On June 6, 2023, the City of Knoxville recognized all of the accomplishments of Heavyweight Champion of the World---Big John Tate by naming a street after him.
A section of Lakeside St. beside Ace Miller Golden Gloves Arena now has the honorary name “Big John Tate Blvd.” The arena is located next to Chilhowee Park & Exposition Center.
PHOTOS FROM STREET NAMING
Tate was a resident of Knoxville and trained with Ace Miller at Golden Gloves Gym. He went on to earn a bronze medal in boxing at the 1976 Summer Olympics.
At only 24 years old, he captured the WBA Heavyweight Champion of the World title in Pretoria, South Africa during apartheid in 1979. He beat Gerrie Coetzee of South Africa in 15 rounds before 80,000 fans.
On June 6, 1979, Randy Tyree, then mayor of Knoxville, proclaimed the day as "Big John Tate Day". The event was exactly 44 years prior to the street naming.
Tate held the Heavyweight Champion belt for five months before being knocked out in the final round of a fight vs. Mike Weaver in Knoxville on March 31, 1980. Prior to the knockout, Tate had led on all three official scorecards.
He went on to lose to Trevor Berbick and won his next ten bouts, however, he never recovered from those two losses. When his career ended in 1988, he had a 34-3 record that included 23 knockouts.
After a few troubled years, he bounced back to a healthier lifestyle.
On April 9, 1998, Big John died when the pick-up truck he was in hit a telephone pole and flipped on Asheville Highway. Medical reports showed Tate suffered from a brain tumor that triggered a stroke.
WBIR STORY OF BIG JOHN TATE
Check out WBIR's Knoxville's Forgotten Champion: Big John Tate by William Winnett and Elizabeth Sims.