koch.
02:01You are a New York legend.
02:03And I love you, man.
02:05Listen, son.
02:07How'd you like to join me at the fight?
02:09Are you ringside?
02:10Of course.
02:11And guess who's buying the beer?
02:14No problem.
02:15I'm really good at getting that beer.
02:17Let's just get to them seats.
02:19Are you really ringside?
02:20Yes, sir.
02:21Right up front?
02:22You can't believe me.
02:23I'm going to the fight with the mayor.
02:25I'm going to the fight with the mayor.
02:40I'm going to the fairesten.
02:43I'm going to the ship.
02:44I'm going to the first two years.
02:45I'm going to the men on this day.
02:48Oh, I'm going to the way.
02:51I'm going to the ship.
02:53I'm going to the water.
02:53Oh, do you mind?
02:56Yeah.
02:56Oh, no.
02:57Oh, no.
03:28That night, live from Madison Square Garden in New York City, HBO Sports presents a star-studded
03:56evening of heavyweight action in a special triple-header addiction of world championship
04:01boxing.
04:02First, former champion Tim Witherspoon faces Jorge Luis Gonzalez.
04:07And then after that, former title holder Lennox Lewis against Olympic gold medalist Ray Mercer.
04:14And then to wrap up the evening, former two-time heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield takes
04:19on Bobby Chez, one-time champion of the cruiserweight and light heavyweight divisions.
04:26All right.
04:28Well, Maricott, you got to hand it to you.
04:30It's a great seat.
04:33I know, people.
04:34This didn't come easy.
04:35No.
04:36Well, I can tell.
04:37Listen, I know you got some pool here.
04:38You think you'd get a little popcorn up here?
04:39I'm going to tell you what I'm going to try to do.
04:41I'm going to put together a card.
04:43Yeah.
04:43I think that if we had Tyson and Bo as a match, you know, they both come from Bed-Stuy.
04:50Got a feeling those two guys are going to be talking together all night.
04:54And with that, Madison Avenue-based foray into humor, we bring you back to 7th Avenue for
05:00a big night of heavyweight boxing very quickly.
05:02Let's run down the card on this heavyweight tripleheader once again.
05:05In the first of the three fights, you'll see former two-belt heavyweight champion Tim Witherspoon
05:11takes on Jorge Luis Gonzalez.
05:13You saw Gonzalez meet his Waterloo a year ago against Riddick Bowe.
05:16It's still the only loss in his career.
05:18Then in the second of the three bouts, the man who won the Olympic super heavyweight gold
05:23medal at Seoul in 1988, Lennox Lewis, faces the man who won the heavyweight gold medal for
05:28the United States, Merciless Ray Mercer, one of the toughest tests of Lewis's career so
05:33far.
05:34And then in the final bout of the evening, two-time heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield,
05:40trying to come back yet again from his most recent loss to Riddick Bowe, will be taking
05:45on Bobby Chez, who's moving up from his previous sojourns in the light heavyweight and cruiserweight
05:50divisions to try to catch lightning in a bottle against Holyfield here tonight.
05:55How high is the quality of the fighters on this card?
05:58Well, consider this.
05:59When you look at five of the six, you're talking about 281 championship rounds, 33 separate
06:05title fights, three Olympic medals, the ones we've discussed, plus the bronze medal that
06:11Holyfield won 11 separate professional titles, and as we'll tell you when we get to Gonzalez
06:16a little bit later on, he's won some championships of his own.
06:21Working with me as always, HBO boxing analyst Larry Merchant.
06:25Larry, I think we've set up the card, three separate fights, three former heavyweight
06:29titleists on the card.
06:31What's the significance of it to the heavyweight division?
06:34Jim, the only thing I can figure out is that from the old song, the Bronx is up, the battery
06:40is down, New York, New York is a wonderful town once again.
06:44From Jackie Kennedy's auction to Wall Street to Broadway, from the Knicks and Rangers in
06:49the playoffs to the Yankees in first place, New York is undergoing an old-fashioned burst
06:54of energy, creativity, and prosperity, and now boxing is part of the action.
07:00None of the fights tonight figures to have cosmic significance, but we've got about 1,400
07:06pounds and 200 years of heavyweights, and perhaps 17,000 folks with excited expectations.
07:14And indeed, they get a chance to see some excitement, as a couple of the bouts are expected to be
07:18highly competitive.
07:19Maybe, in fact, this first one.
07:21Tim Witherspoon at 224 pounds against Jorge Luis Gonzalez at 250.
07:25A couple of very big heavyweights, and here's one of the biggest and the greatest to talk
07:29about it with us, our expert commentator, George Foreman.
07:32George, back in January, Witherspoon came in here to the Garden and produced a surgical
07:36performance against a good technician in Al Cole.
07:39Now, he's got to come back with another big effort tonight.
07:41At age 38, how difficult is that for him?
07:44Not very difficult.
07:46Tim Witherspoon is experiencing something called freedom now, freedom to create, make money,
07:51and make a new name for himself.
07:52And he can get that second chance.
07:54He's going to take advantage of it.
07:55And I think that's what we're going to see tonight.
07:56All right, we talked about the quality of the fighters here on the card, George, but
08:00these three former heavyweight champions are among a group of such men on the planet who
08:06number in double figures.
08:08And, of course, there are four or five heavyweight champions out there right now.
08:12Our Frank DeFord suggests that heavyweight boxing might be well-served to understand that
08:17in most cases, less is more.
08:20Frank?
08:21Jim, once upon a time, everybody knew four people.
08:24The president of the United States, Walter Cronkite, Santa Claus, and the heavyweight champion
08:31of the world.
08:32Why, it was said that Muhammad Ali was the single most recognizable human being on the face of
08:37the earth.
08:38But, oh my, how things have changed.
08:40Today, only a few died in the war.
08:42Boxing fans even know who a heavyweight champion is.
08:45And the rest of us have lost interest completely.
08:55There was a time, my friends, when the whole world knew these world champions.
08:59And there was only one at a time, maximum, because there is only one world, and hence,
09:05only one world champion.
09:06But now, the woods are full of world champions.
09:14Now, here is the current champ with the most seniority.
09:18He is known as the Atlantic City Express.
09:20And if you know his real name, you, too, are a champion of trivia.
09:25In fact, he answers to the name of Bruce, S-E-L-D-O, and seldom, he is the WBA champion.
09:34But there are many champions.
09:37Who are those guys?
09:40Well, actually, you probably do know the latest of the world champions.
09:44That is Iron Mike Tyson, the new WBC champ.
09:48That is the title that means so much that Riddick Bowe once tossed it into a London rubbish bin.
09:56But then, the WBA crown means so much that once the Atlantic City Express, Bruce Seldon,
10:03was forced to defend it on, ta-da, an undercard.
10:09And Riddick Bowe is now the New York State world champion,
10:14a world title he won in Nevada.
10:19The IBF title is vacant now because Franz Botha, the South African who held it last, was on steroids.
10:26And we certainly can't have anything like that in boxing.
10:29So the next IBF champion will either be Michael Maurer or Axel Schultz.
10:36You have to move, you have to move, move!
10:38Come on!
10:40Who are those guys?
10:42But class, that's not all.
10:44There is also the WBF champion, Adelson Rodriguez.
10:48And the ABA champion, Henry Cisneros.
10:51And George Foreman, who is considered the linear champion because he is the last guy standing,
10:56which means that he beat the man who beat the man who beat the man who beat John L. Sullivan,
11:01whose claim was that he could beat any son of a bitch in the house.
11:04Who are those guys?
11:08Unfortunately, Big George is now primarily the world champion of commercials.
11:14I guarantee you.
11:16Well, actually, I did tell a little fib about one guy, just to see if you were listening.
11:23Let's go to the videotape.
11:25But that's not all, class.
11:27There is also the WBF champion, Adelson Rodriguez.
11:30And the ABA champion, Henry Cisneros.
11:33And in fact, the ABA is the American Bar Association.
11:38And though Henry Cisneros sounds like a heavyweight champion,
11:42he is actually in the cabinet as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
11:48But be honest.
11:49Did you know?
11:50Did you even care?
11:52The problem is, as Eddie Futch, the knowledgeable old trainer, says,
11:57this definitely is not the golden age of heavyweights.
12:02Mr. Futch is being polite.
12:04This does not even appear to be the polyester age of heavyweights.
12:08A boxing, as we know, is a brutal sport that traditionally draws from the lower classes.
12:13The poor third world countries that produce most boxers nowadays do not, however, produce big people.
12:19And in the United States, the best big athletes go into more respectable sports.
12:25Ken Norton was a boxer.
12:27Ken Norton, Jr. is a linebacker.
12:30Hence, we are left with mostly champions du jour, the worst of athletic inflation.
12:37Who are those guys?
12:40This guy is Jorge Luis Gonzalez.
12:43He's never held a professional heavyweight world title,
12:46but just to continue the theme, he's won eight separate amateur world championships.
12:54And the record for Gonzalez as he comes in.
12:5624 wins.
12:57The loss to Evander, or excuse me, to Riddick Vaux last June in a one-sided bout in Vaux's favor.
13:0423 KOs.
13:05And a lot of people thought, George, that Gonzalez was going to give Riddick Vaux a lot of trouble
13:10because of his size and his long jab,
13:12but he showed a marked inability in that fight to defend himself.
13:17That's right.
13:18He had a habit of carrying that left hand just below the waist,
13:22fitting Dr. Riddick Vaux's overhand right.
13:25He threw them all night.
13:26And that overhand right, as you saw, led ultimately to the knockout of Gonzalez.
13:34And now here's the man who's facing Jorge Luis Gonzalez here, Tim Witherspoon.
13:39Back in the 1980s, he won both the WBA and the WBC World Heavyweight Championships.
13:44His record 44 wins, only four losses, 29 KOs.
13:50He may be performing better technically now than at any other stage in his career.
14:03Witherspoon coming off that big win over Al Cole here in January.
14:07Inanimous decision over the cruiserweight champion coming up in weight,
14:11which demonstrated that Witherspoon is ready perhaps for bigger things
14:15if he can sustain it from fight to fight to fight.
14:18Tale of the tape now, the 38-year-old Tim Witherspoon
14:21against 31-year-old Jorge Luis Gonzalez.
14:24You can see that Gonzalez has a 4-inch height advantage,
14:27weighs 26 pounds more than Witherspoon
14:29and a 5-1⁄2-inch advantage in reach.
14:32Larry?
14:33Typical of the flaky Gonzalez after losing to Bowe,
14:37he comes in at least 15 pounds heavier than he did in that fight.
14:42I don't know, what can you expect from a guy
14:44who wears a goatee on the back of his head?
14:47On stat numbers, Larry.
14:49Take a look at how active they were
14:51in their most recent bigger fights.
14:54And you can see Gonzalez had a lot of problems
14:57with Bowe being on the defensive most of the time.
15:01Gonzalez has a big jab when he uses it.
15:09Witherspoon is expert in making a man miss the jab.
15:14And rules of the bout
15:15with our unofficial ringside scorer, Harold Letterman.
15:18The Tim Witherspoon-Jorge Luis Gonzalez fight
15:20is scheduled for 10 rounds.
15:21The standing eight count is in effect.
15:23The three-knockdown rule is in effect.
15:25The referee or the doctor can stop the fight,
15:27and you cannot be saved by the bell in any round,
15:29including the 10th and final round.
15:31Jim.
15:31All right, thank you, Harold.
15:32Let's go up to Michael Buffer
15:33to pick up the brief fight introductions.
15:37Once again, ladies and gentlemen,
15:38good evening and welcome
15:40to Madison Square Garden
15:42right here in the middle of the Big Apple,
15:44New York City,
15:45where tonight, main events
15:46in association with your undisputed,
15:49undefeated king of beers, Budweiser.
15:52This Bud's for you.
15:54Present a triple rumble in the heavyweight division.
15:56This first bout is presented
15:58in association with Dennis Rappaport Promotions.
16:01All the bouts are sanctioned
16:02by the New York State Athletic Commission chairman,
16:05former two-time heavyweight champion of the world,
16:08Floyd Patterson,
16:09commissioners Rose Trentman and Melvin Southard,
16:12executive directors Tony Russo and James Hulsinello,
16:16deputy commissioner Bob Duffy,
16:18chief physician at ringside, Dr. Billy Latham,
16:21ringside physicians Dr. Rufus Sadler,
16:24Dr. Dan Hamner and Dr. Richard Estrico.
16:28The timekeeper for all the bouts is Jim Borzette.
16:31The three judges scoring this bout
16:33for the 10-point must system
16:34will be Melvina Latham,
16:36Luis Rivera and Eva Shane.
16:39And when the bell rings,
16:41the man in charge of the action,
16:42your referee, Joe Santarpia.
16:44And now, ladies and gentlemen,
16:47for the first of three times tonight
16:49from Madison Square Garden,
16:51let's get ready to rumble!
16:5710 rounds of boxing in the heavyweight division.
17:06Introducing first,
17:08fighting out of the blue corner,
17:10wearing green trim with gold
17:11and weighing in at 250 pounds,
17:15he brings a professional record of 24 victories,
17:1823 by KO with only one defeat,
17:23a native of Cuba,
17:24but now living and fighting
17:25out of Las Vegas, Nevada,
17:27ladies and gentlemen,
17:29Jorge Luis González!
17:40And his opponent across the ring,
17:43fighting out of the red corner,
17:45wearing white,
17:46trimmed with black,
17:47weighing in at 224 pounds,
17:51an outstanding record of 44 victories
17:53against four to beat,
17:5529 to 0.
17:57He comes to us
17:58from the city of brotherly love,
18:00Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
18:02Ladies and gentlemen,
18:03presenting the former
18:04two-time heavyweight champion
18:07of the world,
18:09Terrible,
18:11Tim Witherspoon!
18:17Let's go!
18:19Okay, guys, let's go!
18:22Hold on, hold on, hold on.
18:23Fellas, just two guys out here.
18:24Come on, everybody else, please!
18:25One, guys!
18:26I don't know the rules I want a
18:28good clean fight.
18:30Are there any questions.
18:31Okay.
18:32Shake hands now and God bless you
18:34both.
18:35Good luck.
18:35Jim when I came to New York I
18:37thought that Gonzalez had the
18:39best chance to pull an upset in
18:41these fights tonight in part
18:43because Tim Witherspoon has a
18:45history of not being able to
18:47deal very well with prosperity.
18:51But I think it's going to be
18:53going to be going to be going
18:54to be going to be going to be
18:55a little bit better.
18:56But after watching Gonzalez and
18:58seeing what his weight is I I am
19:01less convinced that this fight has
19:04the best chance for an upset.
19:05Let's see.
19:07You know last year when he
19:07fought Bo he had no trainer of
19:09record Larry.
19:11Since then he's hired a former
19:12kickboxing trainer whose name is
19:15Nick Blomgren and with all due
19:17respect to Blomgren and his
19:19kickboxing background some people
19:20think Jorge Luis might have been
19:22better off with no trainer.
19:25He's an example so far in his
19:28career of someone who stayed as an
19:29amateur for much too long.
19:34Witherspoon is likely to unleash
19:36an unorthodox barrage of punches
19:38here to get inside and stay
19:41inside of Gonzalez's lengthy
19:43jab.
19:44He's done with a snapping overhand
19:46right.
19:56Gonzalez is always smiling in there
19:58George.
19:59Maybe he knows something we don't.
20:01I think he brings something to the
20:03heavyweight division that we really
20:04need.
20:04He has a little color charisma and I
20:07like it.
20:07Smile.
20:08Have some fun at least acting though
20:10you are now with Tim Witherspoon is
20:12not doing what really both did Rick
20:14both didn't give this guy any room
20:16to breathe through his left jab.
20:17He stayed on him every moment.
20:20With it is too far outside right now.
20:22All you can do is give this fella
20:25some confidence and with that long
20:27left jab if he gets some confidence
20:29it can be a hard night for Tim
20:30Witherspoon.
20:31Maybe Witherspoon forgot that he
20:32promised us he would be inside of
20:34that jab all night long.
20:35Right now he's standing out there in
20:38Gonzalez's most effective punching
20:40range.
20:46Gonzalez is most uncomfortable when
20:49his back is on those ropes.
20:50Tim Witherspoon hasn't made him
20:52touch those ropes yet.
20:55Also hasn't been able to get to the
20:56body yet except with blows that
20:59referee Joe Santarpia saw as low.
21:01You saw Santarpia warning Witherspoon
21:03to keep him up.
21:05If Witherspoon allows Gonzalez to
21:10develop a rhythm with that jab he's
21:12going to set himself up for a tough
21:13task.
21:13Not only so, Gonzalez had a long
21:16career of amateur boxing matches
21:18where you stand there and you pow,
21:20you jab, you throw them back.
21:21And Witherspoon has given him that
21:23kind of career participation again.
21:28Gonzalez trying to land uppercut.
21:30Witherspoon landed a right hand.
21:32Both guys cut loose a little bit
21:34with a half minute to go in round
21:36one.
21:40And I would think that would be a
21:41disadvantage for Gonzalez.
21:42He shouldn't throw away at over
21:45235-pound throw in energies like
21:47that.
21:50A lot of action so far between two
21:52good-sized heavyweights.
21:55Total of 474 pounds in there off of
21:59yesterday's weigh-in.
22:00maybe they both weigh just a little
22:01bit more tonight.
22:06That was a much better than expected
22:08first round for the Cuban defector
22:10Jorge Luis Gonzalez.
22:13And as we go to Gonzalez's corner, we
22:15listen via the ears of our translator,
22:17Hector Garcia.
22:22Oh, damn, damn, damn, that's real.
22:24Ricky, put this on that eye.
22:26The bottom of that eye.
22:28Hey, I'm going for a little bit.
22:30Yeah?
22:31I'm going for a little bit.
22:32It's fine.
22:33Hey, loosen it, loosen it.
22:34Loosen it to his fucking belt.
22:36Loosen it to hold, you know?
22:38It's fine, it's fine, it's fine.
22:40The belt, the belt.
22:41Loosen it a little bit.
22:42OK.
22:43OK.
22:44OK.
22:45Perfecto.
22:46Wait.
22:47The knife is there.
22:48You heard him?
22:49You don't want it, you don't want it.
22:56What are they doing in there, George?
22:59Loosening his cup.
23:01That's right, sometimes you put on
23:02the same cup that you bought in
23:05before, and that thing is tight
23:06around your stomach when you come
23:07in a little heavy.
23:12Round two begins.
23:17I would like to ask Harold Letterman,
23:20can they do that?
23:22You know, what are you going to do
23:24if the guy's untying the cup
23:25and he's loosening it up?
23:26I mean, the referee can tell him,
23:27hurry it up, hurry it up.
23:28But you can't really force him
23:30to come out of the corner.
23:31I see.
23:32You can penalize him, though,
23:33if he's laid out of the corner
23:34for no appropriate reason.
23:36He was only in the corner a few
23:38seconds, you know, after the bell ran.
23:40So I think there was no real delays,
23:42the bottom line.
23:43Witherspoon trying to get his jab
23:44going here early in the second round.
23:46Gonzalez smiling at him once again.
23:48Witherspoon told us yesterday,
23:49he doesn't like it to the body,
23:51and I'm going to get to the body.
23:52So far, he hasn't been able to do that.
23:54There's already a bit of a wealth
23:57underneath the right eye of Gonzalez.
24:00Now, Witherspoon hasn't established
24:02any kind of strategies.
24:03Should have been getting low,
24:04trying to find his head,
24:06putting his head on the chest of
24:07Gonzalez to establish,
24:09hey, I'm going to fight you inside.
24:11And right now, stand outside,
24:12round housing to the side.
24:14Now he backs Gonzalez up
24:16and fires an overhand right.
24:18Gonzalez has been down
24:20only against both.
24:22Now he backs Gonzalez up
24:24and fires an overhand right.
24:26Gonzalez has been down
24:27only against both.
24:29witherspoon.
24:45Gonzalez is doing an excellent job
24:46of keeping the fight in the
24:47middle of the ring where he has
24:49at least 3 feet of division from
24:51himself in Witherspoon.
24:53If he can keep that distance
24:55and stay in the middle of the
24:56ring, all the good things,
24:57nothing but good things can
24:58happen for him.
24:59just as he did against Bowe.
25:00Well, you can do that with a shorter opponent
25:02if you keep at least two feet away from him,
25:04but as he close in on you,
25:07he's not a basketball player like Riddick Bowe.
25:11That time, Witherspoon was able to land
25:12with a chopping overhand right,
25:15punctuated that exchange.
25:16Witherspoon more comfortable here in round two
25:18than was the case in round one,
25:20and Gonzales, just a little bit tireder,
25:22doesn't have as much energy with the jab.
25:25No doubt about it, Gonzales is carrying the extra weight.
25:27It's gonna have a great effect on him as the fight grows.
25:30And George, he does keep his hands so low.
25:32He was able to get away with it as an amateur
25:35against talented but not very big men.
25:41I don't know if he can do that
25:42against a real professional fighter.
25:44Well, if he keeps his distance,
25:46remember, if a shorter guy is far away,
25:48he's got a long ways to get close to you,
25:50plus he's gotta go up.
25:51With Riddick Bowe, Riddick Bowe was equally as tall as he
25:54and probably had even a greater height reach advantage.
25:57Now Witherspoon has begun to find
26:01the occasional opportunity to go to the body.
26:03He landed a left hook to the rib cage
26:05just a few seconds ago.
26:06Okay, settle on and relax and go to that body.
26:22Keep the hands up and go to that body.
26:24Keep it open, let's go.
26:25Leave the side.
26:26We're doing fine.
26:27We're doing fine by moving him back.
26:29It looks good, man.
26:30We're doing fine by moving him back.
26:32It looks good, man.
26:33It looks good, man.
26:34Let's go over there.
26:35Beautiful.
26:36We're doing fine by moving him back.
26:37It looks good, man.
26:39Let's go over there.
26:40Beautiful thing.
26:41Beautiful thing.
26:42We're doing beautiful.
26:43Good defense, everything looks great.
26:44Keep that jab.
26:45Make the open.
26:46He's going beautiful.
26:48Good defense. Everything looks great.
26:51Keep that jab.
26:53Make the open.
26:57Go to that body when you're in there.
26:58Now, please.
26:59All right, let's go. Let's go. Let's go.
27:00Jim, with his spoon, broke a small bone below his left pinky,
27:06appropriately called the boxer's bone.
27:08Get him out a little fast.
27:09In his fight with Cole, and he had that hand in a cast until April 1st.
27:14I don't see that it's had any effect on him so far.
27:23When you've had as many amateur boxing matches as Gonzalez,
27:26you know how to stand out there in box.
27:27That's the one thing.
27:28If nothing else, they teach you in the Olympics.
27:31Build up points.
27:32Keep your opponent off balance.
27:33That's what Gonzalez has been able to do tonight.
27:36Keep in mind that Gonzalez beat both Bo and Lewis as an amateur.
27:44Keep in mind that he won eight World Amateur Championships,
27:51he was not well liked in Cuba because he defeated the great Tiofilo Stevenson
27:57in three of his four fights.
27:59He also beat Felix Savon, the inheritor to Stevenson's mantle as the number one heavyweight in Cuba,
28:04and he claims Castro didn't like him for beating Stevenson and Savon.
28:10And liked him less for defecting from the Cuban boxing team in Finland five years ago.
28:17Now, Witherspoon's strategy should be, as soon as his back touched that rope,
28:22throw that overhand right there, and he has nowhere to go but to bump into that overhand right.
28:28He's got a big hit.
28:30Gonzalez moments ago was absorbing punishment to the body from Witherspoon
28:34and redirecting cameraman along the apron at the same time.
28:40There's a hard right hand to the body by Gonzalez,
28:42and shown more variety in his attack here already in two rounds
28:46than he was able to show against Riddick Bowe last summer.
28:49This corner should tell Witherspoon, as soon as his back touched that rope,
28:56throw your overhand right, but if it's in the middle of the ring,
28:59he got room to back away.
29:09pounds
29:19round three of what is evolving into a technical battle between Tim Witherspoon
29:25and the white trunks with black trim and Jorge Luis Gonzales in the green with
29:28black
29:31that with a spoon strategy of getting a little closer starting to starting to
29:36develop right now getting closer and closer hard left hand inside by
29:41Witherspoon as Gonzales was stepping away
29:45Witherspoon with a little bit of a grab-like defense tough to penetrate at
29:50times see how Gonzales's patience holds up and Witherspoon once again lands a left
29:56inside and down goes Jorge Luis overhand right by Witherspoon and this is only the
30:04second fight of his career in which Gonzales has tasted canvas
30:09and Gonzales was hurt by that right hand and Witherspoon tries to come back with
30:16the same punch as the round comes to a close
30:19And that's what he seems to do.
30:23And it's just the gate of the back and watch him when he's grabbing you on the
30:27break he's hitting you off the break keep that jab in his face and moving him back.
30:33Grab-like.
30:34Bring him up.
30:35All right baby.
30:36Gotta watch him when he's grabbing you on the break he's hitting you off the
30:39break.
30:39Keep that jab in his face and move him back.
30:41All right, let's see what punch did it.
30:54It was that left hand hurt him and followed by a right high on the head.
31:00The bigger they are, the harder they hit, the harder they fall.
31:07Didn't look like all that damaging a shot, but he caught him right on the temple,
31:10and that's one of those spots, isn't it, George?
31:12Yeah, yeah.
31:13What a big, tall guy like that doing low enough to get overhand right to be able to land.
31:20It just doesn't make sense.
31:22Someone should consciously keep him aware of his height advantage, tell him to stay up high.
31:27If he gets a real boxing trainer, maybe he'll have that advantage, George.
31:31Too late, Jim. Too late.
31:34He believes he's an arrogant guy.
31:36You want arrogance in an athlete, but he is so arrogant that he hasn't taken advice from anyone
31:42since somebody told him to defect from Cuba.
31:46So the learning curve for Gonzalez is there is no learning curve.
31:50This is the same guy we saw in his first two or three fights in America.
31:54All he has to do, even right now, is keep his height advantage.
32:00He doesn't have to do anything defensive, keep his height up, push this guy away, stay
32:05in the middle of the ring, and he will not get dropped again.
32:07Let's see how Harold Letterman has it scored through the first three.
32:10Harold?
32:10Jim, 29, 27, two rounds to one.
32:13Tim Witherspoon.
32:14I gave the first round to Jorge Luis Gonzalez based on that jab, but certainly,
32:18rounds two and three to Tim Witherspoon.
32:19He waved it in touch and tucked him around.
32:23I was giving all three rounds to Witherspoon.
32:25And terrible Tim landed another hard right hand in that exchange, momentarily wobbling
32:30Gonzalez, and Gonzalez has become, in this round, a defensive fighter.
32:36The thing about throwing a lot of overhand right, you get tired.
32:40The bigger you are, the harder you get.
32:44So you think Witherspoon won't be able to keep that particular attack up for long?
32:48He's going to have to sneak in some left hooks also, just to kind of readjust his body.
32:53You don't get one side of your body to get tired.
33:01There's a left hook.
33:02There's a left hook.
33:04And another overhand right.
33:05He's finding it easier and easier to land as time goes by.
33:09The closer he gets, the easier it is to land those overhand right.
33:13Tell me, George, can a professional go back to being an amateur and go back into the Olympics again?
33:20Regain some eligibility, huh?
33:21Right.
33:21He's proving his amateur credentials here tonight.
33:28We've got to remember, he's in the ring with a two-time heavyweight champion.
33:32He's holding his own.
33:33The only thing he's doing wrong is the other tactics.
33:35He's not sticking to the kind of fight he needs to be fighting.
33:39Witherspoon won two separate titles at a time when most people thought he wasn't fulfilling his potential.
33:44Gonzalez just doesn't have a strategy.
33:58No, and though you suggested in the first couple rounds that Witherspoon wasn't clear on his own strategy at that time,
34:05now Tim knows what he's doing in there.
34:06He knows exactly what he's doing and things have worn right for him.
34:11Another overhand right, another left hook, those two punches.
34:14Are going to land for a while here, unless Gonzalez can take some other tack with his own fight strategy.
34:22It's kind of hard when you overweight like that to get off those green ropes and fight.
34:28I want to remind you to join us May 20 for the premiere of Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel,
34:33featured in this particular edition.
34:34The first one-on-one interview with controversial former Nebraska running back Lawrence Phillips.
34:39A look back at last year's tragic ring death for boxer Jimmy Garcia.
34:43And a report on the auto racing war between the Indianapolis 500 and its championship auto racing team's rivals.
34:50Real sports, the only show of its kind, only on HBO.
34:55Now you've got the eye thinking, Tim.
35:08Here's my thinking.
35:09Go to the body and set it up from the body.
35:13Tim Witherspoon is like an old blues musician who's gradually found his rhythm and his chops as this fight has gone on.
35:32And as Gonzalez has tired in front of him, it's gotten easier and easier.
35:38Now Gonzalez goes back to pumping the jab, which is what gave him success in the first round and a half.
35:43First round and a half.
35:50Gonzalez has to get his rest in the middle of the ring.
35:52Can't go back to the rope and lay down rest.
35:55And it's easy to do that.
35:56Just go out and hold your opponent.
36:00Tim Witherspoon told us yesterday that he lost several days of training because of lower back problems created when his special orthotic shoe inserts wore down and failed to give him the proper support.
36:14So now Gonzalez's corner has been telling Jorge Luis, hey, this guy missed 10 days of training.
36:19You ought to be able to wear him out.
36:21I wonder how many days of training Gonzalez makes.
36:28He might have been depressed by hearing that.
36:30And a referee, he shouldn't break until a referee tells him, step back and break.
36:40That's the way you get your energy level back up.
36:42Gonzalez trying a long uppercut.
36:47And Witherspoon just misses with a close-in right uppercut that could have done a lot of damage if he'd had it on target.
36:55Now here comes the overhand right.
36:57Yep.
36:58You can't miss.
36:59His back is on the rope.
37:00Throw it.
37:01It's going to hit something.
37:02You can always get some kind of pay dirt.
37:06Almost as though Tim Witherspoon's listening to you in there, George Foreman, when he gets it.
37:10Gonzalez against the ropes, he throws left hook, overhand right.
37:13And Gonzalez's got so much potential.
37:16He's got so much ability.
37:18You just wonder why in the world won't you just stand out there and box.
37:23Another hard overhand right by Witherspoon.
37:25He has got that thing mercilessly on target.
37:29Left hook lands again, too.
37:31Witherspoon may not have the power of a Riddick bow, but he has this thing dialed in.
37:46Do what!
37:47Five.
37:49Five.
37:50Six.
37:51One.
37:52Five.
37:53Five.
37:54Six.
37:55Five.
37:56Six.
37:57One.
37:58Five.
37:59Five.
38:00interesting.
38:01One.
38:02Six.
38:03Five.
38:04Eight.
38:05Five.
38:06Six.
38:07One.
38:08One.
38:09Five.
38:10One.
38:11Five.
38:123, 4, 5, 6, 7.
38:18Matal comes in from Gonzalez's corner,
38:21and Jim Witherspoon celebrates a devastating fifth-round TKO.
38:27Remember, Jim, when he told us how he loved to chop wood,
38:31loved to hear the chopping of the wood,
38:33loved to see the wood splinters fly.
38:36He was chopping wood there in the corner.
38:38That was old-fashioned stuff, George.
38:47And Jorge Luis Gonzalez absorbs the second knockout loss of his career,
38:53and you suspect that barring some dramatic change in his life,
38:58we're not going to see him at this level of the heavyweight division again.
39:01It's pitiful, too, because it's all because of a lack of proper strategy.
39:07This guy has a lot of ability, a lot of strength,
39:10took some good punches, stood on his feet.
39:15Well, let's watch the finishing sequence here, George,
39:18and you'll see Witherspoon landing a withering series of overhand rights and left hooks.
39:24All the same punches over and over.
39:26This guy, Gonzalez, cannot get out of the way of something as redundant as the same punch.
39:31Look at where his left hand is.
39:32Got his left hand down below his waist,
39:35even in an infighting situation where he ought to be trying to protect himself.
39:38Even up top, if you just put your hands up, you just make him hit your punches, your gloves.
39:46Believe me, this guy, Gonzalez, just needs a trainer.
39:50Well...
39:50Same punch over and over.
39:52Probably too late to get it now,
39:53and he provided Tim Witherspoon with a relatively easy fight tonight.
39:58Never too late.
39:59Never too late.
40:00Witherspoon wins for the 45th time in his career.
40:05I love you, man!
40:07I love you, man!
40:08I love you!
40:11And now let's go to ring announcer Michael Buffer
40:14for the official particular.
40:16Ladies and gentlemen,
40:17The end comes at 2 minutes 54 seconds of round number 5.
40:23The winner by knockout victory,
40:25showing he is still one of the most dangerous heavyweights in the division.
40:30He is terrible.
40:32Tim Witherspoon!
40:36Once again, a look at Tim Witherspoon's final destruction
40:56of Jorge Luis Gonzalez
40:58as the clock was ticking in round number 5.
41:01Gonzalez, unable to defend himself at the end
41:05against the constant barrage of left hooks
41:08and overhand rights from the inside.
41:11And now an overhand view
41:12and another look at how defenseless Gonzalez was
41:16with his left hand drooping down below his waist.
41:21And let's go to Larry Merchant in the ring
41:23with the winner Tim Witherspoon.
41:24Larry?
41:25Tim, congratulations.
41:27With your overhand right,
41:29it looked like he was a setup for you
41:31because he holds his hands low.
41:33Were you just waiting for those punches to fall in?
41:36Yeah, well,
41:37I do well against tall opponents,
41:39like I said before.
41:40I train real hard.
41:42You know,
41:43I just thank God, man.
41:45I feel good.
41:46There was a time
41:47when you couldn't stand prosperity,
41:50when you would find a way
41:51somehow to screw it up.
41:53What's happened
41:53and how do you feel about that now?
41:55You know,
41:55I've been feeling kind of rusty like that
41:57now and then.
41:58And two,
41:58I'm sure of myself.
41:59You know,
42:00and I'm gradually trying to get confidence
42:02and more confidence
42:03that I'm going to do the right thing.
42:05I'm not going to mess it up anymore.
42:07We got our original Raiders of boxing back.
42:10And I can't do no wrong
42:13with these guys behind me.
42:15What should be next for you?
42:17Oh,
42:17Reddick Bowe.
42:19I like Big Daddy,
42:20me and him being him cool.
42:21But,
42:22I think that I deserve a shot
42:24at Reddick Bowe.
42:25I think he's better than all the heavyweights,
42:27including Tyson,
42:28all of them.
42:28I think that Reddick Bowe
42:29is the one to beat,
42:30not Mike Tyson.
42:32Thank you very much,
42:33Tim.
42:33Again,
42:33congratulations,
42:34Jim and George.
42:38All right.
42:38Thank you,
42:39Larry.
42:39Quick look at final punch stat numbers
42:41from Witherspoon Gonzalez
42:42of Witherspoon's 88 landed punches.
42:45The overwhelming majority
42:46were power punches,
42:47the left hook,
42:48the overhand right doing the damage.
42:50On the other hand,
42:50Gonzalez landed 78 punches
42:52and the overwhelming majority
42:54of those were jabs,
42:55which stood him in good stead
42:56in the first couple of rounds,
42:58but he weakened considerably
42:59from that point forward.
43:00George Foreman,
43:02Tim Witherspoon's only 38 years old,
43:03so I know you think of him
43:04as a youngish heavyweight.
43:06Where do you rank him now
43:08among the contenders
43:08off of what you saw here tonight?
43:10Look,
43:10he's a guy to be reckoned with.
43:11He is an ex-champion
43:12and he looks like to me
43:13he can be a future
43:14heavyweight champion of the world.
43:15He's got everything you take,
43:17conditioning,
43:18and he was able to stick
43:19with his strategy tonight.
43:20Those are all pluses.
43:22Even multiply after a while.
43:24All right.
43:24So Witherspoon sets the stage
43:26for the two former heavyweight titlists.
43:28We'll follow him
43:29into the ring here tonight
43:30with a strong performance
43:31of his own.
43:32You heard what George Foreman
43:33had to say about it.
43:34Larry Merchant,
43:34your final comments
43:35on Witherspoon Gonzalez.
43:38Chopping wood.
43:39Found himself a big old oak tree
43:41and just chopped him down.
43:43Exactly what happened.
43:44All right.
43:45So the first of our three main events
43:46has taken place
43:47in a few moments.
43:49We'll be ready for the second one,
43:50Lennox Lewis against Ray Mercer.
43:52But first of all,
43:52we've told you many times
43:54about the seminal place
43:55of this building,
43:57Madison Square Garden,
43:58in the long history of sports.
43:59For more on that
44:00and the man
44:01who made it all possible,
44:03let's go back upstairs
44:04to Mr. Frank DeVoore.
44:05Frank?
44:05Thank you, Jim.