BoxRec

At Light heavyweight.

Spinks because his resume is much better.

Mike easily. Actually, I'd call him the greatest LHW.

Foster is a better light-heavyweight than Spinks. The man iced his opponents.

bennie wrote: ↑18 Jan 2022, 06:48 Foster is a better light-heavyweight than Spinks. The man iced his opponents.

Spinks had better opposition.

DrDuke wrote: ↑18 Jan 2022, 06:53

bennie wrote: ↑18 Jan 2022, 06:48 Foster is a better light-heavyweight than Spinks. The man iced his opponents.

Spinks had better opposition.

Most of Michael's challengers at light-heavy are pretty forgettable. Spinks was a great light-heavyweight but not as great as Foster.

bennie wrote: ↑18 Jan 2022, 07:08

DrDuke wrote: ↑18 Jan 2022, 06:53

bennie wrote: ↑18 Jan 2022, 06:48 Foster is a better light-heavyweight than Spinks. The man iced his opponents.

Spinks had better opposition.

Most of Michael's challengers at light-heavy are pretty forgettable. Spinks was a great light-heavyweight but not as great as Foster.

The same can be said about Bob. Furthermore, none of his scalps were better than Eddie Mustafa Muhammad and Dwight Qawi.

DrDuke wrote: ↑18 Jan 2022, 07:32

bennie wrote: ↑18 Jan 2022, 07:08

DrDuke wrote: ↑18 Jan 2022, 06:53

Spinks had better opposition.

Most of Michael's challengers at light-heavy are pretty forgettable. Spinks was a great light-heavyweight but not as great as Foster.

The same can be said about Bob. Furthermore, none of his scalps were better than Eddie Mustafa Muhammad and Dwight Qawi.

I think we're playing the generation game. The light-heavies of Foster's era are every bit as good as those in the era of Michael Spinks.

bennie wrote: ↑18 Jan 2022, 07:53

DrDuke wrote: ↑18 Jan 2022, 07:32

bennie wrote: ↑18 Jan 2022, 07:08

Most of Michael's challengers at light-heavy are pretty forgettable. Spinks was a great light-heavyweight but not as great as Foster.

The same can be said about Bob. Furthermore, none of his scalps were better than Eddie Mustafa Muhammad and Dwight Qawi.

I think we're playing the generation game. The light-heavies of Foster's era are every bit as good as those in the era of Michael Spinks.

Well, there clearly were better eras even before Foster's one. The Moore's era deserved the nod here for sure. Spinks' one is better than Foster's.

There's not much in it. Agree with Bennie that Foster's opponents have somehow been downgraded over time. Finnegan was a fantastic fighter who would likely have been champ in a different era. Rondon and Ahumada were excellent challengers too.

Spinks but Foster fought on the road and won - also he fought two of the greatest heavyweights of all time in a Golden Era.

I am a massive fanboy of the Spinks brothers but Michael has a light heavyweight resume to match any fighter in history.

mike for sure

bennie wrote: ↑18 Jan 2022, 07:53

DrDuke wrote: ↑18 Jan 2022, 07:32

bennie wrote: ↑18 Jan 2022, 07:08

Most of Michael's challengers at light-heavy are pretty forgettable. Spinks was a great light-heavyweight but not as great as Foster.

The same can be said about Bob. Furthermore, none of his scalps were better than Eddie Mustafa Muhammad and Dwight Qawi.

I think we're playing the generation game. The light-heavies of Foster's era are every bit as good as those in the era of Michael Spinks.

I don't it's just the "generation game" is this case. The light heavyweight division during Spinks' was loaded. Mustafa Muhammad and Qawi were better than any light heavy that Foster beat. Marvin Johnson as well.

You can make a serious case for Spinks being the #1 light heavyweight of all time.
Having said that, Foster does seem to get the shaft sometimes. He was a great fighter. Just not quite as good as Spinks.

Spinks' era was stronger and he left as undisputed champion so he almost certainly has the edge. I'm not sure I'd pick Spinks to beat Foster at their respective best however.

Spinks hands down. Tougher and more physically fit as well.

Bob fought when the talent was very scarce. Towards the end some talent came in but don't believe he ever defeated anyone of consequence. Pierre Fourie best fighter he ever beat. Twice by decision.
Spinks decisively defended against half a dozen as good or better then him.
Spinks had great athletic ability and worked to develop himself into a very crafty skilled pro. That combination usually equals greatness.
Foster had athletic natural talent but not like Mike. He had the oversized frame for a light heavy that gave him power advantage in the division. But it would not have been as great against the competition Mike faced. I pick Qwawi one of Spinks victims over Bob could be a knockout.
Had they met in their primes it would have been a good even fight till late rounds when mike would have worn down Foster and would get to him. If 12 Spinks by tough but unanimous decision if 15 TKO for Mike.

I'd like to know which of Spinks' title defense opponents were better than Fourie, in your opinion . Of course Qawi was-but who are the others ?

Or as good as, I should have added.

How bout Eddie Muhammad a champion in most other eras. Marvin Johnson kayoed Victor Galindez to win the title. Then theres lots of guys that if not as good close like Vonzell Johnson Mustafa Wasajja Murray Sutherland Yaqui Lopez on and on. Bobs top contenders for most of his reign wouldn't have cracked the top 15 in Spinks era guys like Andy Kendall and Roger Rouse.

Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, Yaqui Lopez and Marvin Johnson were not title defense victims of Spinks'. I was only writing in response to your post about Spinks defending against a half dozen guys better than Fourie.

Or as good as Fourie -I meant to add to my previous post.

- Boys, gonna attempt the impossible by engaging limited 2 dimensional lineal mentalities with the full force of the 3rd and 4th dimensions.

This ain't me talkin', this is IBRO-
https://www.ibroresearch.com/

I would add I saw most of Jinx fights and rate him very highly not only as a fighter, but a citizen. Sheriff Bob looked after law abiding citizens like Jinx, and that would've been a mighty fine fight both would've taken had their eras overlapped, that pesky 3rd dimensional fight killer being the partyp00per.

Bob won his title vs Dick Tiger, a name Jinx cannot match no matter that Dick at the time was being savaged by the genocide of his IBO tribe by Nigeria and died prematurely a few years later.

And cutting up Ali who was in the best year of his career, 1972, well, The Sheriff has another big name even if he didn't make it to the end, but no matter. IBRO may not be the end to all disputes, but looking at the organization and seeing the devotion to everything boxing, well, it's a damn fine launching point for any serious discussion about boxing.

And lo & behold, looks like they be kissin' cousins-

IBRO ALL-TIME RATINGS
December 31, 2019
Light-Heavyweight Results
1. Ezzard Charles (586)
2. Archie Moore (538)
3. Gene Tunney (495)
4. Sam Langford (468)
5. Bob Foster (451)
6. Mike Spinks (434)
7. Tommy Loughran (403)
8. Billy Conn (371)
9. Harry Greb (325)
10. Roy Jones Jr. (258)
11. Bob Fitzsimmons (232)
12. Harold Johnson (206)
13. Maxie Rosenbloom (205)
14. Tommy Gibbons (188)
15. John Henry Lewis (163)
16. Jimmy Bivins (111)
17. Matthew Saad Muhammad (105)
18. Philadelphia Jack O’Brien (104)
19. Jack Dillon (95)
20. Dwight Qawi (87)
Top Vote Getters (50 or more points): Jack Delaney (66). No other boxer received over 50 points. Georges
Carpentier and Battling Levinsky who both made the top 20 in the last IBRO poll 15 years ago failed to generate
over 50 points, with Carpentier coming the closest at 42. Jack Delaney, who also missed the cut last time, had
some support with 65 points but fell short of a top 20 spot.
Summary:
 Ezzard Charles took 1
st place with 586 points over 2
nd place finisher Archie Moore who held the top spot 15
years ago. This is a logical outcome as Charles was 3-0 against Moore as well as 4-1 against top 20 finisher
Jimmy Bivins. Charles had 13 1
st place votes, with 28 of 31 voters included him in the top 3. No one had
Charles lower than 4
th

goose 5 wrote: ↑17 Jan 2022, 20:07 At Light heavyweight.

Foster, because as great as Spinks was, he didn't really fight a great deal of people. And a lot of fans forget that.

yeah, most people would have quite the ring after being shellacked by Joe Frazier in 1969 like that.
looked like a Tornado had touched down on Foster out in Texas.
BTW did you see how Ali went after Foster there in the 8th round ?
man he looked viscious
last time I remember Ali doing that was in the last round in the fight with Chuck Wepner.

Spinks.