JO Sports Inc.
HISTORY: On October 20, 1979 at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria, South Africa heavyweights John Tate and Gerrie Coetzee fought for the vacant WBA Heavyweight title. Tate prevailed winning a unanimous 15 round unanimous decision and the title. Tate and Coetzee fought for the vacant WBA heavyweight title, which had previously been held by Muhammad Ali. Promoter Bob Arum said he paid Ali $300,000 to announce his retirement because Ali's reluctance had delayed the scheduling of the fight between Tate and Coetzee for the vacant title. "We knew Muhammad Ali was going to retire," Arum said, "but as long as he delayed, I couldn't make definite plans." Bout official on July 11. Arum co-promoted the fight with Southern Sun Hotels. NBC paid $400,000 to televise the fight in the United States. Another $250,000 came from foreign TV rights. A crowd of 81,000 produced a gate of $3.36 million. Tate earned $400,000 and Coetzee $300,000. Tate was a 10-7 betting favorite. The Associated Press scored the fight 146-139 for Tate.
Offered here is a rare, original, official program for this fight.
FULL DESCRIPTION: This is a scarce, original, official program which names and has graphic depictions of the fighters on the cover. 48 pages complete including covers. Neatly scored. Tight binding. Clean inside and out. Mild center crease. No tears. 8" x 10 1/2."
