Knoxville's Forgotten Champion: The Story of Big John Tate

Knoxville is a city built on sports from the Vols to Olympians to Hall-of-Famers. One world champion, however, has been lost to time. His name is Big John Tate, and he was Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World. This documentary is his story.

More on Big John Tate, here: https://bit.ly/3rYVYwe
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00:00 Intro
01:13 Big John's Beginnings
03:29 Tate starts his amateur boxing career
04:17 Tate meets Ace Miller
04:52 Big John moves to Knoxville
05:52 The Hillbillies
07:20 Big John in the 1976 Montreal Olympics
09:06 John Tate vs. Teofilo Stevenson
10:19 Olympic bronze medal
10:37 Big John's Rise
11:24 Big John's professional debut
12:49 John Tate vs. Duane Bobick
14:10 Muhammad Ali's heir apparent
14:43 John Tate vs. Kallie Knoetze
17:59 Tate TKOs Knoetze
19:12 A hero's welcome in Knoxville
21:10 Road to the World Heavyweight Championship
22:09 A bout in apartheid-divided South Africa
23:42 Desegregating Loftus Versfeld Stadium
24:02 John Tate vs. Gerrie Coetzee
25:22 The new Heavyweight Champion of the World
26:42 Title defense talks
27:45 The Battle of Ole Smokey
30:47 John Tate vs. Mike Weaver
32:45 Weaver KOs Tate
33:48 Big John's Battles
34:02 John Tate vs. Trevor Berbick
34:58 Berbick KOs Tate
35:50 Tate takes a sabbatical
37:00 Tate marries Claudia Bradley
38:23 Tate on the comeback trail
39:14 Strained shoulders stifle Tate's comeback
40:15 Tate's money troubles
42:34 John Tate vs. Noel Quarless
44:05 Tate's career ends
44:12 Big John's Fall
44:22 Tate's cocaine habit
46:02 Tate and Claudia divorce
47:17 Tate goes to jail
48:50 Tate on the streets
49:47 Kerry Pharr gives Tate a second chance
51:30 Big John gets back in the ring
51:55 Old demons
53:13 Tate dies at 43
54:33 Remembering Big John
56:38 Big John Tate's legacy
58:56 He did well