Michael Spinks

Class of 1994
Modern Category
Hall of Fame bio:click

Name: Michael Spinks
Alias: Jinx
Hometown: Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
Birthplace: Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
Stance: Orthodox
Height: 189cm
Reach: 193cm
Pro Boxer: Record
Amateur Boxer: Record

Manager: Butch Lewis
Trainer: Eddie Futch
Cut Man: Jimmy Glenn, Percy Richardson

Michael Spinks Gallery

Amateur Career

Spinks vs. Ryszard Pasiewicz at the 1976 Olympics

• Amateur Record: 93-7 (35 KO)
• 1974 National Golden Gloves Light Middleweight Champion (156 lbs) in Denver, Colorado.
  Results:
  • Defeated Tom Werlinger on points
  • Defeated Wilber Cameron on points
• 1976 National Golden Gloves Middleweight Champion (165 lbs) in Miami, Florida.
  Results:
  • Defeated Ron Brown on points
  • Defeated Lamont Kirkland DQ 3
• 1976 United States Olympic Trials Middleweight Champion in Cincinnati, Ohio.
  Results:
  • Defeated Lindell Holmes RSC
  • Defeated Jerome Bennett on points
  • Defeated Keith Broom on points
• 1976 United States Olympic Box-Offs Middleweight Champion in Burlington, Vermont.
  Results:
  • Lost to Keith Broom on points 1-4
  • Defeated Keith Broom KO 1
• 1976 Middleweight Gold Medalist for the United States at the Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
  Results:
  • 1st round bye
  • Defeated Jean-Marie Emebe (Cameroon) WO
  • Defeated Ryszard Pasiewicz (Poland) on points 5-0
  • Defeated Alec Nastac (Romania) WO
  • Defeated Rufat Riskiyev (Soviet Union) RSC 3

Preceded by: Dale Grant	National Golden Gloves Light Middleweight Champion 1974	Succeeded by: Ray Phillips
Preceded by: Tom Sullivan	National Golden Gloves Middleweight Champion 1976	Succeeded by: Keith Brown
Preceded by: Vyacheslav Lemeshev	Olympic Gold Medalist Middleweight Champion 1976	Succeeded by: Jose Gomez

International Boxing Hall of Fame Record

International Boxing Hall of Fame Record

• Has a record of 3-1 against International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees:
  • Won against Dwight Muhammad Qawi, Larry Holmes (twice).
  • Lost against Mike Tyson

Professional Career

Spinks vs. Larry Holmes in 1985 for the IBF heavyweight title

• Spinks defeated Eddie Mustafa Muhammad by a fifteen-round unanimous decision to win the WBA Light Heavyweight Championship on July 18, 1981.
• Spinks defeated WBC Light Heavyweight Champion Dwight Muhammad Qawi by a fifteen-round unanimous decision to become the Undisputed World Light Heavyweight Champion on March 18, 1983.
• Spinks defeated Larry Holmes by a fifteen-round unanimous decision to win the IBF Heavyweight Championship on September 21, 1985.
• Spinks became the first reigning World Light Heavyweight Champion to win the World Heavyweight Championship.
• The Ring Magazine named Spinks vs. Holmes I Upset of the Year for 1985.
• KO Magazine named Spinks Fighter of the Year for 1985.
• On February 28, 1987, Spinks was stripped of the IBF Heavyweight Championship for refusing to fight #1 contender Tony Tucker. Don King won the right to promote a Spinks-Tucker title fight with a purse bid of $711,000. In the case of a purse bid, the purse is divided 75 percent to 25 percent in favor of the champion. That would mean $533,250 for Spinks. Instead of fighting Tucker, Spinks fought Gerry Cooney for a purse of $4 million.
• Spinks knocked out Conney in five rounds on June 15, 1987. The fight was considered a world title fight by The Ring Magazine and more than a dozen state commissions.
• WBA/WBC/IBF Heavyweight Champion Mike Tyson knocked out Spinks in one round on June 27, 1988.
• Spinks was the Lineal World Heavyweight Champion from the time he defeated Holmes until his loss to Tyson.
• Spinks announced his retirement from boxing on July 27, 1988.
• The Ring Magazine named Spinks the third greatest light heavyweight of all-time in 2002.

Professional Record

Championship Record

• 13 opponents (9 by KO) beaten in world championship bouts.
  • 2 opponents (1 by KO) in World Heavyweight Title bouts.
  • 11 opponents (8 by KO) in World Light Heavyweight Title bouts.
• Has a record of 14-1 (9 KO) in World Title fights.
• Has a record of 7-1 (2 KO) against former world titleists.
  • Won against Murray Sutherland (twice), Marvin Johnson, Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, Dwight Muhammad Qawi, Larry Holmes (twice).
  • Lost against Mike Tyson.

Notes

• Michael Spinks is the brother of Leon Spinks, the uncle of Leon Calvin and Cory Spinks, and the great-uncle of Leon Spinks III.

Preceded by: Eddie Mustafa Muhammad	WBA Light Heavyweight Champion 1981 Jul 18 – 1985 Sep 21 Vacated	Succeeded by: Marvin Johnson
Preceded by: Dwight Braxton	WBC Light Heavyweight Champion 1983 Mar 18 – 1985 Sep 21 Vacated	Succeeded by: JB Williamson
Preceded by: Inaugural Champion	IBF Light Heavyweight Champion 1984 Feb 25 – 1985 Sep 21 Vacated	Succeeded by: Slobodan Kacar
Preceded by: Larry Holmes	IBF Heavyweight Champion 1985 Sep 21 – 1987 Feb 26 Stripped	Succeeded by: Tony Tucker