Foster vs Spinks @ 175

Good video. Looks like Mike invested well unlike the cliche

 

Throw the darts at me but I'll take Bob here. The Jinx was a great LH but his record at LH wasn't an all time listing of Greats; many had been through protracted wars before facing Michael. Qawi, Johnson,....you can throw the darts again but...Gregory was a better fighter than the Jinx and would have beaten him save for his Snipes 'bulk up' prior when he had to go into a sweat machine to make the weight to defend his title. Even then, he was in front after half the fight before the stupid 'shriveled pear' wilted at the end and got clocked by the Jinx late. Even then, he rose and finished the fight. I've mentioned that the AP scored the Gregory-Spinks fight a draw.
Lastly, I'll take Foster probably by decision; he would be busy with the jab piling up points and would land a bomb or two. So would Michael but I'll take Foster UD here.

 

Bob Foster was a very dominant World Light Heavyweight Champion,as was Michael Spinks. Both had height and reach, and could kayo opponents with either hand. Foster had some tough fights, one on Jan 22 1969, against Frank De Paula, who decked Foster in round 1, only to be knocked out by Bob in the same round. Spinks has stopped many an opponent, with his very potent Spinks Jinx. Michael has an awkward defense, which served him well, helping him attain the IBF World Heavyweight Title from Larry Holmes, on Sept 21 1985. Foster's Kryptonite was fighting heavyweights. A very tactical fight, Spinks decks Bob in round 6,with a crushing right hand. Foster rallies for a hotly disputed 15 round division win. Both fighter's display the damage to the face, inflicted by each other. Many in the crowd believe that Spinks had done enough to pull it out. Michael negates the effectiveness of Bob's lethal left hook with movement, and crisp left jabs. Bob lands counters but they do not seem to effect Spinks.

 

Foster for me by decision, in a tough close fight.

 

Michael is in my top 3 light heavies (have to put Saad and Mustafa in there), but I'll take Bob, he was too devastating a puncher at light-heavy to lose this one.

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There were certainly times Bob had a heavyweight punch...Michael (despite having a killer-though-light-heavy jinx) never really made it to that level...but he was SUCH a smart fighter though, my pick could possibly go either way in an actual fight.

Foster stops Michael in 11.

 

For me it's a toss up between them two for the forth spot on the LHW Rushmore.

As for the match up, I lean towards Spinks, I think that he would lose the first couple of rounds due to Foster's jab and aggression. Eventually Spinks would adjust and learn the nuisances of Foster's awkwardness, and start to time him with big shots. Personally I have always felt that his durability is questionable under fire from the best punchers in the division's history. I feel that Spinks would slowly start to grind Foster out whilst losing rounds but get a late KO.

I have a feeling that Foster would get a KD and badly hurt Spinks with in this match up it's not really Spinks's durability to be questioned, as he never really showed a bad chin and even in the Tyson fight looked like he could've carried on.

 

I agree with so much of this...except the Tyson fight. Michael might have been able to go on physically but mentally he was toast before the fight even started. He looked like a loser from the time he stepped into ring, at least to my eyes.

Please understand, HUGE fan of Michael at light-heavy.

 

As am I, he's a true great. I actually prefer Foster, but I do love both of them.

There's not too many LHWs I don't like tbh

 

Yeah but for me the Saad/Eddie/Marvin/Dwight/Michael years were mostly THE era of light heavies for me. I loved Saad like crazy.

 

It breaks my heart to find out what happened to Saad in the end, so unfair.

 

I agree, with how he presented himself he was more fit to be a Movie Star.

The man had pure heart, it's horrible what happened to him.

 

The Saad vs Johnson rivalry is one of my favourite in history

 

Imo Marvin was no joke as a fighter, though he could have used a better chin. I really liked him.

 

He's one of my favourites. I think his gas tank was a bigger issue than his chin, although that wasn't exactly uncrackable.

If he could keep up his workrate for 15 he'd have been a beast, but oh well, he couldn't.