Buster Mathis Jr.
Buster Mathis Jr. (born March 25, 1970 in East Grand Rapids, Michigan), is a retired American professional boxer in the heavyweight division.[1]
| Buster Mathis Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Buster DAmato Mathis |
| Weight(s) | Heavyweight |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) |
| Reach | 75" (191cm) |
| Nationality | American |
| Born | March 25, 1970 Grand Rapids, Michigan |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 23 |
| Wins | 21 |
| Wins by KO | 7 |
| Losses | 2 |
| Draws | 0 |
| No contests | 3 |
Early life
Mathis Jr. was the son of Buster Mathis, a heavyweight boxer from the 1960s. The senior Mathis had been invited to the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, and was a contender with fights against champions Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. Mathis Jr. was a heavy man and took up boxing because he was bullied as a child until the age of 14, and also for the benefit of losing extra weight.
Professional career
Mathis Jr. turned pro in 1991 and quickly put together 12 wins. A busy, crowding fighter, Mathis was small for a heavyweight at around 220 lbs but skilled enough to beat fairly respected fighters like Levi Billups, Justin Fortune and Mike Dixon very early in his career. Buster Mathis encouraged his son to fewer higher paying fights, using the Mathis name to his advantage. He was considered a weak puncher (3 KO's in those 12 fights) but his opposition was above average.
In 1993 he challenged Mike 'The Bounty' Hunter (23-3) for his USBA heavyweight belt. Hunter won a close decision over Mathis. The loss however was soon voided after Hunter later tested positive for cocaine.
In 1994 Mathis again contested the USBA belt (stripped from Hunter), this time winning an impressive 12-round decision over ex-Olympic champion Tyrell Biggs (27-7).
In August of that year Mathis was brought in as the comeback opponent for former undisputed champion Riddick Bowe. After a good effort bobbing and weaving out of the way of Bowe's best shots, Mathis began to fall behind and took a knee in the fourth. Bowe knocked Mathis out while he was on the mat, yet instead of being disqualified, referee Arthur Mercante Sr. and New Jersey commission boss Larry Hazzard agreed to void the contest.
In 1995 Mathis retained his USBA belt with a point win over contender Alex Garcia, thus setting up a fight with Mike Tyson. This was Tyson's second fight since being released from prison earlier in the year.
Mathis Sr. did not see his son's fight with Tyson due to his final battle was health problems of diabetes and kidney issues. Mathis Sr. died a few weeks before the Tyson fight. In the third round Tyson knocked Mathis Jr. out with a right uppercut. Ten days after the Tyson fight Mathis Jr.'s trainer and long time friend Joey Fariello died, and Mathis Jr. quickly lost his spark for the sport.
A 1996 fight with prospect Obed Sullivan ended with a no contest in the 5th round, after Sullivan was badly cut in a clash of heads. This was the third no contest in Mathis Jr.'s relatively brief career.
In November 1996 Mathis lost his USBA belt to undefeated Lou Savarese.
Mathis retired at the age of 26 with a 21-2 (7 KO's) record, and 3 no contests.
After boxing
After his boxing career he studied education receiving a bachelor's degree from the University of Miami. He currently resides in his hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan and spends his free time speaking to youth to encourage and motivate them, signing autographs and speaking to foster children. Buster Mathis is now the vice president of a non-profit, Buster Mathis Inc. (www.thebullybuster.org) and offers elementary children the Bully Buster Prevention Program through a boxing technique called the 'peek-a-boo'. Buster Mathis is single and has no children at this time. Buster also is a substitute teacher on his off time, most recently at East Kentwood High School. On October 20, 2016, Buster Mathis Jr. was inducted into the Grand Rapids (MI) Sports Hall of Fame, joining his father who was previously inducted.
Professional boxing record
| 21 Wins (7 knockouts, 14 decisions), 2 Losses (2 knockouts), 3 No Contests | |||||||
| Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round | Date | Location | Notes |
| Loss | 21-2 (3 NC) |  |
TKO | 7 | 1 Nov 1996 | |
IBF USBA Heavyweight Title. |
| No Contest | 21-1 (3 NC) | |
NC | 5 | 20 Apr 1996 | |
IBF Intercontinental Heavyweight Title. |
| Win | 21-1 (2 NC) | |
KO | 4 | 27 Feb 1996 |  |
|
| Loss | 20-1 (2 NC) | |
KO | 3 | 16 Dec 1995 | |
Mathis knocked out at 2:32 of the third round. |
| Win | 20-0 (2 NC | |
TKO | 1 | 5 Aug 1995 | |
|
| Win | 19-0 (2 NC) | |
UD | 12 | 18 Apr 1995 | |
IBF USBA Heavyweight Title. |
| Win | 18-0 (2 NC | |
UD | 10 | 4 Feb 1995 | |
|
| Win | 17-0 (2 NC) | |
TKO | 9 | 3 Dec 1994 | |
|
| Win | 16-0 (2 NC) | |
TKO | 5 | 5 Nov 1994 | |
IBF USBA Heavyweight Title. Referee stopped the bout at 0:46 of the fifth round. |
| Win | 15-0 (2 NC) | |
UD | 10 | 1 Oct 1994 | |
100-88, 100-88, 100-90. |
| No Contest | 14-0 (2 NC) | |
NC | 4 | 13 Aug 1994 | |
Referee stopped the bout at 2:11 of the fourth round when Bowe knocked out Mathis while he was down. |
| Win | 14-0 (1 NC) | |
MD | 10 | 2 Apr 1994 |  |
|
| Win | 13-0 (1 NC0 | |
UD | 12 | 5 Feb 1994 | |
IBF USBA Heavyweight Title. 117-110, 117-111, 115-112. |
| No Contest | 12-0 (1 NC) | |
NC | 12 | 4 Dec 1993 | |
IBF USBA Heavyweight Title. Decision awarded to Hunter was vacated when he tested positive for drugs. |
| Win | 12-0 | |
UD | 10 | 2 Oct 1993 | |
100-91, 99-91, 98-92. |
| Win | 11-0 | |
UD | 10 | 7 Aug 1993 | |
|
| Win | 10-0 | |
PTS | 10 | 10 Jul 1993 | |
|
| Win | 9-0 | |
TKO | 5 | 15 Jun 1993 | |
|
| Win | 8-0 | .svg.png){kind=small} |
TKO | 8 | 14 Feb 1993 | |
|
| Win | 7-0 | |
PTS | 6 | 22 Sep 1992 | |
|
| Win | 6-0 | |
PTS | 6 | 24 Apr 1992 | |
|
| Win | 5-0 | |
TKO | 5 | 21 Apr 1992 | |
|
| Win | 4-0 | |
PTS | 4 | 21 Mar 1992 | |
|
| Win | 3-0 | |
PTS | 4 | 3 Mar 1992 | |
|
| Win | 2-0 | |
PTS | 4 | 8 Feb 1992 | |
|
| Win | 1-0 | |
PTS | 4 | 9 Dec 1991 | |
|
References
- Cashmore, Ellis (April 16, 2013). Tyson: Nurture of the Beast. Wiley. p. 95. ISBN 9780745674575. Retrieved September 29, 2014.