Witherspoon replacing dokes against holyfield and Bowe?

Go to the beginning of the thread b4 u try an lecture me

 

Witherspoon did well against Holmes because he jabbed with Larry and countered him well on the outside. (Carl Williams did well against Holmes later because he did the same thing.)

But NO version of Tim Witherspoon is beating Evander Holyfield in 1989 because Tim Witherspoon didn't throw combinations on the inside like Dokes did.

Bowe was unique for a guy his size because he was a wonderful inside fighter. He'd throw combinations to the body and finish up top. The first two times Bowe dropped Holyfield were started by punches in close.

Witherspoon wasn't that. He wasn't in 1983, and he wasn't in 1989 and he wasn't in 1993.

That's why Tim had so many close fights with totally ordinary guys, and so many bouts were split decisions or majority decisions. Because if his opponent fought in close ... Tim was lost. He needed space to work.

Bigfoot Martin lost to goddamn EVERYONE. But he got in close to Witherspoon and slowly plugged away, and that was it.

The best version of Spoon wasn't better than FREAKING Evander Holyfield in 1989. Sorry.

 

I did. No one was confused but you.

 

Guess u didnt look hard enough

 

Dokes was not nearly as hard of a hitter as Witherspoon and Thomas was a spent shell when he fought Holyfield. Hell, in '96 39 year old Witherspoon had enough left to almost beat Mercer. The truth is that in '89 Holyfield stood in front of his opponents and Witherspoon had the defense to block a lot of his shots and then counter on a Holyfield who was there to be hit. Hell, a guy witha kind of style similar to Witherspoon, but pretty much worse in every department, Alex Stewart, gave Holyfield a tough fight in '89, landing a lot of big shots. And, Stewart had fought nobody of note coming into that fight. In retrospect, I am not surprised the Duva's never picked Witherspoon as an opponent.

 

Thomas was physically shot by the time he fought Holyfield. Witherspoon was not physically shot even in '96 when he was edged by Mercer. No comparison, sorry.

Were you even around back then. This was common knowledge.

 

Holy could be hit .anyone spoon could hit with his right could go over .including Holy.

 

Yes, I was AROUND back then. Were you?

Because this unbeatable Tim Witherspoon character you guys have manufactured in your heads -- who was going to come in supremely motivated, throwing blazing combinations and in ripped shape and who would proceed to knock out or outpoint all-time greats approaching their primes -- WASN'T.

Who did Witherspoon beat before the Holyfield fight in 1989 or the Bowe fight in 1993 that in ANY WAY supports this IDEA you guys have of him?

Also, you seem to have thrown OUT THE WINDOW the styles of the people we're discussing. Who fought more like Tim Witherspoon - Michael Dokes or Pinklon Thomas?

Who threw fast combinations and liked to work mainly on the inside (Dokes) and who relied on a long jab and throwing power right hands from the outside (Thomas and Witherspoon)?

What fight would Holyfield-Witherspoon most resemble? Holyfield-Thomas or Holyfield-Dokes?

You guys need to get your heads out of the clouds. Witherspoon beats Al Cole in 1996 (and Cole lost to EVERYONE) and suddenly he can whip Bowe in 93 and Holyfield in 89 - when they were at or approaching their best?

You guys are being idiots, honestly.

 

Well, he could knock over anyone except for guys with steel chins like James Pritchard, Al Cole, Tony Willis, Larry Alexander, Mike Williams, Carl Williams, Jose Ribalta, Lou Savarese, Bigfoot Martin, Monte Barrett, Mike Sedillo, Jimmy Thunder ... you know ... all those Lamotta like chins.

Please. Name all the BEST heavyweights Spoon knocked out? EVER? Including Witherspoon at his ultimate, elite, "superman in everyone's minds" PEAK?

There was Bruno (when Frank was literally exhausted) ... and then you go way down to guys like Quick Tillis ... and then you go WAY down to guys like James Broad.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say Evander Holyfield and Riddick Bowe had better chins than an exhausted Frank Bruno and Quick Tillis.

But that's just me ... living in the real world.

 

And in 1994, so did a 38-year-old Marion Wilson. And in 1993, so did a 36-year-old Jesse Ferguson. And in 1992, so did a 42 year-old Larry Holmes. And in 1989, so did a shot Ossie Ocasio.

In fact, you could argue all four of them did better against Mercer than Witherspoon did.

Losing close to a Ray Mercer who was coming off back to back losses should not be a reason to pick Spoon to STOP a top notch Bowe in 1993 and Holyfield in 1989.

Mercer was more hot and cold in his career than Witherspoon was.

 

You realize Holyfield went nip and tuck with Mercer shortly before Mercer fought Witherspoon?
You know, the guy who you presumably think Witherspoon has no shot against?

I never said Witherspoon would for sure stop Holyfield.

I gave valid reasons based on their stengths, weaknesses and style at the time this matchup was posited to take place - why Witherspoon would have a shot at beating Holyfield. I even said that I would pick Holyfield by decision.

You are dismissing that Witherspoon had any shot. You are in the minority on this issue in this thread. That's fine.

 

So Witherspoon had no chance against Holy and yet a green as grass spoon took Holmes to a split decision in the early 80s the same Holmes that Holy went the distance with nearly ten years latter.Complete rubbish old tim my granny could beat him up.

 

Holyfield, after more than a year layoff after losing to Moorer, came back to floor Mercer and win a clear-cut decision.

Holyfield was much healthier and in finer form in 1989 than he was in 1995.

And I still don't get how Witherspoon losing to Mercer in 1995 makes Witherspoon a winner over a younger, fresher Evander in 1989. Marion Wilson appeared to win every round against Mercer in 1994, and only managed a draw ... and that doesn't mean Marion Wilson beats Holyfield in 1989.

Dokes did well against Holyfield because Dokes had the still to give Evander trouble.
Witherspoon didn't fight like Dokes. At all.

And Witherspoon didn't have the power to stop Holyfield, given who Tim actually stopped.

Tim wasn't going to outhustle Evander. Tim wasn't going to knock out Holyfield. He was squeaking by on split decisions against average guys leading up to what would've been a fight with Holyfield in 1989.

Tim wasn't AS GOOD as Evander Holyfield.

There's nothing to say Tim would've beaten Evander in 1989. That's all.

 

No, not in 1989, he certainly didn't. The crowd in attendance didn't even think Witherspoon deserved his split decision over Larry Alexander at that time.