What if Foreman didn't retire after the Young fight, and fought Spinks after he beat Ali? Who would have won?
Not long after the Lyle fight, a George Benton stated that Leon Spinks would beat Foreman by "jumping all over him".
Foreman had those type of street fights over in the 5th Ward of Houston on a daily basis. (re: a proposed Leon Spinks rumble).
Foreman KO 2 Spinks Spinks would literally be made to order for Foreman. George wouldn't have to find him. Spinks would come to him. It wouldn't take long for Leon to run into a devastating uppercurt or left hook. Leon might actually rise from mutltiple knockdowns ala Frazier, but he would be soundly and comprehensively thrashed.
I pick every version of Big George (yes, even that geriatric almost 50 y.o. Foreman who kicked Briggs) to KO L. Spinks, and brutally. Spinks was always come-forward type, in his prime was destroyed by lesser puncher Gerrie Coetzee in 1 round. At that time Foreman destroyed LeDoux in 3, while Spinks went life and death vs LeDoux. I pick Foreman by early KO.
Leon is the kind of guy a Foreman liked to fight. Everything favours Foreman. However, Leon is a very strange fish. He possesses rare talent. He beat a worse version of Ali than Foreman lost to but even so that age of Ali turned away Shavers and Norton. So Leon still beat a pretty good champ with hardly any fights! On that one performance Leon was better than Shavers and Norton. Of course George was better than both Shavers and Norton too and that why I favour him and added to this I don’t like rating the entire worth of a fighter on just one night. However if we were able to say Leon did maintain that level of performance, had a complete personality overhaul, there is no way Leon would be such easy pickings. There was serious talent there.
You'll try anything in an effort to cloud Foreman won't you. Any dimwit knows Spinks has nothing to trouble Foreman with and is stylistically so outgunned it's almost sickening. Leon was better than Norton? Did you forget Norton beat and took a immensely better Ali to the well in all three fights? Rating Leon as better than Norton based on their efforts vs Ali is a dozen levels past absurd. Wow o' wow.
No it’s not like that at all. I already said what three times in that post that Foreman was better, everything favours him, that Leon represents everything Foreman beat up. I am simply making the case that Leon must have had something special. Of course Norton beat Ali once and that version was better than the one Spinks beat. But over the champions distance of 15 rounds ken dropped the ball. And Leon didn’t. We have to credit the kid for that. For one night only (another point I made, one night is not enough) Leon was better over 15 rounds than ken or Shavers had been.
I don't think Norton dropped the ball at all given how close it was. I know exactly what you said and even allowed you the one night only. You said - So Leon still beat a pretty good champ with hardly any fights! On that one performance Leon was better than Shavers and Norton. I totally disagree. You concede Norton beat a much better version etc. Norton was better than Spinks even rating him on that one night.
I agree with others. Not a close fight. I think the promoters would bundle Leon Spinks into the silver Monopoly car afterwards with his Monopoly money, and drive straight to hospital. Do not pass Go. Do not collect £200.