Trevor Berbick vs Tim Witherspoon

Guys like spoon,berbick,page,bonecrusher,tillis etc etc...were well versed in the unwritten rule of 1980s HW boxing 15 rounders....that thou shalt both rest in the clinches...to do the 15 rounds.

Frank Bruno didnt know/beleive in this rule...he didnt know how to clinch/hold in that decade and he would rabidly & fervently rabbit punch in the clinches forcing the referee to break it up..and than hed carry on fighting at a hard pace...i think both his losses to smith and spoon were a direct result of that...he lost steam...and couldnt hide in clinches...but kept forcing the pace...

Berbick could outpoint spoon if tim is having one of his rare off nights...but i think it goes the other way.

Berbick was a different kind of guy to that decades lost generation..he had his quirks...the reverand accused of **** thing...but he was always in shape,stayed active and as gar as i know avoided drugs.

 

Sure do not see Tim getting in anything other than half assed shape for this guy. He'd watch films and see nothing to worry about and would not be coming in sharp at all. One thing w/ Berbick---he was in shape. It'd become a tough physical bout after 3 rounds and the better conditioning and mauling tactics of Clever Trevor gets the W.

So Witherspoon gets outworked and drops a decision to a guy he should beat easily.

 

Oh, no offense taken at all. My "fair enough" response was simply that, because they're fantasy fights, different people are going to have different opinions on what happens. If I sounded like a jerk, I certainly didn't mean to. You're a very knowledgable poster whom I have a lot of respect for.

Both Witherspoon and Berbick could be hot or cold. In performances like, say Smith-Witherspoon II or Everett Martin - Witherspoon, I'd pick the Berbick who fought Tate or Thomas or Page over that Witherspoon. I'd pick the Witherspoon who fought Holmes over the Berbick who fought S.T. Gordon. Most nights Witherspoon would win, but not all.

 

Yeah best for best you'd have to favor Witherspoon. It would be competitive. A lethargic Witherspoon could certainly be beaten by a tip top Berbick.

 

They were both pretty durable true. And while both could punch, their power wasn’t quite the level of say Tyson or Foreman

 

Spoon by KO .Berbick was a nutcase and would probably start trading with Tim .Like the Snipes fight but Trev doesn't get up from the over hand right. Good fight.

 

I think you're right about Berbick hurting Spoon, can't agree the other way tho. Look at what Snipes did to Berbick.

 

Absolutely Goo. Witherspoon is a better puncher but IMO he gets a bit overrated for power.

 

Snipes hurt him twice over 10. Berbick went a comfortable 15 with peak Larry Holmes and soaked up his share of flush right hands with little to no trouble. He took some right hand bombs off Page extremely well too. He withstood young studs like Douglas and Thunder even when old. I think Witherspoon is a bit overrated as a banger tho he hits quite hard for sure. He might hurt Berbick a couple of times but he might not too. Berbick was stopped twice in 60 odd fights with one being peaking Tyson and the other an outlier against the big punching Mercado in his 12th fight. Mercado stopped Shavers right after the Holmes rematch and could whack. Berbick was quite durable.

 

You make a great case John. I'm converted. Spoon and Berbick both hurt bad-once. This would probably be a good inside fight, don't you think?

 

I don't think Berbick would hurt Spoon at all tbh but anything is possible.

Good inside fight for sure tho Tim would probably try and keep the bullish Berbick at a distance Will.

 

Both at their best Tim wins, 7-3 sort of score in a 10 rounder.

I rate Tim quite a bit higher than Trevor; they were both inconsistent, Tim at his best was a classier boxer, Trevor strong and awkward but would always be a little outclassed by a top quality boxer like Holmes and Witherspoon, IMO.

When making a case for a Berbick win here, people might very well point to their respective performances against Pinkolon Thomas, but I think Tim fought a much better Thomas then Trevor did - Thomas looked much fitter and better conditioned against Witherspoon than he did against Berbick, and I belIeve that Pink was addicted to crack-cocaine leading up to the Berbick fight; it's referred to in Thomas' autobiography.

Thomas at his best would have beaten Berbick quite handily I believe.

I thank there's also a chance that Tim could have stopped Trevor; Tim had good power and whilst Trevor's chin was good, it was not impenetrable; Tim was canny enough to land good, clean shots on just about anybody - if he could wobble Holmes he could certainly do the same to Berbick, and I'm not sure Trevor had the mobility & survival skills that Holmes had.

 

i think spoon might pitch a shutout. Berbick was pretty ponderous and had minimal boxing skills. Berbick definitely would not be rocked or knocked out... but he would be thoroughly beaten on points.

 

I think you're right. Tim seems faster and more mobile inside, but Berbick would definitely have his way with him due to size and muscle issues.

 

I'll throw in a mostly useless post about common opponents.

Larry Holmes - Berbick L 15 UD (by about 6 points), Witherspoon L 12 SD
Carl Williams - Berbick L 12 UD, Witherspoon W 12 SD
Jimmy Thunder - Berbick L 12 UD, Witherspoon L 10 UD
Renaldo Snipes - Berbick L 10 UD, Witherspoon W 10 MD
Greg Page - Berbick W 10 UD, Witherspoon W 12 MD, TKO by 7
Pinklon Thomas - Berbick W 12 UD, Witherspoon L 12 MD
Jeff Sims - Berbick TKO 6, Witherspoon TKO 5
Dan Wofford - Berbick W 8, Witherspoon TKO 3

I think I got everybody...

Berbick 4-4 (1)
Witherspoon 5-4 (2)

FWIW, looking at it this way, they're surprisingly close.
Of course, there are so many other factors to take into account... when did the fights happen, styles, etc.