Fighters who surprised you that they won a world title?

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 05 Jul 2007, 04:56

KOJOE90 wrote:
stujones wrote:Crying shame about what happend to Spinks after. History will always say that Spinks' title win was more Ali's doing than his own.... and whilst that is true to a certain degree, he was a damn good fighter and if he hadn't pissed up his life he could have been a real contender for Holmes in the Holmes era.
Well as a big Leon fan I sometimes think that Leon was at his peak as an amatuer where he was a feared force of nature and may well have been the best Light-Heavyweight USA amateur ever. From what I have read Leon seemed to really enjoy his amateur days, traveling the World representing his state or country without the pressures of the professional world. As an amatuer Leon became good friends with his team mate Aaron Pryor and I have always felt their respective styles were not that disimular (in or out of the ring). I think Leon holds some sort of KO record as a American amateur. He was a beast in the vest, and I truely believe he would have given Evander Holyfield all the trouble he could handle in a amateur fight (had they been around at the same time of course).

But then he turned professional. Unlike his younger brother Micheal, Leon never had the maturity to deal with the media spotlight and pressures of the paid ranks. Leon loved to fight but hated to train and once he turned professional and had money in his pocked for the first time in his life he was like a starving kid in a sweet store, out of control.

The way he was rushed into a title shot may well have been the best way to deal with him to be honest. At least he can say he beat 'The Greatest' as was the Heavyweight Champion of the World, even though he didn't have the mental tools to deal with that situation.

If he had have been brought along slowly from the start, and his management planned for him to have about 20 fights then have a title shot around 1981, that would have meant keeping Leon clean for another three years which was never going to happen and he would have lost to some fringe contender. Then his career would have carried on the way it did anyway, fighting on way too long just for a few $$'s.

If Leon had been as clean living and dedicated as Michael I have no doubt he could have competed with the Witherspoons, Dokes, Tates, Pages and Tubbs etc. But he wasn't.

Sounds very much like the Tyrell Biggs story. Rushed to a title shot against Tyson before he imploded into a nasally-induced black hole.

Goz · Post by **Goz** » 05 Jul 2007, 05:36

Good article on Leon Spinks I remembered reading a while back in the Observer. Just googled it and found it:

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/stor ... 94,00.html

KOJOE90 · Post by **KOJOE90** » 05 Jul 2007, 05:57

Raff The Frenchman · Post by **Raff The Frenchman** » 05 Jul 2007, 06:23

Mzonkze Fana...

Old bones Ian · Post by **Old bones Ian** » 05 Jul 2007, 06:40

wrong thread

deadpan · Post by **deadpan** » 05 Jul 2007, 07:54

Frank Bruno

Eamonn 'The Wookie' Loughran

Michael Moorer

Vince Phillips - he won it with a crackpipe in his mouth. Against Kostya!

Keith Mullings

Raff The Frenchman · Post by **Raff The Frenchman** » 05 Jul 2007, 08:09

Old bones Ian wrote:wrong thread

why? Fana just won a world title, who ever thought he would after being so easily taken out by an aging barrera?

Old bones Ian · Post by **Old bones Ian** » 05 Jul 2007, 09:14

Raff The Frenchman wrote:
Old bones Ian wrote:wrong thread
why? Fana just won a world title, who ever thought he would after being so easily taken out by an aging barrera?

sorry mate, i meant i added something on the wrong thread

Your right about Fana, after seeing him get decapitated by Barrera. There was no way i could see him winning a title.