Tim Witherspoon (Mercer) vs Corrie Sanders (Vitali) both 38

That logic doesn't work though.

Frazier, Norton, were very competitive against Ali but got destroyed by Foreman yet Foreman lost Ali.

ABC boxing doesn't work like that.

Sanders beating up a couple of past it Heavyweights years later after Witherspoon fought them is also a big missing context here. For example Witherspoon fought Williams in 1987 where as Sanders fought Williams in 1994.

There's also an easy rebuttal to this using a different logic.

Witherspoon beat 6 top 10 ranked Heavyweights.

Sanders beat 1 top 10 ranked Heavyweight.

Witherspoon won 3 world title fights

Sanders won 1 world title fight.

Witherspoon was a top 10 ranked Heavyweight for 13 different years.

Sanders a top 10 ranked Heavyweight for 2 different years.

So it's easy for me to say Witherspoon was alot more consistent with a considerably better resume against notable Heavyweights.

Hence the more proven fighter in Witherspoon should be favoured.

 

Meanwhile Witherspoon got taken to hell by a green 13 fight Williams. Sanders obliterated a seasoned version.

Sanders beat a version of Billups which had been recently competitive along the distance with Lennox Lewis. Witherspoon faced a version which had lost a long string of fights and had been on the chopping block for some time.

Sanders has a Top 10 HW scalp by KO. Witherspoon has nothing of the sort.

I think it's clear who has the edge here, and its Sanders.

 

Meanwhile Sanders had been a professional for 5 years he got 1 shotted by Nate Tubbs who wouldn't even be ranked a top 30 Heavyweight for the decade.

Meanwhile Witherspoon in the same timeframe was winning a world title.

And as i said ABC boxing doesn't work like that.

Hence the example of Ali/Foreman i gave.

Yes he has 1 good win and no other good win on his resume.

Brewster also beat the same version of Wladimir i don't think many people would be favouring Brewster over Witherspoon.

Not really i'd favour the much more consistent fighter over the fighter who found lightning in a bottle once.

 

Sanders had a bad physique for Vitali but was still one of the best four round fighters in heavyweight history.

There’s no chance that Tim evades getting nailed with huge shots.

And Sanders had a lot more of something else that Tim didn’t: heart.

 

Yes, the fighter that consistently destroys the same guys that fighter B struggles with.

 

So we can agree to disagree let's say this.

There is a chance Sanders could blitz Witherspoon early.

But if Witherspoon weather's the early storm then he should be favoured based on Sanders condition.

 

Sanders would be a favorite. And Witherspoon would be just as winded as Sanders if he somehow made it to six rounds. Yes, his odds would be better if he somehow did that.