Spinks vs Norton in 1978 for WBA and WBC belts

Not a question of overrating him. I know of none who overrated him. The history is that Spinks coming out of the 76 Olympics was highly thought of thus this is very quick match for the championship. The Spinks that fought this bout could have stopped a Norton on the downward slide. Not that I would bet on it but a decent possibility.

 

Agreed, Norton was still plenty good enough then to crush spinks.

 

Just another opinion:
In 1977, Norton knocked out previously unbeaten Duane Bobick in one round and defeated Jimmy Young by a fifteen-round split-decision in a WBC title-eliminator. With the win over Young, Norton became the mandatory challenger for the winner of the upcoming fight between Ali and Leon Spinks. Spinks defeated Ali for the World Heavyweight Championship, but instead of making his first defense against Norton, Spinks chose to have an immediate rematch with Ali. As a result, the WBC stripped Spinks of the title and awarded it to Norton by virtue of his victory over Young.

Norton made his first defense of the WBC title on June 9, 1978, against Larry Holmes and lost by a fifteen-round split decision. With the loss, Norton became the only World Heavyweight Champion never to win a world title fight. Holmes went on to be champion for seven years. Only Joe Louis and Wladimir Klitschko have had a longer reign as World Heavyweight Champion.

Holmes vs. Norton is considered one of the greatest heavyweight fights of all-time. The 1996 Holiday Issue of The Ring listed the fight 23rd on the list The 100 Greatest Title Fights of All-Time, and the fight is ranked as the tenth greatest heavyweight fight of all-time by Monte D. Cox, a member of the International Boxing Research Organization. The September 1998 issue of The Ring listed the final round as one of the "12 Greatest Finishes of All Time," and the March 2001 issue of The Ring listed the final round seventh on the list The 12 Most Exciting Rounds In Boxing History. In a 2009 interview on ESPN SportsNation, Holmes said his bout with Norton was his toughest fight.

 

Norton was never worlds hwt champion.

Norton stated himself that after losing to Ali in 76 he lost his desire for the sport.