What would Michael Spinks have hypothetically needed to do to replicate an Usyk-anolog win streak.

Probably guys like Tucker, Douglas, Berbick, Williams. Basically everyone or most of everyone that Tyson beat. And you can still throw in Cooney and Taangstad for fun.

 

I believe the OP is flawed to begin with. Spinks fought in, perhaps, the most competitive, high quality, full of depth light heavyweight division of all time. It was considerably better than the cruiserweight era in which Usyk fought. That's not to say those cruisers were bums they just weren't on the same level of the late '70s to mid-80's 175 pounders.

With that being said, if Spinks had beaten Tyson he doesn't have to do a lot more to be ranked higher than Usyk. If he had beaten Holyfield, then Ring's number one ranked contender and, perhaps, Tony Tucker, he would have cleaned out a top-notch light heavyweight division and beaten the undefeated trio of Hall of Famers in Holmes. Tyson and Holyfield. That would have put him ahead of Usyk.

 

I think that would've put him just above anyone P4P lol

 

Spinks and Usyk are about the same level.
Spinks's light-heavyweight reign and competition is relatively as good as, or better than, Usyk's cruiserweight division resume.

Usyk's heavyweight work is being incredibly over-rated. Because Fury, and to a lesser extent Joshua and Dubois are being very much over-rated. Fury in 2024 is one of the weakest heavyweight champions in living memory, based on anything like recent form. People on another thread trying to find reasons why he's better than a 1985 Holmes, when he's closer to a 1987 Cooney. It's only a win against Dillian Whyte 25 months earlier that keeps Fury looking semi-relevant, and that's a Whyte who's coming off 1-1 with old Poverkin.

Usyk slightly above Spinks.

I guess the answer for me then, is, I don't know, maybe another win against Cooney or a TKO of Frank Bruno, would put Spinks about level.

 

For me Spinks beating Holmes ranks over anything Usyk has done. Maybe not a popular opinion, and not Usyk fault, he doesn't have a Holmes to beat.