Floyd Patterson vs michael sprinks

Patterson was a built up LHW like Spinks and if Spinks fought in the 50's and 60's, it's likely they would've fought because in those days, it was common for LHW's to fight in both LHW and HW division. For example, Archie Moore was both LHW champion and a top 10 heavyweight contender at 188 pounds. Patterson, when he won the title was only 182 pounds, 7 pounds above the LHW limit. Jimmy Bivins was another LHW who simultaneously fought as a heavyweight.

It's very conceivable that Spinks at 175 pounds may have beaten a 182 pound Patterson. Or he may not. But it's not anything far fetched and very possible. So if you bulk up Spinks to 200-212 pounds with his skill and punching power, he'd be a formidable opponent for any 176-200 pounder. So I don't think the Morrison/Hagler reference is quite relevant.

While an old time fighter like Patterson and a modern fighter like AJ could both be classed as "heavyweights", let's not get too carried away in terminology. Patterson, at 6' 182-190ish pounds is not the same species of heavyweight as a 6'6 250 pound Anthony Joshua and it is very conceivable that even a great 176-200 pounder could be beaten by a great 175 pounder who bulks up to 200+ pounds and retains much of his skill and experiences an increase in punching power due to having more weight behind his punch.

 

Patterson was not a built up lhw.damato said that he had problems making 175 since he was 20.he was in perfect shape at 26 in 1961 at 194 1/2 pounds against ingo in the rematch. While spinks always could make 175.in fact he had no problem making 172 or even 170 pounds in 1985 .he decided voluntary at 29 years old move up to hw but he had no problem making 175. Patterson was a natural cruiser and spinks was a lhw . if you have no clue about a topic better close the mouth

 

Even still if that's true, you're still pitting a cruiser against a LHW who is bulked up to 200-212 pounds who had world class skills and enough punching power to floor a 240ish pound SHW.

And if the weight didn't matter, why didn't Spinks or even Holyfield just stay their natural weights while fighting 200+ pound heavies? It's because the extra weight does matter.

So as I stand by what I said before, even if Patterson was more of a natural cruiser.I think we need to sometimes get past black and white terminology. This 175 pound fighter A can't beat this 180 pound fighter B because A is a LHW and 180 pound fighter B is a cruiser when both are very close in skill.