I'd bet against it. Dozens and dozens of stray blows against a man with a different style and who fought flat footed. Most likely would have been caught by more shots and harder, cleaner. The biggest threat coming from Cooney's left hook. I can see flat footed Joe in serious trouble. Witherspoon & Berbick also serious challengers and even Snipes with his big right hand I dont think Spinks is as great a challenge since he was really a smallish heavyweight, and after ten, Spinks exits the bout by TKO/KO
What weight was Qawi coming into the ring at during his many years at 175 that were fought under same day weigh in rules? Virtually his entire 175 pound career?
He fought for years at 175 with same day weigh ins. It's false to try and lump him in with the weight draining trends of today. He was naturally bigger than Conn, sure, but he was hardly some 185 to 190 guy draining to make 175.
Day before weigh-ins started because fighters were draining. That was Qawi's era. Qawi fought Spinks in his last fight at 175 and never made that weight again. Mustafa didn't even make weight for the Spinks rematch. These guys were cutting and rehydrating.
Fighters only drained to a point because same day weigh ins could see them too weak to beat fighters that weren't draining as much. Virtually everyone trained down to their weight but it was hardly draining as such per the more modern term - not even close. Many would be fighting two divisions lower under that guise than they were. Qawi chose to move up. He was actually scheduled to fight Spinks at 175 again in late 84 but got injured not long before the fight and that horse then bolted.
Are you saying Pastor and Lee Savold were closer in size to Cooney and Holmes, or Qawi and Mustafa? Rhetorical question. Don't answer.
I don’t know how much I buy this. Louis wasn’t a small guy himself. Most of the big men Holmes fought were not very good “bum of the month types” what would you classify Lucien Rodriguez, Scott Frank, Marvis Frazier, Lorenzo Zanon, Tex Cobb, Scott Ledoux, David Bey? Holmes had his fair share of bum of the month types. Louis also never dropped a belt to avoid someone the way Holmes did with Greg Page, when Louis was older he took on his best contenders walcott (gave rematch) and Charles. Holmes avoided Pinklon Thomas and Rematching Witherspoon in order to sneak his way to 49-0
I should have known. The showing that Qawi gave, he seemed to have no fire and I kept wondering why he didnt pressure Spinks with the intensity I'd seen in previous bouts