Worst heavyweight who could have become champion with an enormous outlay of resources?

Guys worse than Braddock? Could be anybody, really.

 

Or worse than Leon Spinks. There are probably many Heavyweights who could have taken the title from Muhammad Ali on that day.

 

Depends how bad you think Braddock was, and how much of it was down to his circumstances.

He might be a good example of a case where throwing resources at it would have produced dividends.

 

Apparently not Ernie Shavers, who would go on to fight Holmes for the vacant title.

 

That is true. But you would have to admit that Leon Spinks did not exactly have a stellar career after his two fights with Muhammad Ali. That causes me to believe there are many others who could have lifted the belt from Muhammad when Leon did. If Leon was not the least of The Lineal Heavyweight Champions, I am not sure who was.

I am not trying to belittle Leon. To be the least of a great group is not a disgrace. At least he WAS a Lineal Heavyweight Champion of The World and deserved to be called Champ thereafter. Most Heavyweights never earned that honor. Leon did.

 

I agree with your assessment here.

Leon was the least of the lineal champions, for the reason that you have given, but he had an X factor to him.

He won the lineal title in the least number of fights of anybody.

That opens up the possibility, that somebody worse could have replicated the feat, given unlimited resources.

 

Fred Rogers.

Had it not been for his devotion to goodness and championing children, he could have been a champion in the ring.

You can see flashes of it here, including his mean streak and willpower to persevere, as well as to rebound from taking a beating, in his Battle of the PBS Stars vs. the noted chef Julia Child (if he can do this with mailman Mr. McFeely in his corner, image what he could do with an Eddie Futch):

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