Tyson vs Spinks

I saw the same. He tried to get respect and failed.

 

I never thought he went into that fight with the intent to win. Not that it would have mattered if he did

 

Spinks fought like he was supposed to fight. He didn't freeze on the spot and was a world class champion with numerous championship fights under his belt. Simply put, he got steamrolled.

 

Spinks has admitted "fear was knocking at my door big time" & you can see it.
Sometimes fearful folks come right at the opponent to either bluster, or at least subconsciously rush a man even if it is manifestly *not* the best strategy: to get it over with.

I believe this happened with Peter McNeeley.
Look at the stare down-or rather Peter not even looking near Tyson, but up in the air, looking disassociated & goofy.

Spinks was a legitimate great.
But even if his leg was fine, he was over-matched, & not a natural *modern* HW.

 

To be fair they were separated by 7lbs and 3 inches. There has been far greater size and weight disparities. Tyson just did to him what he was doing to everybody else.

 

That’s ironic because before the fight he was on David Letterman saying “ I’m a professional fighter…I don’t get scared “

 

You can’t really read too much into stare downs…there are some fighters who it just isn’t their thing …Oscar Delahoya for example

 

Tyson himself rarely did these. The McNeeley fight was one of the exceptions.

 

Sright. And even if he'd gone in and been determined to knock Tyson out of the ring, he'd have still been battered.

 

I agree. He took the fight for cash, didn't want to be there but wanted the check, tried to just survive, and didn't work. His purse was 13.5 mil, back in 88 which is around 32 mil in today's money. I can't blame him.

 

He was very scared, but the folks above are right I think. Michael DID try to get Mike's attention but Mike was too wound up. I think Spinks was further frightened by Mike's blowing off his shots like they were peanuts.

 

Yep. I saw the fight about a week after it happened live in the summer of 1988. Not once did it ever look to me like he tried or even wanted to be on there. And note, he never fought again after despite only being 31 years old

 

I am interested in the money equivalency-do you have a chart to compute the difference in real dollars or inflation between eras & years?