Boxing

 

"Terrible" Tim vs Lou Savarese Sept 22

Wes Moore

02.09 - Two of the heavyweight division's elder statesmen are scheduled to collide on the 22nd of this month as "Terrible" Tim Witherspoon takes on Lou Savarese. The crossroads battle of these two aged fighters will take place at the Table Mountain Casino in Friant, California and will be broadcast on FOX Sports Net. The question that hangs over this bout is just how active either of these fighters will be as Witherspoon is 44 years old while Savarese is the spring chicken of this bout at 37 years of age. The winner of this fight will most likely carry on with the vision of bigger fights in the future while the loser will probably not have another high profile fight again.

This contest is in fact a contradiction of what you might expect to learn about these fighters' recent activity. Tim Witherspoon has fought eight times in the last twenty months while Savarese has only fought five times in the last three years. Lou Savarese has been plagued by inactivity and injury during that time frame while the older Witherspoon has proved relatively durable. Witherspoon, the Philadelphia native, is 7-1 in his last eight contests with the only loss being a close split decision to Monte Barrett in June of 2001. Boxing insiders had proclaimed Witherspoon as completely shot during his five fight losing streak from 1997-1999 but he has been surprisingly spry since he broke the streak. Lou Savarese has been rather unimpressive since he lost back to back fights to Michael Grant and Mike Tyson in 1999 and 2000.

These two men have a few common opponents spread throughout their records. The first common opponent is Nathaniel Fitch whom Witherspoon scored a TKO in six in 1994 and Savarese scored a points victory over in 1993. Witherspoon and Savarese have also both fought Tim Puller with Witherspoon scoring a second round knockout in 1995 while Savarese also scored a second round KO in 1996. The final opponent that both men have faced is one time prospect David "The Boss" Bostice. Both men fought Bostice in 2001 with Witherspoon scoring a first round technical knockout while Savarese earned a twelve round point decision. This small factor which often gives a good preview of fights seems to favor Witherspoon since he has knockouts over all three men while the Houston native, Savarese, only scored one knockout and two points victories. However, there are other factors which point to an edge for the older of the two fighters.

Tim Witherspoon has been much more active in the last couple of years and has done so against relatively competent opposition. Lou Savarese can claim Tom Glesby and Marcus Rhode among his most recent victims but the "Terrible" One can counter with Ahmad Abdin, Darroll Wilson, Ed White, Cleveland Woods, and Elicier Castillo in his win column. None of the Witherspoon victims are world-beaters but they would most likely qualify as higher caliber opponents than Rhode or Glesby.
Talent and styles rather than records or common opposition most often decides fights so that must be the determining aspect for these two men. Tim Witherspoon is at a point in his career where he must use his most dangerous weapons to try to end fights as early as possible. The weapon that should concern the Savarese camp most is the still lethal right hand of Witherspoon. Lou Savarese should be very cognizant of the power that Witherspoon can still bring to the table. Lou Savarese has shown flashes of power in his career but he is not a knockout artist by trade. He would most likely be willing to take the older man deep into the fight and take his chances on the cards or catching Witherspoon late. The only problem with that game plan is that Witherspoon just went ten rounds in May and won a unanimous decision versus Ahmad Abdin.

This is not a high profile battle and it will not be a fight of the year candidate by any means but it will serve a purpose. This fight should serve as an eliminator and might help clear out some space in the top 30 of the division. Heavyweight fans are not often blessed with fights that serve any real purpose but I believe this one does. All factors lead me to believe it will be a win for Witherspoon via KO and a much needed exit for Savarese but it may go the other way but either way one man needs to step aside.

On a side note, this is my first article as a member of the East Side Crew and I am proud to be here. I hope that I can bring a lot to the table over the coming weeks and months. You can reach me at largedog@bellsouth.net and until next time watch out for the upper cut behind the jab.

0 comments
 


Bookmark and Share

 

If you detect any issues with the legality of this site, problems are always unintentional and will be corrected with notification.
The views and opinions of all writers expressed on eastsideboxing.com do not necessarily state or reflect those of the Management.
Copyright © 2001- 2015 East Side Boxing.com - Privacy Policy