So what that Michael Spinks was a former light heavyweight!

Not ATG, I meant he was great as in ‘very good’.

As for the Holmes fight, Holmes was still exceptional at that point, likely much better than the 7 years older version who schooled Mercer. He was still beating top competition before the Spinks fight, he’d stopped Marvis Frazier in a round, beat Carl Williams, stopped James ‘Bonecrusher’ Smith, dominated and stoped David Bey, and this was all not too far off the Spinks fight on the timeline.

Holmes had been very active leading up to the Spinks fight, and hadn’t showed too many signs of weakness, which is impressive considering the number of fights he’d had in that period of time.

Not saying he was peak, he was probably slightly past his best, but not considerably so.

 

I know you did not say Holmes was an ATG against Spinks, but "very good" does not at all mean "great".
Which is what was said about Spinks as a HW, & surely that was never the case.

I agree he was still very good.
I disagree that he was only slightly beyond his best, & if you start a thread about it, many will tell you the same.

I think Williams deserved the decision against Holmes. Most long term champions tend to get a gift. That was 1983, declined but still World Class.

Not far off another fight? But there are many reasons guys get old quickly.
Anyway Bey was only 11 fights in, & had only had 2 fights against anyone decent or seemingly known, Caldwell & Page.
He finished his career at 18-11-1: Means he was 4-10-1 after he lost to Holmes.
Bey was similar in quality to several of Ali's late career no-hopers.

Anyway, it is a matter of degrees, not a huge difference of opinion.

 

I am not regarding his win, but one great win does not make a great heavy. Elsewise, Rahmen, and Sander, and fat Willy Meehan would all be recognized greats.

 

I mean, he was up at 4. It's on there to see on youtube, and as we have discussed before, the entire venue and broacast team were shocked at the stoppage. It came off like a TV wrestling routine.

 

Again and again and again, everyone who watched was in shock at the stoppage. It looked like TV wrestling.

 

Lewis looked a horse that was shot full of ketamine.

 

Absolute rubbish. Again, a lot of people like to try to re-write history. Everyone who watched live knew that was a screwjob, and that is not going to change.

 

A drug addicted Cooney at that, who looked far better years later against Foreman. To be quite honest, I have reservations, he would be able to replicate that victory over a peak version.

 

I alwaya think it is a sad but rather predictable indictment of our sport when people try to dismiss significant wins. My only 'problem' with the Spinks win is that, like Bruno 2, Mikey had this guy beat before they stepped into the ring. Spinks appeared more like a tethered goat that night than anything. All that said, and getting back to my point, Tyson didn't know that's how it would unfold. See also Tyson v Holmes, Lewis V Tyson, Holyfield V Tyson. All have asterisks attached due to some failing in the opposition rather than simply crediting the winner for taking the foght and preparing in such a way that their advantages are maximised and the result is theirs to take. We are particularly guilty of this with the benefit of hindsight. Had Tyson beaten Lewis, or Holyfield, it would not have been a massive cultural shock, yet now we always excise his loss because of age, inactivity, lifestyle, whatever...

 

Spinks was made to order for Tyson and that was maybe the prime fight of Tyson’s career. It was his last fight with Rooney as his trainer. After that fight Tyson was never the same he regressed.

 

Looked better ?? He was destroyed in 2 rounds??

 

How did the referee affect Lewis' legs and make him stumble? I've seen worse stoppages and I've seen better ones,where ref's allow a fighter to continue,but that guy was looking straight into Lewis' eyes ,which none of us could see,for me not a terrible stoppage.

 

Yes he was up at 4 and after 12 seconds still didn't have his legs underneath him.

When the referee stopped the fight Lewis's leg gave way and he had to lean on the referee to steady himself.

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34:34

Gil Clancy = "He fell right into the referee, as a matter of fact if the referee stepped aside I think he would've fell down again"

 

Saved his career my ass.

 

His leg wobbled a little--it did not give way.
Clancy must be an idiot because when the ref stopped the fight Lewis was NOT leaning on him.He couldn't have been as the ref as literally double waiving in front on him. That footage just does not show that.

"What is this? The WBC referee has stopped this fight at the count of nine with Lewis standing up...!"