Is Frazier's Destruction of Foster...

Great point. Never understood why Tyson was given much credit for beating Spinks. Highly overrated win. I dont think Frazier should necessarily get THAT much credit for this one. Foster never could beat a decent heavy.

 

Well spinks was better at heavyweight, it was still an awesome display by joe.

 

Well he was never treated like a pit bull treats a rag doll, like Frazier did him in. But he still lost to every big name heavy he ever fought.

 

The difference in public acclaim and magnitude is that Foster hadn't beaten the Linear titleist and didn't hold the Heavyweight crown (nor ever) before fighting Frazier. Spinks had also never lost a fight.

Having said that i do see this as an extraordinary performance by Frazier just short of Tyson's effort. From memory Foster caught Joe with a wicked shot or two early.

 

Spinks beat the reigning linear GREAT champion that was Holmes. Foster beat nobody whatsoever at heavyweight either before or after. Spinks record at heavy flogs Fosters. Huge Foster fan here but it's just fact, Spinks is the far more proven Heavy.

 

Spinks only lost once as a HW. Of course he didn't fight very long at the weight either.

I suppose one could argue he lost the second Holmes fight. But the fact he was even competative against a slightly past prime Holmes at all speaks volumes regarding how good a fighter he was.

 

It's not deep or awe inspiring there but it's infinitely better than Fosters which is dismal comparatively (tho a bit unlucky) hence Tyson's effort being held much higher.

It's just the way Fosters record at Heavy panned out. Fosters style wasn't adapted like Spinks and didn't fare well up there against whom he fought.

 

I agree with that in a way. In fact, the only reason he is even being discussed today at HW is because Holmes had slipped quite a lot before their first fight. It is my view Holmes won the second.

As far as Spinks is concerned as a LHW, as you know, there aren't many that could be considered better.

 

I followed the Foster - Frazier pre-fght as it evolved over the months.
For Joe it was just another job to show he was the real Hvyweight champ
before he takes on Ali later.

For Foster, it was like being in one of those beer joints north of Ft. Worth, and you have just thrown your best shot against the 300 pound bouncer and nothing happened, and you ask yourself: "Now what I am going to do?"

 

Michael Spinks was actually a decent heavyweight. Or at least a legit one.
He was actually quite BIG when he fought Cooney and Tyson. People ignore that, but it's true.
Look at him against Tyson, he's well-muscled 212 pounds, maybe a little bit soft, but he's broad and thick, he's a decent-sized heavyweight.

Bob Foster didn't look any more than 175 against Frazier, but he's announced as 185 or 188 or something, maybe he was, maybe he wasn't. Foster looks to me like a guy who struggled to put on weight.

Frazier's performance against Foster was great though. But then Tyson's win over Spinks was a better win, Spinks being a genuine rival at heavyweight.