Nile4000 wrote: ↑27 Apr 2023, 15:24
Circa 1976, instead of fighting Earnie Shavers, Roy fights an up and coming Mike Weaver in a 10 rounder. Who wins?
I remember the 1976-77 period very, very well. I read every word in every boxing magazine on the stands. Read every major newspaper article about boxing. Watched all the live TV broadcasts. Had the most recent annually published Ring Record Books too.
The problem with your question is that, as of late 1976, Mike "Hercules" Weaver was nobody's idea of an up-and-coming prospect. Not even close. He was still a struggling "opponent" type with a 9-6 record. More than anything else, Weaver was known as Ken Norton's sparring partner.
Weaver's time as a dominant heavyweight had not yet arrived.
In 1976, Hercules showed the first signs that he was turning the corner from being an "opponent" into, just maybe, a fighter to be reckoned with. That's because he punched out Young Sekona in six rounds. Before that, he KO'd aging but tough club fighter Tony Doyle. Hercules also won a decision over Jody Ballard, a good club fighter with a winning record.
But even so, Hercules still wasn't on anyone's list of "prospects" as of December 1976.
The first indication that Hercules might be going somewhere in boxing occurred in April 1977, when he outfought rugged Bill Sharkey over ten rounds in a nationally televised NYC club fight. It was a very close, hard fought affair with Hercules getting the nod via split decision.
The second sign that Weaver was more than just an "opponent" occurred later in 1977, when he won a decision over top-20 heavyweight Pedro Lovell. But the final, true vindication for Hercules came in 1978, in a pair of losing efforts.
That year, highly touted heavyweights Stan Ward and Leroy Jones, both word-rated, won decisions over Hercules. I didn't see the fights, but all the write-ups indicated that Weaver won most of the final rounds against both foes, essentially beating the crap out of them over the distance. The decisions were either robberies or lucky wins for Jones and Ward.
That's when life changed for Hercules Weaver. From this point onward, he was genuinely an up-and-coming prospect. But not beforehand.
Weaver vs Roy Williams in December 1976? I don't know, but I'll lean towards Williams on points if it's scheduled for ten. If it's a 12 rounder, then I would lean towards Hercules by points.
From late 1977 onward, I would pick Weaver over Williams in any fight, regardless of the scheduled distance.