I dont know. I do know that the nearest thing to Sullivan that Spinks ever faced stylisticaly or qualatativley is Mike Tyson.
I think that spinks has as much chance of winning this as he does of winning a spinks v Tyson II match. Less, if it is over 40 rounds. Still, I wouldnt totally count spinks out of a Tyson rematch, so i am in the minority there, But John L would seem to simply hit far too hard for spinks. I think his best chance would be too get on his bike and run for the 4 rounds, but that wasnt really his style.
How the Hell can you predict such a fight? We can't see what Sullivan looked like and he fought in a primitive era. I'd expect him to destroy Spinks in a street fight, but in a boxing match? If John L. can land Spinks is taking a nap, so that has to be considered, as does his resume and pedigree. It's still a huge stretch to imagine such a fight. EDIT: If it's an old-school boxing match like John L. fought, then I'd expect him to ruin Michael. In a modern boxing match Sullivan would have a punchers chance but I'd expect him to lose a wide UD or get stopped late.
Spinks was a great light-heavy but I was very convinced by him as a heavy, he was good but not great like a real A+ guy like he was at light-heavy. If Spinks couldn't discourage Sullivan with his punch, I don't think - although he's a good boxer aswell - that he had enough to keep Sullivan off, who was quick, powerful and attacked with both hands. I think Sullivan stops him.
Based on contemporary acounts I think that Sullivan was a sort of hybrid between Jack Dempsey and Floyd Patterson. Thing Dempseys agresive rushing aproach with a hint of the Patterson jackrabit style.
Contemporary accounts, as well as Sullivan, knew **** all about gloved boxing techniques, yet you somehow think he adopted that style, despite fighting under completely different circumstances?? Come on janitor.
He was fighting under many-round rules where a round ended when you wrestled (threw) your opponent down and wore tiny gloves. Thisis a COMPLETELY different sport from what we call "boxing" today, or the last 80 years, and as a consequence, spawns fighters with a completely different style. If he really fought like Patterson and Dempsey combined, then why do all of Johnson and Jeffries' opponents look worse than every amateur in my gym, if we're talking about a gloved-boxing style? Sullivan was known as a slugger, not so much as a stylistic unique quantity, which Dempsey WAS. Take your word or that of a man who lived 140 years ago who had never seen a 12 or 15 round 8 oz boxing match as we know it? These opinions are to be taken with a lot of salt. You're starting to sound like a creationist who comes with 100 year old quotes to make his case. Science has evolved as has the Sweet Science.