Big Buster Mathis ; Has History Been Unkind To Him?

[The_budweiser]

By Jim Amato

 

At one time, Buster Mathis Sr. of Grand Rapids, Michigan was the best amateur heavyweight in the world. This was in 1964, after he had twice defeated another promising amateur named Joe Frazier. He was on his way to the 1964 Olympics Games in Tokyo but an injury sidelined him. Frazier took his place as an alternate. Joe won the Gold Medal and the rest is history.

 

Where does Buster Mathis stand in the annals of heavyweight history? Did he ever get the respect that he may have deserved? He was a good enough prospect to have Cus D'Amato guide his professional career. He was a a very big man for his era and was surprisingly fast and agile for a big man.

 

At the beginning of his pro career the 300 pound Mathis shedded weight and subdued opponents. In his fourth fight he would outpoint a rugged customer named Bob Stallings. In his sixth fight he would halt Chuck Wepner.

 

Read More: http://ringnews24.com/index.php/boxing-news/boxing-history/56905-big-buster-mathis-has-history-been-unkind-to-him.html#ixzz21kjP9nsV

[davemurphy]

In Joe Frazier's autobiography, he mentioned how Buster was just too kind-hearted a guy to be a prizefighter. They roomed together in Tokyo at the Olympics, but all Buster could talk about was being back home in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and writing letters to his girlfriend. Halfway around the world and at the biggest moment any athlete can enjoy and he was homesick. The Coaches convinced him he was injured, and with Buster being in the state he was in, it didn't take much convincing, simply because they knew Frazier could do the job and Mathis couldn't.

[LondonRingRules]

Re: Big Buster Mathis ; Has History Been Unkind To Him?

 

By Jim Amato

 

 

 

Where does Buster Mathis stand in the annals of heavyweight history? Did he ever get the respect that he may have deserved? He was a good enough prospect to have Cus D'Amato guide his professional career. He was a a very big man for his era and was surprisingly fast and agile for a big man.

 

 

Read More: http://ringnews24.com/index.php/boxing-news/boxing-history/56905-big-buster-mathis-has-history-been-unkind-to-him.html#ixzz21kjP9nsV

 

----- Mathis was always a joke because of his weight problems which we know now as with the other Buster, Douglas, to be an early symptom of diabetes.

 

His best fight was against Joe Frazier with both undefeated going for the NY title, but he never got enough credit for for the Ali fight.

 

Ali was in his 2nd post Frazier fight in 71, whereas Mathis hadn't fought in over 30 months after incredibly taking on Chuvalo in 69 and then Quarry 6 weeks later. He was a whopping 256lbs for the Ali fight, yet extended Ali out the full 12 and had plenty of moments against the also tubby Ali who was barely able to move the last rounds for being so out of shape.

 

Howie ripped into Ali after the fight, and surprisingly Ali didn't clown Cosell as he was prone to do, but gave a sensitive, humane explanation of why fighters don't always have to beat each other senseless to the point of death. Douglas was clearly struggling those last rounds as well, a terrible technical fight for both but for the heart each showed in sucking it up to continue each round as their form left the building.

 

BTW, I believe D'amato claimed Buster had faster hands with more combinations than Patterson, high praise.