Michael Dokes- 6'3", 78" reach, 220 solid Lbs. Good overall skills, good speed, decent power. vs. Jimmy Young- they fought in 1979 when Young was past prime and Dokes was green, Dokes W10. What about prime vs. prime? Rony Lyle Jerry Quarry Ernie Shavers others?
His handspeed, boxing skill, and better than average chin ( but not granite ), could have given him the edge in some of these fights. To knock out a prime Dokes you had to have a pretty good punch and the ability to land with reasonable regularity. The only man to ever hand a prime Dokes a knockout was Coetzee and by 1983, Dokes' drug problems were starting to get the better of him, which may have been a factor in that loss. I'm thinking he could have outpointed Jimmy Young prime for prime. In 1979, Dokes was only 20 years old and had 14 fights and got the win. Young was a bit past it for sure, but probably still closer to his best than Dokes had yet reached. Michael had enough enough of the right tools to beat Shavers as well, barring of course, a huge right hand that if placed properly could have ended it at any time.. Quarry was iffy, but I think a fully developed and primed Michael had more experience than a 19 fight Lyle, and certainly wouldn't be beaten in one round the way that Shavers was. I think that fight is kinda 50/50. So basically I think he'd have a great chance at beating all of them, but in all probably he'd likely win some and lose some.
When Dokes started putting on the pounds, he stood in front of everyone. That would be a big problem against those guys and would cost him at some point. And he was never that big of a hitter so that would allow that group to stay in there--I sure don't see many tko's for Dokes and it'd be decisions or losses. And just winning decisions and not looking terrific was probably the ideal road to take to get an Ali bout, which he very well could've won.
Dokes would be hell, at his best, for anyone of that era, but he would have to be the Dokes of 80-82.I could see him still beating Young, Shavers, possibly Lyle, and Quarry is a toss-up.Michael best asset was his handspeed, his power is overrated, and his boxing skill, while good, wasn't a Page or Tubbs type of ability.He also, while taking a good shot, didn't have the chin of a prime Page, or Witherspoon, so who knows.
