granberry wrote:BoxBuzz wrote:granberry wrote:
Burnett always got robbed
He was only a lightheavyweight and he knocked down Spinks, who had beaten the clueless' candidate for 'greatest of all time' [Ali}
Ali fought Spinks a total of THIRTY ROUNDS and never scored a knockdown against Spinks.
Lightheavyweight Jesse Burnett knocked Spinks down.
Stop this "ganging up" on grandaddy. He's always worth a read.
OK I'll contribute something I truly have first hand knowledge of. I would probably agree that Spinks put in a poor "winning" effort with Burnett...AND I know why. I was working at Club Mali Kai in St Louis in the fall of 82 and Leon dropped in a few times to our little patch of heaven...and it was VERY obvious that he was having the "recreational" time of his life. Dan Dierdorf was also around this watering hole at the time as I recall and called our attention to it in at least one conversation.
. It was pretty obvious that the only "sparring" or "working out" Leon was doing at that time was with wine, women, and song. Not to mention other "recreational" diversions. A trip to East St Louis on my part revealed the same "party animal" hard at work.
So his work ethic at the time was "unusual" to say the least. Not sure he needed a lot of help in those days to find the canvas. But Burnett was happy to oblige.
There was a time that Leon did work hard and focused and was showing promise. But it didn't last long once the money arrived.
granberry sometimes it's good to know..."the rest of the story". What radio personality used to use that line? I know it wasn't Jaclem.
Leon Spinks took cocaine on the day he fought Ali the 2nd time.
Spinks LEFT FOR THE RING WITHOUT HIS LOW BLOW PROTECTOR.
He had to return to the dressing room area and borrow a sweaty one from Mike Rossman, who had just fought.
Spinks' cornerman Georgie Benton walked out of the corner and the arena after the 6th round.
And the Ali worshippers quiver with excitement at their hero's "win" over the novice Spinks in that "fight."
Bullsh*t. Bullsh*t & horse "ca ca".
Not the ridiculously unprofessional incidents surrounding the fight that you recount, those are all, in fact, true. But, I have yet to come across anyone of even the most ardent Ali admirers who considers his W15 over "Neon" Leon one of his greatest performances. Not a one of them.
I think everyone recognizes that Ali was fortunate that night that Spinks was so "out of it" that September night or he'd have likely had another tough go of it with him, despite the fact that Ali was in MUCH better shape for the rematch than he'd been for their first encounter.
By the time of Spinks II, Ali had no snap left on his punches at all. None. Other than his having an exhausted Earnie Shavers a bit wobbled in the final round of their fight a year earlier, Ali hadn't been able to hurt anyone during the course of a contest since his KO of the china chinned Richard Dunn in the spring of '76. He was so shot by then, that he was basically going through the motions.
So, it's no surprise that the slick, skilled veteran light heavy with under-rated power in Jesse Burnett was able to handle Spinks in easier fashion that did a shot Ali. Though, unlike you, I don't recall the San Diego fighter having Leon on the canvas in that fight. I remember him rocking Spinks repeatedly in the latter rounds & getting screwed in one of the worst decisions ever televised nationwide on network television.
