Why do you say Trevor Berbick was a "waste of talent"

Wasn't the Snipes fight disputed? And I agree, Berbick did really good against Page.

When people carp about Holmes not fighting Page I always bring up the fact that Holmes beat two men decisively whom beat Page: Berbick and Bey.

 

Snipes wasn't disputed. Sniped put him on the deck and had him hurt on another occasion as well.

Holmes should have fought Page when it was mandatory. Beating X that beat Z down the track means nothing. He shut up shop after the Witherspoon scare which was a pity. He stated himself that he was thru with the tough guys and would take easy fights. If he beat Page, Thomas and say Witherspoon in a rematch among a couple of easy defenses he would have been a lock for #3. The choices he made did neither he nor the "title" (he was stripped by the WBC for not fighting Page but was gifted the IBF title and was lineal) justice. The flipside is that fighting tougher foes in that post Witherspoon period (he was declining and knew it) may have upended him earlier than Spinks but there is also a good chance he might have prevailed too. We'll never know.

 

Berbick's ability to lose his balance and got up and down are not underrated. Just one of the contenders in the 1980's

 

Would a prime Berbick have been a contender in the 90's or 70's is a good question? I really don't think he would have been anything then a gatekeeper in those eras.

 

Some 90's contenders were also a bit inconsistent just like the 80's guys, but the top guys of the 70's weren't in the same way, I'd say. But 77-79 the division was pretty weak and I can see him prevail over ageing versions of Lyle, Young and Shavers, not to mention the Spinks, Evangelistas (wasn't he ranked at one point) etc.

 

Honestly I could see him beating off night versions of Morrison and Mercer. He doesn't get by Old Foreman,Bowe,Holyfield,Lewis or 90's Tyson.
He probably be somewhere in the Larry Donald category.

 

It's possible

 

Pretty much. And maybe Holy or Bowe on their weaker nights in the 90's. And the Foreman most thought should have lost to Schultz...

 

Yeah. And Moorer (at least on an off night).

And then you have the level below of for example Vaughn Bean. Stewart and Seldon.

And he could probably also beat the likes of Briggs and Ruiz.

 

In the early to mid 70's... Some fringe contenders like Lewis and Wepner.

And of the better ones, maybe his jab could keep smaller guys like Bonavena, Quarry, Ellis and Floyd at bay. At least one of them for one night.

 

Stewart and Seldon were way better than Butterbean.

 

Ah, I was thinking of Vaughn Bean. Don't know what happened there. Yes, Butterbean definitely wasn't in that class at all.

 

Hilariously people did think Butterbean was fighting Holyfield when it was actually Vaughn Bean that was actually fighting Holyfield.