both at there best, I'd go with tim. Dokes at his best was very good, but tim a his best, he had ring smarts, defense, and power
At their very best I think Dokes was the bigger phenom. Unfortunately I'd have to pick Spoon who was more proven and durable.
They could have sparred together as they were both part of Don King's stable for awhile. This could be also a reason they didn't fight. Terrible Tim was hell on sparring partners going back to Gerry Cooney, Muhummad Ali, Larry Holmes and was probably the reason he was much avoided during his prime.
Tim hit too hard. Dokes would win the early rounds, but eventually get caught with the overhand right. Fight over, probably nine rounds max.
I think at his best, Dokes pulls off a close fight. But Tim did hit harder, and could pull off a close decision.
Witherspoon should be favored.. But both men were inconsistent and either could have squeaked out a decision on any given night.
To me, Dokes couldn't take Tim's best shot. And Tim sooner or later landed it, usually more than a few times per fight. Michael would have been devastated.
On the surface this might appear obvious. But Tim’s powerful overhand right nicknamed “ The Can opener “ wasn’t always accurate and often thrown lazily. Tony Tubbs didn’t have the greatest chin but managed to go 15 rounds with him. Both guys were in horrible form for that fight
That fight could have made No-Doz millions. It made me cringe to hear someone named "heavyweight champion" at the end, neither looked anything like a champ. I'm talking about the on-fire Witherspoon from Holmes to around when he first won the title. True, he did drag that right, but it could be a killer when landing flush.
Dokes took the best punches of prime Mike Weaver over 15 rounds. Many are tricked by Dokes KO loss to Coetzee, a fight in which he entered the ring still high from a massive cocaine binge. Coetzee possibly had the single hardest punch in the division as well with that right hand of his. He actually had a fine chin when not high. By the time he came back his legs looked 45 years old. Even so he put up one fine effort against Holyfield. Dokes speed might worry Witherspoon for a few rounds and he had far heavier hands once he matured than many realise. He doesn't have that Pinklon Thomas type jab however to control Witherspoon with and i think Tim would slowly get the better of things. At their best i'd favor Witherspoon by competitive decision. Dokes didn't have a peak, when he should have been peaking he was hitting the drugs more than the gym.
true. I think Dokes had real potential that simply went unfulfilled. He had good boxing skills, fast hands, decent punch and the ability to go 15 rounds. His hard effort at a good comeback run in the late 80s when he was briefly clean would have paired nicely with his prime but the two never lined up.
This is really a tough call, I kinda think Dokes takes a split decision . But a ko by Tim is possible