I know there was absolutely no reason for Spinks to fight anymore after 1988. He had already captured and lost the greatest prize in boxing was lucratively wealthy. But for conversation sake could he have dropped down to cruiser after try Tyson loss? He would have had to go from 212 down to about 194 or something like that. He was now 32 years of age. Holyfield had vacated the division to move up to heavy the same summer Spinks fought Tyson. So the prospect of Michael beating guys like DeLeon, Massimiliano Duran, and Anaclet Wamba wasn’t out of the question IF he could make the weight I suppose
He was 200 for the first Holmes fight if I'm not mistaken. He could probably have made 190-199. I believe that if Spinks fought in the 60s or prior eras, he would have competed as a light heavyweight and heavyweight like his predecessors Archie Moore, Ezzard Charles, Joey Maxim, Harold Johnson etc.
Could of and maybe should of. You don't want that brutal knockout being the last thing people remember about you. I don't think cruiser was ever discussed, but I remember that a Holyfield fight was, although I don't think any actual offers were on the table.
Don’t think so. By the time of the Tyson fight Michael’s legs were completely shot, which is why he showed up at a career high 212. Michael couldn’t train hard anymore. Michael showed up to collect the monster payday against Tyson and wisely gave up boxing.
I respectfully disagree. He was maybe a few lbs. softer, & his knees may have been close to shot, but I do not know about him as a boxer. To answer the OP, it would be EASY to lose weight-190's would be a piece of cake! Even a bit under that-CW THEN-certainly plausible. He would lose some fat, then with just day before weigh ins he could make it. But he also could just shed some of the muscle he built up. Was he not working out hard training for Tyson? He could train hard many ways, such as swimming, rowing, lifting weights (ideally circuit training for endurance not bulk...) Question is were his knees good enough to hold up for enough sparring to be very effective?
The question to me is why didn't he stop at Cruiserweight before going to Heavyweight in 1985? He could have added a belt so then he could go to the Heavyweight division as a two time world champion by easily beating Sugar De Leon-who should be in the IBHOF in my NSHO, Piet Crous or Lee Roy Murphy, making a few extra bucks while doing so. The answer to that is because Larry Holmes was apparently shot, having just won via robbery versus Carl Williams, Spinks had the desire to avenge his brother Leon's 1981 loss to Holmes, and Holmes had the IBF and the lineal (spurious as the term lineal is in the Heavyweight division) titles. So, Spinks wanted obviously the Heavyweight title very bad at that time. As far as after the Tyson loss, well Spinks' legacy was secured, his fame was secured, his money was secured, and as we get older, it becomes more difficult to lose weight, so why would he lose all that weight? and take a fight versus the above mentioned De Leon who by circumstances-Spinks having to lose weight-and also by talent would be now more dangerous than in 1985, or against the other champions of the day? True, going down in weight and winning a title at Cruiserweight in 1988-89-90 would mean he retired as a three division world champion and possibly as a current world champion but was the risk of losing to a lesser talent worth it? Maybe. Maybe not.
I honestly think that Spinks could have made super middleweight before he stepped up, had he seen any benefit in doing so.
In that time there was no money or glamour at 190/ 195 which was the cruiser limit depending on the sanctioning body. It was a new and very shallow division of blown up 175lbers and small heavies. Holyfield was there to get belts, grow and get ready for HW. Moorer skipped it entirely. Better a top 20 heavy than an alphabet cruiser, or jr. heavyweight as one of the 3 belts was called. Personally, i think cruiser in the late 80s could have been great with Spinks, Moorer, Cooper and Holy, but if the stories of Spinks knees being gone are true i can see why he cashed out at Heavy and took the L against a peak Tyson. Michael was an ATG 175 man and could have been an ATG cruiser if the division had started a decade earlier and there was decent money there. BTW Holy, in an interview with the Ring, credited Spinks as inspiration for smaller skilled men at heavy.
Not sure how successful he could have been if he had. Maybe like RJJ after beating Ruiz and finding himself suddenly vulnerable.
He would have made it very easily, but he’d probably end up losing to someone he shouldn’t by that point.
I would say he could have gotten Mickey Shilstone to work with him so he would have easily made it. Spinks worked with him for the Holmes fights. Big reason why he became first light heavyweight champ to win the Heavyweight title. The work they did was ground breaking. Unlike past light heavyweight champs that would fight for the heavier title and would come in a few pounds over the limit in the 180s Spinks bulked up to 200 but a solid conditioned 200 or 199 1/2 whatever it was.
