Cincinnati native Tony Tubbs was inducted into the Indiana Boxing Hall of Fame last week. The honor is the second hall of fame induction for the 63-year-old.
"I was grateful to be able to see my name around champions," Tony Tubbs said. "When you get to the Hall of Fame that means you're an expert."
Tubbs fought twice in Indiana, prompting his nomination and induction into the Hall of Fame on May 22. His mother, Leola Tubbs and sister, Joyce Tubbs, attended the induction in Indianapolis with Tony.
"It was a long time coming," Joyce Tubbs said. "He was very excited to be inducted into the Hall of Fame ... I was excited to see him excited for something that was a long time coming and well overdue."
At the ceremony, Tony Tubbs received a plaque and a ring to recognize his achievements.
“I felt good about it because it reminded me of being blessed enough to be the second induction,” Leola Tubbs said. Tony Tubbs was inducted into the California Boxing Hall of Fame in 2011.
“It brought back a lot of memories,” she continued.
A walk down memory lane for Leola Tubbs is a lengthy one. Among her favorite recollections are ones between Tony and boxing great Muhammed Ali.
"When the word got around Muhammed Ali was at the Tubbs' house, people were coming from far and near," Leola Tubbs said. "There were people on the lawn, upstairs, downstairs, all over the place."
At 16, Tubbs was a sparring partner to Ali. Several years later Ali attended Tubbs’ professional boxing debut in Cincinnati, a previous Enquirer report said.
"Who can be a better teacher than Muhammed Ali?" Tony Tubbs said. "Muhammed taught me how to jab. When I went to his house he would hit me with a jab and then I started hitting back."
Tubbs fought professionally for 26 years. He had 59 fights with 47 wins, 10 losses and two no contests. He held the World Boxing Association heavyweight title from 1985-1986.
On March 21, 1988, Tubbs fought Mike Tyson for the WBA, World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation heavyweight championship. Entering the match as the No. 2 ranked fighter, Tubbs lost in the second round on a technical knockout.
Leola Tubbs said Tony still boxes casually at the gym. He still lives in Cincinnati.
"Cincinnati has been good to me," Tony said.
The Indiana Boxing Hall of Fame inducted its inaugural class in 2018. Tubbs was one of the 10 inductees in the 2021 class that included Floyd Mayweather.
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