Jimmy Young vs Leon Spinks?

i think that leon at his very best has stylistic advantage here, young could not hurt him seriously, so leon would win being the busier man and the aggressor

 

Solid points, though I think Jimmy counters enough to bust up Leon's face I don't know if he gets the nod.

 

Prime for prime Young boxes Leon's ears off. Leon doesnt have the ring IQ for one thing to beat a prime Young. This isnt a shot Ali in there.

 

Young via decision in a match I wouldn't invest one penny on.

 

Spinks on his non stop punchin vs Young would have been very interesting, that would be Spinks at his best, I voted for a Jimmy Young Decision. remember these matchups are like both at their best right?- The night both fought Ali, would probably be an interesting matchup. its going 15 , as I do not see either knocking they other fighter out, or even scoring a knockdown!

PS-For some odd reason i'm thinking Duane Bobick vs either one in a 1977 or so match, might've been good, Duane maybe had a chance to show his wares?

 

No doubt it's a close fight either way. Both would have their moments.

 

I'd take Leon. Young was a good counterpuncher. But Leon would pin him to the ropes and simply outwork him. Like others have said, Young did well against slower more tedious fighters. Young liked to slow the pace way down so he and his opponent spent a lot of time looking at each other and measuring each other with pawing jabs.

Leon wasn't one of those guys. And Leon didn't stand around measuring anyone. He came out firing. Young didn't have the power to put Leon away, like other big heavyweights of the day did. And I could see Leon digging hooks to the body and head round after round when Young needed a breather during rounds.

Would've been a pretty entertaining scrap if they had fought, with Leon just putting in the work and taking most of the rounds.

 

prime for prime Jimmy Young, There's no way Neon Leon, would have beat or fought a draw with Foreman, Lyle or Shavers.

 

Yes joebeadg, Jimmy was an underrated body puncher.

 

Foreman-round 12 being the epitome of that. I loved Young's body punching. It was much in the vein of Patterson and Tyson's way of working the body.

 

Voted can't decide, because I can't decide why anyone would want to debate a fight between these two.

I mean just picture it in your minds eye.

Eww.

 

Yea. I do picture it! Its a very interesting matchup. A very busy fighter against a calculated, clever counterpuncher, and many other words that begin with C

 

You see that, but there are still so many who persistently underrate Young in that category too.

 

I was thinking of this match up randomly today, and i was going to make a thread but i thought i might aswell bump this one.

Jimmy Young is obviously the better boxer and more skillful, but style wise Spinks is a bad match up for him. A swarmer vs a defensive counter puncher who isn't a big puncher.

Yes Young outboxed the likes of Lyle, Foreman, and whilst they might be harder punchers and better H2H in most cases. I still think a swarmer like Spinks is a more troublesome style match up for Young.

Overall if Young is at his best i think he could win a tough decision, but i think this could be the case of styles making fights. And i think i might favour Spinks to pull off the upset. Young i don't think would be able to keep Spinks off him, and i favour Spinks's workrate and aggression.

 

Agreed..Young would confound all who were present, especially Spinks, and that's about all that Leon could do, is be present...which, by the halfway point, Leon would sorely regret "being there"... The decision wouldn't have been a shutout, but it would have been close to one. Spinks WOULD.NOT.COME.CLOSE.TO.BEATING. Young.