Ali vs Spinks - Who would have won a deciding rubber match?

The fans would have not been the winners.

 

Oh, what an ugly idea ...

That being said, I think Spinks takes it; he still has the best cornermen in the world - youth and low mileage. Ali had been fighting and taking punishment longer than Spinks had been alive. Ali managed one last hurrah with the second fight, but there was no way he could muster that kind of dedication again. He would be older, poorly motivated and dealing with health issues nobody was willing to acknowledge. Ref stops it before the 15th ...

 

Ali same as he did in fight #2

 

Ali would have fought the same fight if allowed and won going away.

If the ref prevented Ali’s holding it could have been a different fight. That is if Spinks walked into the ring as in fight 1.

 

Leon fought four times in 1980. He was a legit top 10 contender at that time.

If it took place in 1980, Spinks probably stops Ali faster than Holmes did.

 

There are many fights we wished happened.

This is one I'm glad didn't.

 

Read your post 4 times and I still don't understand it.

 

honestly, is there any heavyweight who ranked into the top 5 in the division who Ali of the Holmes fight could beat?

 

Thread ...

 

It'd have been hard for Ali to have beaten any decent heavyweight

 

Let Leon have the plaudits for beating Ali to become the champion, and Ali the praise for winning it back and becoming the three tmes champion.
I and the majority would not wish to even contemplate a third bout.

However to answer the question asked, I think Leon if he had got his act together would have beaten the sadly neurologically unwell Ali in 1980.
I am very happy not to have seen it

 

Ace post.

 

Would both guys have passed a medical implemented by people with integrity?

 

I actually don’t like watching the rematch.

Ali still kind of appeared fragile, vulnerable.

Thank god it was just Leon he was facing and a reduced version of Leon (as compared to the first fight) at that.

One thing that really stuck out for me watching that fight was Ali’s obviously deteriorated strength and lack of balance.

Several times Leon shoved Ali off - causing Ali to skitter backward awkwardly.

A strange and disturbing sight that you’d never see given an acceptably healthy Ali - including even the older version up to a fairly later stage - still quite strong.

Healthy Ali was as strong AF - and no one could push him off like that, as Leon did, - not even Foreman.

Nope, if the first fight vs Leon didn’t firmly signal that it was time to hang them up, the rematch certainly did - all be it a victory in Ali’s favour.

 

I agree with you on Leon perhaps getting motivated with the right crew behind him but I doubt he stops/kos Ali. Just too much activity like in the first fight would be too much for Ali. But Leon doesn’t carry enough fire power to get an inside the distance win in any scenario, RSF, corner retirement, ko etc. That’s how far gone Ali was in boo and health.