Who is the best heavyweight champ in their prime that Leon Spinks could have beaten?

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Leon's last 5 fights pre-Ali 1: Alfio Righetti, Scott LeDoux, Bruce Scott, Pedro Agosto & Jerry Mcintyre.

 

Sharkey is not so much a weak champion who came along at the right time.

He is more somebody who should have been a top 20 all-time heavyweight, who somehow found a way to screw it up.

 

Agreed compadre. The late 20's Sharkey was a mucho confident fighter per interview tapes.

 

Hey buddy get lost. This person is blackhercules disguised. She's baaaack!

 

Rocky Marciano, Jack Dempsey, Floyd Patterson,

 

There are two people on that list that he wouldn’t make it out of the first round against and one who would dominate him!

 

Leon would dance all over them.

 

If we're talking lineals only, then perhaps little Tommy Burns. If we're talking alphabet titles, there are probably a few others.

 

but his greatest wins were stoppages?...

 

To be honest, I'm very suspicious about the early guys like John L., Corbett, Fitzimmons. They get all this praise, but it wouldn't surprise me at all if Leon Spinks could beat them. Marvin Hart too, of course. Wouldn't surprise me if Leon savaged big Willard either. Leon Spinks was a good athlete with much natural talent. His career was destroyed by lack of discipline and poor development. He was no cake walk when in shape and motivated.

 

Basically yes.

John L Sullivan might have been the greatest ever head to head, or he might have lost to people like Michael Sprott.

At the end of the day, we have to deal with what is known however.

These guys took care of business in their own eras.

 

He might've had a mental edge to beat Michael Spinks.

 

I have a hard time picking Leon over any of the other champs even the under 200lb ones. Don't forget Leon was crucified by Carlos Deleon and Dwight Qawi, BOTH who weighed under 190lbs when they did so.

 

Certainly one of the worst hwt champions looking at the whole of his career. However he caused a sensation during the 76 Olympics with his aggressive, mauling, hard punching style. The night he fought Ali Spinks was trained to fight and punch for 15 hard rounds. Unlike Foreman, and Frazier in Manila Spinks did not exhaust himself punching as Ali rested along the ropes and emerged as the winner. These two very positive aspects of Spinks career are lost over time.

 

I personally believe that Ali threw the first Spinks fight. That fight was supposed to be a tune up for a 4th fight against Ken Norton who was rated number 1 by the WBA and WBC. Spinks had a record of 6-0-1. The best fighter he faced was Scott Ledoux and only got a draw. I believe to be fair to Ken Norton, that Ali choosing to fight Spinks should have been a non title bout. Ali was smart though, he deliberately lost to a novice, knowing that he would get a rematch, win the title for a record third time and retire without ever having to fight Norton again. At least the WBC stripped Leon of the title for refusing to fight Ken Norton, I only wish the WBA did the same thing. Ken Norton was the real victim of the Ali-Spinks shenanigans, sadly because he would have whipped them both.