A motivated Buster Douglas versus a motivaed Tim Witherspoon

Tim. I think Tim was expert in neutralizing the jab while Buster at his best was doubling and tripling up the jab.

 

REALLY close

 

I think Buster’s length, movement, and jab would carry the day.

 

Just adding… I think Douglas (in-shape) vs Holyfield would’ve been a tear up.

 

Buster outworks him to a close decision win.

 

Pinklon Thomas jabbed him to threads.

 

Tillis, Bruno and Holmes all had good jabs and Tim caught theirs on the arms and returned with big overhands and counter jabs. Tim also got inside on Carl Williams a lot in a close fight. Tim's gameplan comes off countering the jab well with overhands.

 

This is a real 50/50, whilst Witherspoon could take away a jab, Douglas was more than that, was strong, had great combinations, uppercut, was fluid. Witherspoon was great at getting low to his right jabbing to the body and then doing the same motion again, but when they think a jab to the body is coming, sneaking that overhand right in there, which he could have some success with here over the Douglas jab, but Douglas wasn’t stupid and would look out for that, he didn’t have cement feet by any means, whilst Witherspoon could take away a jab, doing so means you might have to take some in the meantime.
Real 50/50.

 

Problem with "prime" Buster in these mythical match-ups is that you're looking at his level in one fight. As great as he looked in Tokyo, we don't know how much of that was down to the usual variables such as his opponent's performance/preparations, stylistic issues, stars aligning or whatever.

Like a few people have commented, this match would probably come down to how effectively Witherspoon could take away the jab and get his overhand right into play. While the Thomas fight didn't go well, he fought plenty of big guys with good jabs, where he was able to have success landing the right.

A Douglas points win is a definite possibility, but I think Witherspoon is probably able to nail him at some point and force a stoppage. Douglas wasn't the most durable, and in this hypothetical scenario we're talking about a "motivated" Witherspoon.

 

I like Witherspoon

 

I agree
If he's not fighting Tyson then is he ever going to put on a show like he did in Tokyo?
I think Spoon by split Dec

 

I'm going to pick Witherspoon but this is a very difficult fight for him. Buster Douglas had an 83 inch reach. I rate Witherspoon above Pinklon but he still lost and that fight doesn't exactly fill me with enthusiasm about how he'd stop Douglas's jab.

Douglas resume is much better than you remember especially in the late 80s. Its not just the close fights with Tyson and Tucker. He beat Page, McCall and Berbick pretty clearly. Early on he wasn't as good and he had a really terrible loss but he beat Cobb and the Tangstad fight was only a draw because of point deductions. Once he hit 25 he seems pretty consistant and he was not a cinderella, one night wonder or journeyman the way he is talked about. Going into the Tyson fight he was 9-1 in his last 10 with the Tucker loss.

 

I agree Douglas had it pretty much his own way vs Tyson and wasn't really tested outside of the knockdown which was out of the blue.

Remember Douglas was in good form vs Tucker aswell and when the going got tough he bailed out.

Whilst Tokyo Douglas was the best version of him we still don't know if his suspect temperament would come into play if he was really tested in a grueling fight.

I know one thing Witherspoon would certainly test him alot more than that version of Tyson did in Tokyo.

 

Yet he couldn't stymie Pinks and was consistently bludgeoned by heavy jabs. Holmes also edged him in the battle of the jabs tho he copped the odd counter. Douglas at his best had a lot more than a jab.