Buster Mathis

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

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.

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

Retirement A 1980 Sports Illustrated article featured interviews with Mathis and many of Muhammad Ali's other opponents. It reported Mathis worked in the trucking business after he retired from the ring.

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. His son Buster Mathis Jr. became a professional boxer and fought Mike Tyson in 1995.

Professional boxing record

Loss 30–4

KO 2 29 Sep 1972

Win 30–3

TKO 3 5 Sep 1972

Loss 29–3

UD 12 17 Nov 1971

Loss 29–2

UD 12 24 Mar 1969

Win 29–1

UD 12 3 Feb 1969

Win 28–1

TKO 6 26 Sep 1968

Win 27–1

UD 10 16 Sep 1968

Win 26–1

SD 10 5 Sep 1968

Win 25–1

TKO 7 25 Jul 1968

Win 24–1

TKO 7 30 Apr 1968

Loss 23–1

TKO 11 4 Mar 1968

Win 23–0

KO 1 26 Dec 1967

Win 22–0

TKO 7 18 Nov 1967

Win 21–0

TKO 4 18 Sep 1967

Win 20–0

KO 5 2 Aug 1967

Win 19–0

TKO 5 23 May 1967

Win 18–0

KO 1 12 May 1967

Win 17–0

KO 1 6 Feb 1967

Win 16–0

KO 2 17 Nov 1966

Win 15–0

KO 1 2 Nov 1966

Win 14–0

TKO 3 28 Sep 1966

Win 13–0

SD 10 15 Sep 1966

Win 12–0

KO 1 29 Aug 1966

Win 11–0

UD 6 28 Jul 1966

Win 10–0

KO 2 23 Jun 1966

Win 9–0

KO 1 16 Jun 1966

Win 8–0

PTS 6 16 Feb 1966

Win 7–0

TKO 5 19 Jan 1966

Win 6–0

TKO 3 7 Jan 1966

Win 5–0

PTS 6 15 Dec 1965

Win 4–0

UD 6 23 Sep 1965

Win 3–0

PTS 4 30 Aug 1965

Win 2–0

TKO 2 28 Aug 1965

Win 1–0

TKO 2 28 Jun 1965