76' olympic dream team members, leon spinks vs "big" john tate

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by good right hand, Aug 24, 2008.


  1. good right hand

    good right hand Well-Known Member Full Member

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    i always thought that leon was the right boxer for the right place in the right time and like iran barkley and did the absolute most with himself.but the more i read and watch him, the more it appears that leon was actually a very talented fighter like michael although due to some tough times as a pro, was possilbley the most spectacular fighter at the olympics. very brave and daring as he overwhelemed his final opponent from cuba.

    tate was also immensley talented as seen beating gerry coetzee and coasting through mike weaver.

    spinks has much more of a chance then what i assumed from his proffesional record.
     
    good right hand, Aug 24, 2008
    good right hand, Aug 24, 2008
    #1
  2. zadfrak

    zadfrak Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    I think Tate would box his way to a decision over the guy. Spinks had a few flat efforts prior to that Ali bout also and was not the best prospect of the 2. He just got the Ali sweepstakes when the Ali camp was digging up opponents. W/O the Ali fight, it'd be real hard to picture Leon having very much success against the elite fighters of that 78-82 timeframe; peak Holmes/Norton/Shavers/Tate/Weaver/and up and comers from 76-78 like Dokes/Page/Witherspoon/Thomas/Cooney. Plus he did have that blowout loss to Coetzee.
     
    zadfrak, Aug 25, 2008
    zadfrak, Aug 25, 2008
    #2
  3. la-califa

    la-califa Boxing Addict Full Member

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    Big John would have easily defeated Leon. Tate had very good boxing skills and would have punished Spinks for the Tko in about the seventh. Spinks didn't have the big punch to hurt Tate or the boxing skills to compete either.
     
    la-califa, Aug 25, 2008
    la-califa, Aug 25, 2008
    #3
  4. ThinBlack

    ThinBlack Boxing Addict banned

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    This fight could go either two ways

    1) Leon overwhelms John for an eighth, or ninth round stoppage, or
    2) John uses his boxing ability, lets Leon wear himself out, and gets a TKO, from anywhere from the fifth to seventh round.

    I'm going with the latter assertion.
     
    ThinBlack, Oct 10, 2011
    ThinBlack, Oct 10, 2011
    #4