The oldest of three children graduated from Paulsboro High Schoolin 1999, with a 4.0 GPA and as a member of the National Honor Society. Upon Graduation from High School he was offered three Division I Basketball scholarships and 2 Track scholarships, but he instead chose to accept the academic scholarship offered by St. Joseph’s University.
Amateur career
He began his amateur boxing career in his sophomore year of college. A year later Witherspoon won the Pennsylvania State Golden Gloves title. Five months later he placed third at the 2003 National Police Athletic League Tournament. Three months after that he won the Middle Atlantic Regional Tournament, qualifying him for the U.S. Championships and in the process was awarded the title of “Most Outstanding Boxer”. He took second place at the 2004 U.S. Championships which qualified him for the Olympic Trials, where he advanced to the Olympic Box-offs but only made the Olympic team as an alternate. Two months after returning from the Athens Olympics he won his second Pennsylvania Golden Gloves Title, thus advancing to the 2004 National Golden Gloves finals in Kansas City, Missouri which he won, all wins via stoppage. He is the first man in the history of the Golden Gloves to with the National Title by all stoppages. His complete amateur record is 32 bouts with 26 wins and 6 losses. He graduated from St. Joseph’s University in May 2005 with a degree in Pharmaceutical Marketing.
Professional career
Known as "The Gentleman", Witherspoon turned pro in 2004 and was undefeated for the first 23 of his professional bouts, winning 15 by KO. On June 21, 2008, he lost a fight against fellow heavyweight prospect Chris Arreola in which he was disqualified in the third round. In the third round, Arreola landed a barrage of punches that was capped off by a chopping right that sent Witherspoon to the canvas. The bell rang early in the count, prompting Witherspoon's corner to begin entering the ring. This was ruled by the referee to be a disqualification since the round is not technically over until the count is over. Witherpoon in his very next fight defeated Adam Richards by 8th-round TKO, in an action packed fight which received Ring Magazine's 2008 Heavyweight Fight Of The Year Award. Witherspoon is currently the IBS Champion and the American Boxing Association Champion. His record stands at 34 Wins with 4 Defeats and 26 Knockouts.
