Tim Doughboy Tomashek Story: Came Out of Crowd to Fight for WBO World Heavyweight Title
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
If Tommy ‘The Duke’ Morrison were alive, he would tell you a story of courage and praise for obscure heavyweight boxer Tim ‘Doughboy’ Tomashek. Between 1987 and 1996, Tomashek, a native of Whiting Indiana, and Green Bay, Wisconsin, compiled a respectable record of 53 wins and 12 losses in the heavyweight division, with 18 knockouts. A real life Rocky Balboa, Tomashek mostly fought in obscure places like Indianapolis, Indiana, Bismarck, North Dakota, and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Cedar Rapids and Davenport, Iowa, and Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska. Most of Tomashek’s opponents were bums with losing records. However, a win’s a win, if you look at your career that way.
On August 20, 1993, Tomashek got the opportunity of a lifetime at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri, when Mike Williams pulled out of his scheduled bout with Tommy Morrison for the WBO World Heavyweight title. Literally plucked from the crowd, Tomashek, a winner of nine of his last 10 bouts, agreed to fight Morrison on the spot.
Tomashek had lost only one of his last 10 bouts, a credible 10 round decision to world ranked Frans Botha, so he was qualified.
Tomashek boxed Morrison for four rounds, finally hit the canvas, and gave up in his corner after taking a rough beating. Even still, he was happy for the opportunity of a lifetime. Tomashek was unbeaten in 19 of his last 20 bouts which followed, his lone loss being a fifth-round stoppage by world ranked Bobby Czyz. Tomashek beat Arturo Lopez twice and Dan Kosmicki, fighters with winning records. After defeating Brian Yates and Ken Doss, Tomashek retired for good in 1996 at age 30, thus putting an end to the most obscure and unique boxing heavyweight ever to fight for the world heavyweight title.
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