Who was the 3rd best HW of the 1980s ?

By accomplishment Witherspoon, as a two-time titlist who managed a successful defense, and four wins against fellow titlist Page, Tubbs, Bonecrusher and Bruno.

By ability is a bit debatable, but Terrible Tim is still a great choice.

 

Spinks did beat Larry twice so…

But Tony Tucker and Carl Williams are shouts.

 

If we’re talking 3rd best heavyweight of the 80s, it has to be Michael Spinks. He beat Holmes twice (controversial but official), and then went into the richest fight in boxing history at the time against Tyson. On the night he froze, abandoned everything that made him successful, and Tyson — ferocious but already teetering outside the ring — flattened him.

Spinks gets the nod as #3 on paper. But the real question is the lost generation — Witherspoon, Thomas, Page, Tubbs — all trapped under Don King’s circus, with him as the ringmaster. And let’s not forget: Witherspoon arguably beat Holmes himself in ’83. If he’d gotten that decision, maybe we’d be talking about him, not Spinks, as the true #3 of the decade.

 

Lack of symmetry is a major issue in ranking 80s heavyweights, possibly more so than any other division and era.

Holmes and Tyson aside, it was the time that boxing arithmetic forgot. There's always an element of styles making fights, but nearly every fighter struggled to put a consistent run together. Probably the natural by-product of there been a bunch of talented, skilled guys who were big heavies for the era, but with notorious issues outside the ring.

Witherspoon is the logical choice for the #3 spot; the only fighter other than Holmes or Tyson to pick up more than one belt (unless I'm forgetting someone), and a solid list of wins - Snipes, Tillis, Page, Broad, Bonecrusher I, Tubbs and Bruno. Throw in the tight loss to Holmes, and there's more than enough to counterbalance the Bonecrusher II disaster and the loss to Thomas.

Tucker is up there H2H, but his resumé is thin, particularly when limited to just the 80s.

Weaver highlights the issue with rating 80s heavies; in terms of wins there isn't much to split him from Spoon - Tate, Coetzee, Tillis, Williams and the controversial draw with Dokes. He lost plenty though, and H2H there were more talented fighters with better weapons (at least on paper).

Spinks occupies a strange place; almost outside of the division for the most part, but with by far the two best wins on his record.

I think there was a similar thread in Classic a while back, with pretty much the same conclusions.

 

Carl Williams ran Holmes close too, even outjabbing him at times would you believe.

Dokes and Ruddock at the back end in 89.

 

So much talent to be fair, A LOT of depth in the division in that decade.

 

Pinklon Thomas most likely