heavyweight unification series

Prior to the series, the last undisputed heavyweight champion had been Leon Spinks, who won the championship in his 1978 victory over Muhammad Ali.{{cite news|title='Buster' flattened by Tucker's duster|newspaper=Reno Gazette-Journal|author=Steve Sneddon|date=May 31, 1987|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/24459302/buster_flattened_by_tuckers_duster/|via=Newspapers.com}}{{cite news|title=United we stand (almost)|newspaper=Sun Sentinel|location=Fort Lauderdale, FL|author=Ira Winderman|date=July 28, 1987|url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0EB5D076727800EB&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=1028A39C75C2B899|via=NewsBank}} Spinks was stripped of his WBC title later that year because he opted to fight a rematch against Ali instead of a mandatory challenger; the heavyweight championship had been fragmented ever since. This fragmentation and the resulting proliferation of title fights was seen by many as a discredit to the sport, and resulted in declining public interest in boxing.

The idea of the series originated in October 1985, when Don King visited HBO Sports president Seth Abraham to propose a WBC title fight between Pinklon Thomas and Trevor Berbick.{{cite book|title=One Punch from the Promised Land: Leon Spinks, Michael Spinks, and the Myth of the Heavyweight Title|author1=John Florio|author2=Ouisie Shapiro|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|year=2013|pages=172–173|isbn=978-0-7627-9768-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=onJBBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA172}} Abraham had little interest in the fight, but, inspired by the World Series that was being televised at the time, he suggested making the fight the first in a series to unify the heavyweight titles. King and Abraham mapped out the seven fights that would constitute the series, which King estimated could be produced for $20 million.

King and HBO announced the series on January 17, 1986, during a press conference before a fight between Tim Witherspoon and Tony Tubbs.{{cite news|title=Tubbs finally beaten in first title defense|newspaper=Chicago Sun-Times|author=Lacy J. Banks|date=January 18, 1986|url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0EB36CE8791C9AD3&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=1028A39C75C2B899|via=NewsBank}} That fight was seen as an unofficial prelude to the series, as the winner would hold the WBA title and would participate in the series. The series would also include WBC champion Pinklon Thomas, IBF champion Michael Spinks, and top contenders from each of the three sanctioning bodies' rankings.{{cite news|title=Unification bouts begin|newspaper=Columbus Dispatch|author=Matt Bennett|date=March 22, 1986|url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F11B8B4DF8E021AF8&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=1028A39C75C2B899|via=NewsBank}} The organizers were hopeful that Mike Tyson, then a young, fresh face, would qualify for the tournament and generate excitement for what was otherwise seen by some analysts as an unappealing slate of fighters.{{cite news|title=Tyson may be savior|newspaper=Knickerbocker News|location=Albany, NY|author=Norman Chad|agency=Washington Post|date=March 29, 1986|url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F107B444D11A9615B&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=1028A39C75C2B899|via=NewsBank}}{{cite news|title=A savior with nothing to save|newspaper=The Times Union|location=Albany, NY|author=Tim Layden|date=December 21, 1986|url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0FB5DA53DDA59D1E&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=1028A39C75C2B899|via=NewsBank}}

File:Mike Tyson vs. Pinklon Thomas advertisement.jpg]]

• Tony Tubbs vs. Tim Witherspoon (Unofficial precursor) – January 17, 1986 at the Omni Coliseum – Witherspoon defeated Tubbs by majority decision to win WBA title.[https://www.nytimes.com/1986/01/18/sports/witherspoon-captures-crown.html Witherspoon Captures Crown], NY Times article, 1986-01-18 Retrieved on 2024-08-03
• Trevor Berbick vs. Pinklon Thomas – March 22, 1986 at the Riviera – Berbick defeated Thomas by unanimous decision to win the WBC title.{{cite news|title=It's tournament time—in boxing|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|author=Richard Hoffer|date=March 22, 1986|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-03-22-sp-22108-story.html|access-date=2018-10-09}}{{cite news|title=Berbick beats Thomas for WBC championship|newspaper=Arizona Republic|agency=AP|date=March 23, 1986|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/24400897/berbick_beats_thomas_for_wbc/|via=Newspapers.com}}
• Michael Spinks vs. Larry Holmes II – April 19, 1986 at the Las Vegas Hilton – Spinks defeated Holmes by split decision to retain the IBF title.{{cite news|title=Spinks beats Holmes again to keep title|newspaper=Lexington Herald-Leader|author=Ed Schuyler Jr.|agency=AP|date=April 20, 1986|url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0EB738A0A3C6DC83&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=1028A39C75C2B899|via=NewsBank}}
• Tim Witherspoon vs. Frank Bruno – July 19, 1986 at Wembley Stadium – Witherspoon defeated Bruno by technical knockout in eleven rounds to retain the WBA title.{{cite news|title=Witherspoon stops Bruno, keeps title|newspaper=New York Times|date=July 20, 1986|agency=AP|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/07/20/sports/witherspoon-stops-bruno-keeps-title.html|accessdate=2018-10-09}}
• Michael Spinks vs. Steffen Tangstad – September 6, 1986 at the Las Vegas Hilton – Spinks knocked out Tangstad in four rounds to retain the IBF title.{{cite news|title=Heavyweight series tightens up as Spinks, Tyson score knockouts|newspaper=Daily Breeze|location=Torrance, CA|date=September 7, 1986|url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F11319ED3DB0E4118&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=1028A39C75C2B899|via=NewsBank}}
• Trevor Berbick vs. Mike Tyson – November 22, 1986 at the Las Vegas Hilton – Tyson knocked out Berbick in two rounds to win the WBC title.{{cite news|title=Tyson wins title from Berbick on early KO|newspaper=Argus-Leader|location=Sioux Falls, SD|agency=Gannett|date=November 23, 1986|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/24402986/tyson_wins_title_from_berbick_on_early/|via=Newspapers.com}}
• Tim Witherspoon vs. James "Bonecrusher" Smith – December 12, 1986 at Madison Square Garden – Smith defeated Witherspoon by technical knockout in the first round to win the WBA title.{{cite news|title=Smith crushes Witherspoon in first|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|agency=AP|date=December 13, 1986|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-12-13-sp-2581-story.html|access-date=2018-10-09}}
• Mike Tyson vs. James "Bonecrusher" Smith – March 7, 1987 at the Las Vegas Hilton – Tyson defeated Smith by unanimous decision to add the WBA title to his WBC title.{{cite news|title=Tyson unifies title—for the moment|newspaper=Baltimore Sun|date=March 9, 1987|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/24403413/tyson_unifies_title_for_the_moment/|via=Newspapers.com}}
• "Hard Road to Glory" – May 30, 1987 at the Las Vegas Hilton
• Tony Tucker vs. James "Buster" Douglas – Tucker defeated Douglas by technical knockout in ten rounds to claim the vacant IBF title (which had been stripped from Spinks)
• Mike Tyson vs. Pinklon Thomas – Tyson defeated Thomas by technical knockout in six rounds to retain the WBA and WBC titles.{{cite news|title=Tyson stops Thomas on TKO in 6th|newspaper=Philadelphia Inquirer|author=Robert Seltzer|date=May 31, 1987|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/24459431/tyson_stops_thomas_on_tko_in_6th/|via=Newspapers.com}}
• Mike Tyson vs. Tony Tucker – August 1, 1987 at the Las Vegas Hilton – Tyson defeated Tucker by unanimous decision to become the undisputed champion.{{cite news|title=Tyson wins, holds all three titles|newspaper=Philadelphia Inquirer|author=Robert Seltzer|date=August 2, 1987|url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0EB29D3DC3E5CC05&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=1028A39C75C2B899|via=NewsBank}}

Michael Spinks had been stripped of his IBF title in the middle of the tournament because he had accepted a lucrative offer to fight Gerry Cooney, instead of facing his mandatory challenger, Tony Tucker.{{cite news|title=The International Boxing Federation stripped Michael Spinks of his...|newspaper=UPI|date=February 26, 1987|url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F156B6BB0211544D0&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=1028A39C75C2B899|via=NewsBank}}{{cite news|title=When money means more than a title|newspaper=The Morning Call|location=Allentown, PA|author=Gary Blockus|date=June 17, 1987|url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F12AEA116C29C3E50&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=1028A39C75C2B899|via=NewsBank}} Spinks, however, was still recognized as the lineal champion (which he had not lost in the ring) as well as The Ring magazine heavyweight champion. Following the unification series, there were ongoing calls for Tyson, the champion of all three major sanctioning bodies, and Spinks, the lineal champion, to fight and erase any doubt about the identity of the "true" champion.{{cite news|title=91 seconds: Mike Tyson, Michael Spinks and the knockout that shook the world|newspaper=Bleacher Report|author=Jonathan Snowden|date=June 27, 2013|url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1682639-91-seconds-mike-tyson-michael-spinks-and-the-knockout-that-shook-the-world|accessdate=2018-10-13}}{{cite news|title=Commentary: Spinks, not Tyson, is true champion|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|author=Shirley Povich|agency=Washington Post|date=July 12, 1987|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-07-12-sp-3592-story.html|access-date=2018-10-13}} In June 1988, the two champions faced off, and Tyson knocked out Spinks in 91 seconds. Although Tyson did officially unify the heavyweight title by winning the WBC/WBA/IBF belts in the HBO Unification Tournament, he did not achieve true universal recognition as the undisputed world heavyweight champion until he won this bout with Spinks. {{cite news|title=It's Tyson in 91 seconds|newspaper=Sacramento Bee|author=Jim Jenkins|date=June 28, 1988|url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0EB0D87C94998F97&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=1028A39C75C2B899|via=NewsBank}}

Tyson held on to his titles until February 1990, when he was knocked out by James "Buster" Douglas. In October 1990, Douglas lost to a well-conditioned Evander Holyfield in his first title defense. Holyfield held the unified title until November 1992, when he lost a unanimous decision to Riddick Bowe.{{cite news|title=Tyson concedes; wants rematch|newspaper=New York Times|author=Phil Berger|date=February 14, 1990|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/02/14/sports/tyson-concedes-wants-rematch.html|accessdate=2018-10-12}} The titles remained unified until December 1992, when undisputed champion Riddick Bowe relinquished his WBC title for refusing to defend his unified crown against Lennox Lewis.{{cite news|title=Bowe trashes his W.B.C. title belt|newspaper=New York Times|author=Michael Martinez|date=December 15, 1992|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/12/15/sports/boxing-bowe-trashes-his-wbc-title-belt.html|accessdate=2018-10-12}}

• Middleweight World Championship Series – A similar series organized by Don King in 2001

{{reflist}}

Category:World championships in boxing

Category:1986 in boxing

Category:1987 in boxing

Category:Boxing matches involving Mike Tyson

Category:Heavyweight championship matches

Category:Westgate Las Vegas

Category:Boxing on HBO