It's a myth that Spinks was scared

Boxers often say that about fights they end up winning.

 

Michael definitely had a game plan to throw right leads. Not counting taking a knee and the final countout, he was in the ring with Mike Tyson for a little less than 1:15 and repeatedly threw right leads. That doesn’t happen by accident … that’s what Futch had cooked up.

I’d love to know the thinking behind it. Probably expected Mike to be ready to pounce on countering the jab from the start so figured throw the right lead he doesn’t expect and maybe catch him flush (it was a good weapon against Cooney) and at least get a bit of respect to stop Tyson’s balls-to-the-walls early assault and make him rethink rushing in full force with guns a-blazin’. Then maybe after 2-3 rounds when Mike gears down try to get the jab going.

Good plan. Didn’t work.

 

Agree. Spinks never struck me as entering that ring thinking he could win.

 

I noticed that he was throwing the right lead. But he wasn't throwing it with much conviction. He was also falling in behind it and tying up, which made me think that he had seen the Holmes fight. But I don't think that Michael had much faith in the fight plan.

 

Spinks always looked like that. Anyone who thinks he was afraid based on how he entered the ring has never seen him fight before.

 

Holmes also had that gameplan (mixed with right uppercuts when Tyson was coming in and then tying him up).

 

Even Berbick wasn't seriously injured or dead

 

Spinks had the skills to do what Douglas or Holmes did. I don't know if he had the physicality though.

 

Poor Marvis Frazier looked like he might’ve been.

 

Spinks was a big puncher at light heavyweight and showed some pop against Cooney, but even at his best, Cooney wasn't as durable as Tyson anyway. Even if Spinks landed flush, I don't know how much it hurts Tyson, if at all.

 

It isn't so much about hurting him with that first punch as it is about hitting him hard enough to make him think about the next one. But he wasn't throwing those punches with much, if any, venom behind them.

 

Skills but not the plan

 

That’s it Pat “Good plan. Didn’t work.” So much is timing, you can have the exact road map laid out to beat Tyson, Ali, Klitschko and still lose… they’re thinking, they’re adjusting to you and it’s a game of a million little changes. To quote Robinson “rhythm is everything” there is only so many notes to play, so many ways of doing everything that it’s all sequence when you’ve learnt all the basics.

 

Yeah when you fight someone better, your coach if smart and willing to accept reality will think outside the box if necessary to come up with a plan that gives you a chance — if everything works. But if you’re holding a pair of deuces and the other guy has a royal flush, you’re trying to get him to fold his hand because once the cards are on the table we’re going to know what the difference is.

 

Could be. After taking Tyson’s speed and power, he might have been hesitating thinking about the counter left hook.

It goes to show you — Eddie Futch is as good a tactician as ever lived in the fight game. He’s the guy that was like other football coaches said Bear Bryant was …’he can take his (players) and beat yours or he can take yours and beat his’ … and yet that’s the best he could come up with for this particular fighter vs that particular fighter.

Also, even the best aren’t perfect. I don’t think it was a good plan but I doubt anyone else could come up with a better idea to have Michael Spinks beat Mike Tyson.