Buster Mathis, a Mississippi native who lived a large portion of his life in Grand Rapids, fought against boxing legends and his son, Buster Jr., did the same.
As the top-ranked U.S. amateur Mathis beat Joe Frazier twice in the 1964 Olympic Trials and should have been headed to Tokyo for the Olympic Games. He broke a hand in the second fight with Frazier though, and had to withdraw.
Frazier went to Tokyo and won the Gold Medal. The two would meet again in a historic fight for the world heavyweight title in 1968. Muhammad Ali had been stripped of the title for refusing to serve in the U.S. Army after being drafted, and Mathis and Frazier emerged as the leading contenders. Frazier won this time with a knockout in the 11th round.
Mathis, who turned professional in 1965, fought during an era of heavyweight greatness and his opponents included Ali, Jerry Quarry and George Chuvalo. He beat Chuvalo but lost on points to Quarry in 1969. He retired briefly after the Quarry fight but returned in 1971 to take on Ali for the NABF belt. He lost on points over 12 rounds. He retired for good after being knocked out by Ron Lyle in 1972. He was 30-4 with 21 knockouts in his professional career.
Poor health, in part because of weight issues and including two strokes, a heart attack and kidney failure marked his later life. In 1994, Mathis and Ali were reunited when both appeared at an opening of a Ronald McDonald House in Grand Rapids. They verbally sparred, posed for pictures and charmed the children and onlookers.
He died in 1995 at the age of 52 just a few weeks before his son Buster Mathis Jr. took to the ring in his biggest professional fight. Junior fell to Mike Tyson in a heavyweight title fight. Tyson ironically was trained by legend Cus D’Amato, who had trained Buster Senior.