Versions of great heavyweights who lose to '78 Leon Spinks

There was no excuse for Ali letting Leon win that fight in'78. He just hung around too damned long...he didn't have the sense to retire after the Thrilla. Of course I was being a bit facetious in my first post, but that was just a sardonic way of saying that Leon didn't belong in the ring with ANY great of the past or present. He just got REAL lucky against Ali. Max Baer would have done a Coetzee type of number on him.

 

You know what Leon has very good textbook boxing skills and solid movement. I think everyone should leave leon alone.

 

The thing is I actually agree. I think Spinks was pretty good and had good head movement, but he had absolutely no dedication and lacked a lot of physical attributes. Just as Shannon Briggs has a lot of power and is monstrously strong. What annoys me is that there have been posters over the years (Revolver being a prime example) who have tried to portray Spinks as some sort of budding ATG, the equal and indeed superior of any boxer prior to the momentous 1960 skill paradigm shift when boxers discovered skills like movement, strength, power and height.

 

I think Spinks threw the second fight away. Ali had deteriorated further by then (he looked terrible when he did exhibitions in the USSR in 1978 ) but all his training meant he wasn't much worse, while Spinks's total lack of training outside of keeping his weight down with whiskey meant that Ali had the edge.

 

The Holmes who lost to Leon Spinks
The Holyfield that fought John Ruiz
The Louis who lost to Marciano.
Post-Manila Frazier
The Dempsey who lost to Tunney in the second fight.

 

Holmes from 1985 onwards
Tyson post 2000
Michael Spinks 1988

 

Tinkerbell Tyson of 2001-2005 gets whupped by Neon Leon Spinks. :rasta

 

IMO teh 1992 version of Lazza Holmes who schooled Mercer And troubled OG Holyfield might just scrape by. :!:

That old man sure had some cagey nous.:bbb

 

The Corbett that Fitzsimmons beat.

 

I'm not sure about that. Tyson was still throwing bombs at that point and Danny Williams had to soak up a lot of punishment in order to win. Could Leon Spinks do that? Maybe, but it wouldn't be easy.

Certainly in the McBride fight, Tyson was shot. His power- his last asset- had left him.

 

Peak versions of Fitzsimmons, Corbett and Jeffries

 

Soooooooooooooooo glass-knee Midget Lisp wasnt "shot" VS Danny Williams???


Thanks for that unexpert info.

 

Not many but Ali was on his last days, its amazing that he was fighting in a title fight 18 years after his debut.