Do you consider Tim Withersoon an ATG?

I’ve never seen anyone argue Witherspoon is a linear Champion by rights. Have you?

 

Darn you posted before my edit. Very quick.

 

Sorry LOL the speed of the Presidential threads has me keeping sharp.

 

Of course not. He was a very skilled fighter that can be underrated by some... but All Time Greats are Ali, Frazier, Holmes (yeah he may have beaten Larry but still)... etc....

 

I'm not a rankings guy but I did a list of RING top 10 appearences awhile back and this puts Witherspoon in elite company. This stat is kinda similar to all star appearences in team sports where it rewards being relevant a long time opposed to actually being the best though.

18 Ali
17 Louis
16 Wlad Klitschko
15 Holyfield
14 Patterson
14 Foreman
13 Tyson
13 Lennox Lewis
13 Povetkin
12 Witherspoon
12 Tyson Fury
11 Folley
11 Holmes
11 Wilder
10 Schmeling
10 Liston
10 Chagaev

 

Cheers Fog.

 

He’s an interesting one. He doesn’t have an ATG’s resume, but in some fights he looked like one (or close).

Blew hot and cold, but a damn good fighter when blowing hot.

 

Wow.

 

He was exactly "just an alphabet champ". You can call him a good one but that's exactly what he was.

 

Nah, he had too many misses to be an ATG at HW.

Yeah he won titles but then he lost them almost immediately after winning both times. I think both reigns total only 4 fights? Then he lost to some guys that were he a real ATG he should not have lost to, then much of the 90s he was in career oblivion. I'm pretty sure he had wins only over 3 guys that you'd consider "class". So no I can't consider him an ATG. I think he had the skillset that he should've been top 10 during the entire 90s just like the 80s but he kinda fell off big

 

Witherspoon was a very talented fighter. Decent speed, excellent defense. Terrific right hand power, very good size, great chin. He put up a terrific fight as a near novice and came very close to beating a still very good Larry Holmes ... he really beat the hell out of Larry's body that fight. Tim was also one of the generation of lost heavyweights of the Don King 80's .... robbed of purses, unmotivated, inconsistent, underperforms. He lacked the consistency, focus and motivation to be considered great let alone an all time great but he was a very talented fighter.