Raffo returns to beat Witherspoon

Friday 3rd April 2009, 8:15AM BST.

raffo-2It may be unlicensed, but it wasn’t half an entertaining main event between former World heavyweight champion Tim Witherspoon and Wolverhampton veteran Nigel Rafferty.

Fought over four, two minute rounds, ’ Raffo’ and the former WBC and WBA title holder went toe-to-toe in a good spirited exhibition, cheered on by a equally enthused audience of 300-strong at the Goodyear Pavilion.

Rafferty showed great movement for a 41-year-old who hasn’t fought in just over eight years, while 51-year-old Witherspoon showed flashes of the brilliance that made him the talk of the boxing world in the 1980’s.

Both went for it in the closing stages, with ‘Raffo’ declared the winner by 40 points to 38.

He said: “Me and Tim enjoyed it, the crowd were well-behaved and everybody had a great time. It was great to be out there, I felt born again.

“My plans now are to open a boxing club to get kids off the street in Wolverhampton and carry on having bouts like these, they keep me sharp.”

Witherspoon was competing in Wolverhampton for the first time in his illustrious career and enjoyed the experience.

He added: “It brought back a lot of memories for me. I know how to box and these nice people all came to see me, so it was great to be able to entertain them.

“It worked pretty good.”

And for those not completely enthused by the main event, the Elvis impersonator was on by the time the boxers hit the dressing room.


  1. 1
    Dan Earthquake

    I was very impressed by the EBF and the show. I saw Witherspoon fight on the TV when I was a kid in the 80′s and didn’t live around here when Raffo was boxing – so to see these two fight was a real gem. Both fighters gave a lot of people good shows throughout their careers and this sort of event captures the best of boxing for the the public.

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  2. 2
    steve rouse

    fantastic night, some very good boxing looking forward to the next fight night.Hope your plans for the boxing club work out raffo.

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  3. 3
    Angelina Simkiss

    I agree with the others it was agood night but i particularly went 2 watch my brother fight COLIN SIMKISS me n our other 2 brothers went along with colin’s wife in-laws n friends and how PROUD he made us all, WELL DONE COLIN CAN’T WAIT TO WATCH U AGAIN, WE LOVE YA XXXXX

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