|
MICHAEL SPINKS is categorized with
Billy Conn, Archie Moore and Bob
Foster as the four greatest light
heavyweight champions in boxing
history. But where Foster and Moore
failed, Spinks succeeded as a
heavyweight. Spinks became the first
light heavyweight king to move up
and win the heavyweight title when
he decisioned IBF champion Larry
Holmes in 1985...>>>
Book Michael Spinks for Your Event
Spinks captured a
gold medal at the 1976 Olympics and
turned pro the following year. After
just seven fights, Spinks had
already won eight-round decisions
over tough veterans Gary Summerhayes
and Tom Bethea.
Spinks main weapon
was a lethal right hand that was
dubbed, "The Spinks Jinx." But he
was also an awkward fighter,
delivering punches from various
angles. Few could figure out his
style as moved close to a title
shot. Along the way he decisioned
future super middleweight champ
Murray Sutherland and stopped Ramon
Ranquello, Yaqui Lopez, and Willie
Taylor, rugged veterans who spent
much of their ring careers in or
around the division's top 10.
In 1981, Spinks
stopped former champ Marvin Johnson
in March and then won the WBA title
four months later by decisioning
champ Eddie Mustafa Muhammad.
In 1983, he met
WBC champion Dwight Braxton in a
unification fight. Spinks decisioned
Braxton to become the undisputed
champion and made three more title
defenses before bypassing the
cruiserweight division and moving to
heavyweight.
Holmes was 48-0 at
the time of the Spinks fight, one
win away from tying Rocky Marciano's
record. Although Holmes held a
22-pound weight advantage, Spinks
outhustled him and scored a close
unanimous decision win. In a rematch
seven months later, Spinks beat
Holmes again on a split decision.
Spinks defended
the heavyweight title with a
fourth-round knockout of Stefan
Tangstad in 1986 but was stripped of
his IBF crown five months later. He
knocked out Gerry Cooney in June of
1987 and declared himself the
People's heavyweight champion.
That paved the way
for a showdown against unbeaten and
undisputed heavyweight king Mike
Tyson. The fight lasted just 91,
with Tyson scoring a knockout and
erasing all doubt as to who was the
heavyweight champion. Spinks retired
after the fight.
>>>
Book Michael Spinks for Your Event
|
