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Buster Mathis
Buster Mathis
	Mathis (right) in Sweden in 1967
Born	Buster Mathis; June 11, 1943; Sledge, Mississippi, U.S.
Died	September 6, 1995 (aged 52); Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.
	Statistics
Weight(s)	Heavyweight
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Reach	76 in (193 cm)
Stance	Orthodox
	Boxing record
Total fights	34
Wins	30
Wins by KO	21
Losses	4
Draws	0

Buster Mathis (June 11, 1943 – September 6, 1995^[1]) was an American boxer who competed from 1965 to 1972.^[2] He was a top contender throughout his career, beating other top contenders including George Chuvalo and Chuck Wepner.^[3]^[4]^[5] He fought Heavyweight greats such as Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Jerry Quarry and Ron Lyle;^[3]^[6]^[7]^[8] he also notably beat Joe Frazier as an amateur to qualify for the Olympics but was later replaced due to a hand injury.^[9]^[10]

Career

Mathis had a successful career as an amateur heavyweight boxer. He qualified for a spot in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics but had to withdraw due to an injury. He was replaced in the tournament by Joe Frazier, who went on to win the gold medal.

Mathis turned professional in June 1965 with a second round knockout victory over Bob Maynard. He went on to win his next 22 contests as well and qualified for a shot at the New York State Athletic Commission World Heavyweight Title, which had become vacant after Muhammad Ali was stripped of the title for refusing to be drafted into the United States Army.^[11]

The title fight was held on March 4, 1968, in New York's Madison Square Garden against "Smoking" Joe Frazier, his old rival. Frazier won by an 11th-round knockout.^{[citation needed]}

Mathis continued to fight in the following years, outpointing George Chuvalo, but losing on points to Jerry Quarry - a fight Mathis was favored to win. Mathis retired after losing to Quarry in 1969, but he returned in 1971 to box Muhammad Ali for the NABF belt, losing on points over 12 rounds.^[11] Ali was later criticized for not finishing Mathis in the final rounds of the fight.^[12]

After Mathis was knocked out in just two rounds in September 1972 by Ron Lyle, he retired for good.^[13]

Retirement

A 1980 Sports Illustrated article featured interviews with Mathis and many of Muhammad Ali's other opponents.^{[citation needed]} It reported Mathis worked in the trucking business after he retired from the ring. ^{[citation needed]}

Mathis had various health problems in later years, including two strokes, a heart attack, and kidney failure. He died of heart failure at age 52.^[14] His son Buster Mathis Jr. became a professional boxer and fought Mike Tyson in 1995.

Professional boxing record

30 Wins (21 knockouts, 9 decisions), 4 Losses (2 knockouts, 2 decisions)^[11]
Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round	Date	Location	Notes
Loss	30–4	Ron Lyle	KO	2	29 Sep 1972	Denver Coliseum, Denver, Colorado	Mathis knocked out at 2:58 of the second round.
Win	30–3	Humphrey McBride	TKO	3	5 Sep 1972	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma	World Super Heavyweight Title. Referee stopped the bout at 1:34 of the third round.
Loss	29–3	Muhammad Ali	UD	12	17 Nov 1971	Astrodome, Houston, Texas	WBC NABF Heavyweight Title.
Loss	29–2	Jerry Quarry	UD	12	24 Mar 1969	Madison Square Garden, New York City
Win	29–1	George Chuvalo	UD	12	3 Feb 1969	Madison Square Garden, New York City
Win	28–1	J.J. Woody	TKO	6	26 Sep 1968	Madison Square Garden, New York City	Referee stopped the bout at 2:59 of the sixth round.
Win	27–1	Dick Wipperman	UD	10	16 Sep 1968	County Stadium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Win	26–1	Amos Lincoln	SD	10	5 Sep 1968	Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California
Win	25–1	J.J. Beattie	TKO	7	25 Jul 1968	Met Center, Bloomington, Minnesota
Win	24–1	M.J. Turnbow	TKO	7	30 Apr 1968	Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida	Referee stopped the bout at 2:44 of the seventh round.
Loss	23–1	Joe Frazier	TKO	11	4 Mar 1968	Madison Square Garden, New York City	NYSAC World Heavyweight Title. Referee stopped the bout at 2:33 of the 11th round.
Win	23–0	Gerry de Bruyn	KO	1	26 Dec 1967	Frolundaborg, Gothenburg	Bruyn knocked out at 0:36 of the first round.^[15]
Win	22–0	Roberto Davila	TKO	7	18 Nov 1967	Johanneshov, Stockholm
Win	21–0	Ron Marsh	TKO	4	18 Sep 1967	Madison Square Garden, New York City	Referee stopped the bout at 1:13 of the fourth round.
Win	20–0	Wayne Heath	KO	5	2 Aug 1967	Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California	Heath knocked out at 1:16 of the fifth round.
Win	19–0	Sonny S.D. Moore	TKO	5	23 May 1967	Saint Louis, Missouri	Referee stopped the bout at 2:09 of the fifth round.
Win	18–0	Ed "Baker Boy" Hurley	KO	1	12 May 1967	Detroit, Michigan
Win	17–0	Waban Thomas	KO	1	6 Feb 1967	Astrodome, Houston, Texas	Thomas knocked out at 2:23 of the first round.
Win	16–0	E.S. Andrews	KO	2	17 Nov 1966	Portland Exposition Building, Portland, Maine	Andrews knocked out at 2:10 of the second round.
Win	15–0	Johnny Barazza	KO	1	2 Nov 1966	Civic Center, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Win	14–0	Earl Averette	TKO	3	28 Sep 1966	Cambria County War Memorial Arena, Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Win	13–0	Bob Stallings	SD	10	15 Sep 1966	Armory, Akron, Ohio
Win	12–0	Mert Brownfield	KO	1	29 Aug 1966	Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Win	11–0	Charley E. Chase	UD	6	28 Jul 1966	Portland Exposition Building, Portland, Maine
Win	10–0	Everett Copeland	KO	2	23 Jun 1966	Madison Square Garden, New York City	Copeland knocked out at 2:27 of the second round.
Win	9–0	Tom Swift	KO	1	16 Jun 1966	Portland Exposition Building, Portland, Maine
Win	8–0	Charley Polite	PTS	6	16 Feb 1966	Westchester County Center, White Plains, New York
Win	7–0	Mike Bruce	TKO	5	19 Jan 1966	Westchester County Center, White Plains, New York
Win	6–0	Chuck Wepner	TKO	3	7 Jan 1966	Madison Square Garden, New York City	Referee stopped the bout at 1:58 of the third round.
Win	5–0	Charlie Lee	PTS	6	15 Dec 1965	Westchester County Center, White Plains, New York
Win	4–0	Bob Stallings	UD	6	23 Sep 1965	Grand Rapids, Michigan
Win	3–0	Bob Maynard	PTS	4	30 Aug 1965	Paul Sauve Arena, Montreal, Quebec
Win	2–0	Johnny Shore	TKO	2	28 Aug 1965	Rock Island, Quebec	Referee stopped the bout at 2:45 of the second round.
Win	1–0	Bob Maynard	TKO	2	28 Jun 1965	Paul Sauve Arena, Montreal, Quebec