Mike Tyson vs. Michael Spinks
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Mike Tyson Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2005. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "The Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson is cons ...
vs. Michael Spinks, billed as ''Once and For All'', was a
professional boxing Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse bid, purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regula ...
match which took place on June 27, 1988. Both fighters were undefeated and each had a claim to being the legitimate
heavyweight champion At boxing's beginning, the heavyweight division had no weight limit, and historically the weight class has gone with vague or no definition. During the 19th century many heavyweights were 170 pounds (12 st 2 lb, 77 kg) or less, thou ...
. At the time, Tyson held the belts of all three of the major sanctioning organizations ( WBA,
WBC WBC may stand for: Business *Westinghouse Broadcasting Company, a former large India broadcaster now folded into CBS *Westpac (New Delhi Exchange code: WBC), a multinational Financial services company *Wholesale Broadband Connect, BT Wholesale's ...
, and
IBF The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Counci ...
) while Spinks was '' The Ring'' and ''Boxing Illustrated'' magazine champion, regarded as "The People's Champion," and was considered the lineal champion. The fight was held at the Convention Hall,
Atlantic City Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...
,
New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
U.S., it was at the time the richest fight in boxing history, grossing some $70 million, of which Tyson earned a record purse of around $22 million and Spinks $13.5 million. Tyson won the fight, knocking out Spinks in 91 seconds.


Background

Tyson had won HBO’s ''
Heavyweight World Series The heavyweight unification series, also known as the Heavyweight World Series, was a sequence of professional boxing matches held in 1986 and 1987 to crown an undisputed champion of the heavyweight class. The series was produced by HBO Sports and ...
'', which saw all three major sanctioning bodies cooperate with HBO and Don King Productions to stage a tournament that would produce an undisputed world heavyweight champion. Over the course of eighteen months, he took the WBC title from
Trevor Berbick Trevor Berbick (1 August 1954 – 28 October 2006) was a Jamaican professional boxer who competed from 1976 to 2000. He won the WBC heavyweight title in 1986 by defeating Pinklon Thomas, then lost it in his first defense in the same year to Mi ...
, the WBA title from James “Bonecrusher” Smith, and the IBF title from Tony Tucker and became the first fighter to be regarded as undisputed champion since Leon Spinks in 1978. However, while Tyson was the sanctioning bodies’ champion, he had not garnered universal recognition as champion. Spinks had entered the tournament as the IBF champion, a title he had held since defeating Larry Holmes in 1985. He competed in two bouts in the tournament and won them both, a disputed 15-round decision in a rematch with Holmes and a knockout over
Steffen Tangstad Steffen Tangstad (born 22 June 1959) is a Norwegian retired professional boxer and two time European Heavyweight Champion. Tangstad fought Michael Spinks for the IBF Heavyweight title on 6 September 1986, losing as a result of a fourth round kno ...
. This had set up a match between Spinks and Tucker, the IBF’s top contender, but Spinks began negotiating to fight Gerry Cooney instead of Tucker and the IBF responded by stripping Spinks, taking him out of the tournament. Despite this, Spinks was still recognized by '' The Ring'' as its world champion and was also still considered to be the lineal champion, honors which he had yet to be defeated for.


History

Michael Spinks became a professional boxer shortly after he won the gold medal at
middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have be ...
in the
1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phi ...
. Initially, Spinks was more concerned with assisting his brother
Leon Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to: Places Europe * León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León * Province of León, Spain * Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again fro ...
's rise to the heavyweight championship, but was later convinced to turn pro himself. In 1981 Spinks fought Eddie Mustafa Muhammad for the WBA
light heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruise ...
championship and defeated him by decision to win his first world title. The next year Spinks won the
WBC WBC may stand for: Business *Westinghouse Broadcasting Company, a former large India broadcaster now folded into CBS *Westpac (New Delhi Exchange code: WBC), a multinational Financial services company *Wholesale Broadband Connect, BT Wholesale's ...
title from Dwight Braxton in 1983 to become the undisputed champion. In 1984, Spinks added the newly created
IBF The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Counci ...
title. In September 1985, after having defended his titles a combined total of ten times, Spinks moved up to the heavyweight class to challenge reigning IBF, ''Ring'', and lineal champion Larry Holmes, who had been champion since 1978. Spinks defeated Holmes in a fifteen-round decision to become the first reigning light heavyweight champion to win the heavyweight championship. Spinks defeated Holmes again in a rematch and then successfully defended his title against
Steffen Tangstad Steffen Tangstad (born 22 June 1959) is a Norwegian retired professional boxer and two time European Heavyweight Champion. Tangstad fought Michael Spinks for the IBF Heavyweight title on 6 September 1986, losing as a result of a fourth round kno ...
. Instead of defending his IBF title against top contender Tony Tucker, Spinks elected to take a more lucrative fight with former contender Gerry Cooney, who had fought three times in five years, in June 1987. The IBF responded by stripping Spinks of the title, but he was still in possession of the lineal and ''Ring'' titles and was considered by many to still be the rightful champion.
Mike Tyson Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2005. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "The Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson is cons ...
turned professional in 1985 and won his first 19 fights by
knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...
, quickly garnering media attention and establishing an "aura of invincibility". In November 1986 Tyson knocked out
Trevor Berbick Trevor Berbick (1 August 1954 – 28 October 2006) was a Jamaican professional boxer who competed from 1976 to 2000. He won the WBC heavyweight title in 1986 by defeating Pinklon Thomas, then lost it in his first defense in the same year to Mi ...
to win the
WBC WBC may stand for: Business *Westinghouse Broadcasting Company, a former large India broadcaster now folded into CBS *Westpac (New Delhi Exchange code: WBC), a multinational Financial services company *Wholesale Broadband Connect, BT Wholesale's ...
heavyweight title; at 20 years old, Tyson was the youngest heavyweight champion in history. In his very next fight Tyson faced James "Bonecrusher" Smith, who had won the WBA title in an upset over
Tim Witherspoon Tim Witherspoon (born December 27, 1957) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1979 to 2003. He was a two-time world heavyweight champion, having held the WBC title in 1984, and the WBA title in 1986. Witherspoon also wor ...
earlier in 1986, and defeated him by unanimous decision. Tyson then took a tune-up fight against former world champion
Pinklon Thomas Pinklon Thomas (born February 10, 1958) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1978 to 1993. He was boxing's first 'Centennial Champion' (1886-1986), and held the WBC heavyweight title from 1984 to 1986, along with being the ...
and knocked him out in six rounds, then waited for the result of a fight between Tucker and James 'Buster' Douglas for the vacant IBF title that had been stripped from Spinks. Tyson faced Tucker, the winner, in August 1987 and won by unanimous decision, becoming the first fighter to unify all three major titles. Tyson then defended his unified title three times, by knocking out Olympic gold medalist
Tyrell Biggs Tyrell Biggs (born December 22, 1960) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1984 to 1998, and challenged once for the undisputed heavyweight title in 1987. As an amateur he won a gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics, having ...
in October 1987 in seven rounds, facing a returning Larry Holmes in January 1988 and knocking him out in four rounds, and finally by knocking out another former world champion
Tony Tubbs Tony Tubbs (born February 15, 1958) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1980 to 2006, and held the WBA heavyweight title from 1985 to 1986. Amateur career As an amateur, Tony Tubbs competed in 253 bouts, compiling a reco ...
in two rounds two months later. By 1988 Tyson had become "the most talked about – and marketable – heavyweight champion since
Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...
".


Build up

Interest in a showdown between Tyson and Spinks grew to settle the issue of who the real champion was, but negotiations were protracted because Tyson's co-managers
Bill Cayton William D'Arcy Cayton (June 6, 1918 – October 4, 2003) was a boxing promoter and manager. Clients included Mike Tyson, who sued him, yet retained him as manager when the two settled the lawsuit four years later, in 1988. Cayton also acted a ...
and Jimmy Jacobs and Spinks' manager
Butch Lewis Ronald "Butch" Everett Lewis (June 26, 1946 – July 23, 2011) was an American boxing promoter and manager. He is best known for having managed the careers of boxing brothers Leon and Michael Spinks. Born in Woodbury, N.J., but raised in Philadelp ...
struggled to agree on terms. Negotiations temporarily broke down when Lewis insisted on a $15 million guarantee for his fighter. Annoyed at constantly being asked about the fight, Tyson eventually demanded that his managers reach an agreement with Lewis. By April an agreement had been reached, although another problem arose when the IBF threatened to strip Tyson of their title if the fight was not scheduled for 15 rounds. IBF president Bob Lee then relented, not wanting his organisation to be absent from the biggest fight of the year, and agreed to a 12-round limit.
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
bid a record site fee of $11 million to stage the fight at the
Atlantic City Convention Hall Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, formerly known as the Historic Atlantic City Convention Hall, is a multi-purpose arena in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Atlantic City in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, New Jersey. It was Atlantic City's pri ...
, adjacent to his own Trump Plaza. Tyson would earn between $18 million and $22 million depending on fight revenues, the highest purse received by a boxer until James 'Buster' Douglas made $25 million for fighting
Evander Holyfield Evander Holyfield (born October 19, 1962) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1984 and 2011. He reigned as the undisputed champion at cruiserweight in the late 1980s and at heavyweight in the early 1990s, and is the on ...
in 1990. Spinks earned a flat $13.5 million, more than all his other fight purses combined. Billed as "Once and for All", the fight was highly anticipated and earned comparisons with the 1971
Fight of the Century Joe Frazier vs. Muhammad Ali, billed as ''The Fight Of The Century'' or simply ''The Fight'', was a heavyweight championship boxing match between WBA, WBC, and ''The Ring'' heavyweight champion Joe Frazier and former undisputed heavyweight champ ...
between
Joe Frazier Joseph William Frazier (January 12, 1944November 7, 2011), nicknamed "Smokin' Joe", was an American professional boxer who competed from 1965 to 1981. He was known for his strength, durability, formidable left hand, and relentless pressure fi ...
and
Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...
, who were also undefeated heavyweight champions when they met to decide the undisputed title. Reports of Tyson's chaotic personal life also increased interest in the bout. In the days leading up to the fight, one or both men featured on the cover of
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,
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,
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and
Ring Magazine ''The Ring'' (often called ''The Ring'' magazine or ''Ring'' magazine) is an American boxing magazine that was first published in 1922 as a boxing and wrestling magazine. As the sporting legitimacy of professional wrestling came more into questio ...
. Celebrities such as Jack Nicholson,
Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Enzio Stallone (; born Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone, ) is an American actor and filmmaker. After his beginnings as a struggling actor for a number of years upon arriving to New York City in 1969 and later Hollywood in 1974, h ...
,
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,
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,
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,
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, Billy Crystal, George Steinbrenner, Carl Weathers,
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and
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would all be in attendance. A ringside ticket would cost a record $1,500. Co-promoter
Shelly Finkel Sheldon "Shelly" Finkel (born June 27, 1944) is an American boxing and music manager and promoter. Finkel received the Boxing Writers Association of America ''Manager of the Year'' award in 1990 and 1993. He was inducted into the International ...
predicted that the bout would surpass '' Marvin Hagler vs. Sugar Ray Leonard'' and become the highest grossing fight in boxing history. The bout represented a contrast of styles, with Tyson's "speed and devastating power" up against "the unorthodox style of Spinks... who rarely looks impressive but has always found a way to win." Opinions on the fight were mixed, although in general more pundits favoured Tyson. Larry Holmes, the only man to have faced both fighters, predicted a Tyson win by knockout in "two to three rounds". Former world champions Jake LaMotta and Billy Conn and trainers
Gil Clancy Gilbert Thomas Clancy (May 30, 1922 – March 31, 2011) was a Hall of Fame boxing trainer and one of the most noted boxing commentators of the 1980s and 1990s. He worked with such famous boxers as Muhammad Ali, Jerry Quarry, Joe Frazier, a ...
,
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and
Richie Giachetti Richie Giachetti (April 20, 1940 – February 3, 2016) was an American boxing Personal trainer, trainer who worked with a number of world boxing champions, champions including Larry Holmes and Mike Tyson. He was born in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. Gi ...
all picked Tyson to win by knockout, as did Gerry Cooney and
Dan Duva Dan Duva (7 November 1951 – 30 January 1996) was an American boxing promoter who promoted or co-promoted over 100 world championship fights through his family-run business, Main Events. Under his leadership Main Events promoted such notab ...
.
Ray Arcel Ramil "Ray" Arcel (August 30, 1899 – March 7, 1994) was an American boxing trainer who was active from the 1920s through the 1980s. He trained 20 world champions. Life and career Arcel was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, the son of Rose (Wachsma ...
thought Tyson would win on points. IBF middleweight champion Frank Tate gave Tyson the edge, while trainer
Lou Duva Louis Duva (May 28, 1922 – March 8, 2017) was a boxing trainer, manager and boxing promoter who handled nineteen world champions. The Duva family promoted boxing events in over twenty countries on six continents. Lou Duva was inducted into the ...
felt that Tyson would ultimately have too much power for Spinks. James Smith, who had lost a decision to Tyson the previous year, said that for Spinks to win he would "need to take me in the ring with him." Emmanuel Steward's prediction was "Tyson, Tyson, Tyson." Another former heavyweight champion,
George Foreman George Edward Foreman (born January 10, 1949) is an American former professional boxer, entrepreneur, minister and author. In boxing, he was nicknamed "Big George" and competed between 1967 and 1997. He is a two-time world heavyweight champio ...
, also predicted a Tyson win. Muhammad Ali thought Spinks would win, as "he hits hard enough, he'll stick and move, he's fast on his feet, and he'll keep his distance." Tony Zale and sportswriter
Bert Sugar Herbert Randolph Sugar (June 7, 1936 – March 25, 2012) was an American boxing writer and sports historian known for his trademark fedora and unlit cigar. Biography Early life and education Sugar was born in Washington, D.C. on June 7, 1936. ...
backed Spinks to out-box Tyson. Dave Anderson of the ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' wrote that Spinks would win, "probably in a 12-round decision. But possibly in a late-round knockout." Reigning WBA welterweight champion Marlon Starling, veteran announcer Don Dunphy and Tyson's former trainer Teddy Atlas also favoured Spinks. Contender
Meldrick Taylor Meldrick Taylor (born October 19, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1984 to 2002. He is a two-weight world champion, having held the IBF junior welterweight title from 1988 to 1990, and the WBA welterweight title ...
felt Tyson would win if it ended in a knockout, but favoured Spinks if it went the distance. 1940s middleweight champion Rocky Graziano predicted Spinks would "psych out Tyson, then knock the hell out of him." Archie Moore gave Spinks "a wonderful chance" of winning. Sugar Ray Leonard gave Spinks genuine chances to outpoint Tyson. Floyd Patterson, who like Tyson had been trained by Cus D'Amato, said "I originally picked him yson and I still do, but now I give Spinks a chance." Spinks entered the ring as a 4–1 underdog.


The fight

Minutes before the fighters were due to enter the ring, there was a commotion in Tyson's dressing room when
Butch Lewis Ronald "Butch" Everett Lewis (June 26, 1946 – July 23, 2011) was an American boxing promoter and manager. He is best known for having managed the careers of boxing brothers Leon and Michael Spinks. Born in Woodbury, N.J., but raised in Philadelp ...
noticed a bump in Tyson's gloves and demanded his hands be re-wrapped. The commotion continued with Lewis insistent that he would not let the fight start until the bump was smoothed out. The matter was only resolved when Spinks' trainer Eddie Futch was called in, and he accepted that Tyson's gloves were fine. Though he was trying to protect his fighter's interests, Lewis later admitted that he had also seen a chance to "pull a little psyche" on Tyson. Instead, Tyson had just been angered by the delay. When Lewis had left and Tyson once again prepared to leave his dressing room, he told his trainer Kevin Rooney: "you know, I'm gonna hurt this guy." Tyson attacked Spinks from the opening bell, landing a solid left hook in the first ten seconds and forcing Spinks to cover up. Spinks clinched and was driven back to the ropes by another Tyson attack. He moved off the ropes but Tyson trapped him again; a left uppercut and a right hand to the body forced Spinks to take a knee after a minute, which marked the second time Spinks had been knocked down in his professional career since a controversial ruled knockdown against Dwight Muhammad Qawi during the eighth round of their 1983 encounter. Spinks took a count of four before rising. As the two men moved towards each other Tyson turned away from a Spinks right hand and responded with a left-right combination to the head which put Spinks down again. This time he was unable to rise and referee Frank Cappuccino counted him out. The fight was over after 91 seconds, presently the sixth shortest heavyweight title fight in history. Just ten punches were landed, eight by Tyson, two by Spinks. The round was named '' round of the year'' for 1988 by
Ring Magazine ''The Ring'' (often called ''The Ring'' magazine or ''Ring'' magazine) is an American boxing magazine that was first published in 1922 as a boxing and wrestling magazine. As the sporting legitimacy of professional wrestling came more into questio ...
. Afterwards Spinks said: "I came to fight like I said I would. I just tried to do what I knew I had to do, and that was fight. Not that I stood toe to toe with him, but I tried to take the shot and I came up short." Futch opined that Spinks was undone because he abandoned his gameplan of boxing and moving early on and instead tried to win Tyson's respect. Spinks later conceded that "fear was knocking at my door big time." Tyson said "The first punch I threw, he wobbled a bit. I knew right there I had him," adding "my trainer told me before the fight that he bet both our purses that I would knock him out in the first round. So I went out and knocked him out in the first round. And later I found out he was fooling." Tyson dedicated the win to Jimmy Jacobs, who had died in March.


Aftermath

Tyson vs. Spinks was the richest fight in boxing history up to that point, grossing around $70 million, $10 million more than the previous record holder, the
Marvin Hagler vs. Sugar Ray Leonard Marvin Hagler vs. Sugar Ray Leonard, billed as ''The Super Fight'', was a professional boxing match contested on April 6, 1987 for the WBC and ''The Ring'' middleweight titles. Background In the late summer of 1986, negotiations began for a pr ...
bout in 1987. came from the 21,785 live gate, almost double the previous live gate record of $6.8 million set by Hagler vs. Leonard. 700,000 households bought the fight on
pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program guid ...
television,Douglas-Holyfield Draws Record Pay-per-view Fans
Orlando Sentinel article, 1990-10-12, Retrieved on 2014-03-15
generating . A further tickets were sold at closed-circuit theatre TV venues, generating . The fight also surpassed the 1987 Super Bowl as the highest-grossing single day sporting event in history. It is estimated to have generated $344 million in gambling revenues in
Atlantic City Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...
, over $100 million more than a typical four-day weekend in June. The Trump Plaza casino achieved a record drop of $11.5 million on the day of the fight. Spinks never boxed again and announced his retirement from the sport a month later. The Tyson fight was the only loss of his professional career. Tyson also spoke of retiring, hinting that "this may be my last fight." The win over Spinks has been described as the pinnacle of Tyson's boxing career. It was also his last fight under longtime trainer Kevin Rooney, who was dismissed by Tyson in December. Tyson made two more successful title defences before losing to James 'Buster' Douglas in a major upset in 1990. He continued fighting until 2005, but was unable to replicate his earlier achievements. Tyson and Spinks have both been inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame.


Undercard


References


External links


BoxrecFight Highlights
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tyson, Spinks 1988 in boxing 1988 in sports in New Jersey Spinks World Boxing Association heavyweight championship matches World Boxing Council heavyweight championship matches International Boxing Federation heavyweight championship matches June 1988 sports events in the United States Boxing matches at Boardwalk Hall