Did Holmes cherry pick Michael Spinks?

Yes. it was a cherry pick gone wrong.

 

Michael seemed to be the more grounded of the two.

 

Definitely a cherry pick gone wrong.

Thomas or Page would have made a better challenger on paper.

 

Holmes was pretty selective with his opposition as he came close to the record. Definitely fought his share of inexperienced guys and in Spinks, a great fighter viewed as too small.

 

Page had already lost his title to Tubbs pretty decisively.

Tubbs would have been much tougher for Holmes by fall 1985.

Id pick Larry to easily decision Page in fall 1985.

Tubbs could have outpointed Larry by this point to be honest.

 

An understatement of epic and biblical proportions.

 

You need to factor in time for negotiations and contracts here.

 

Cherry pick gone wrong. Holmes assumed that due to the size difference, he'd be able to easily hurt Spinks. Like, he knew he wasn't a banger, but figured up a against a LHW, he'd be a banger. I also think he was worried about being robbed on the cards and wanted someone who he thought he could knock out. After the Cooney fight cards, he'd have known damn well they wouldn't have wanted a black man to match Marciano's record.

He wasn't all that wrong about the power thing. You can see at various points where Larry rocks Spinks. But Spinks was too fast and too good.

 

Of course he did and it backfired ... coming in few gave Spinks, a career light heavy a shot . It was supposed to be an easy victory 49 setting up an easier number 50 ...

 

Didn't Futch also say that Mike Spinks (who he trained) was also going to be a tough fight for Mike Tyson?

 

Holmes already beat Bey who just beat Page.