Looking at Michael Spinks career

Great boxer with a very tricky style to defuse.

Didn't know Cooney was in that state on the night but Spinks took him asunder worse than Holmes did.

He would do well in this era's HW division. The Spinks jinx was a terror.

 

Spinks was a fine fighter but don't put too much creedence in that one, given the circumstances.
Eddie was THE complete package, ruined only by his own demons.

 

Yes, something about the people around Cooney as well as Cooney himself. Just troubled. Then the drugs and alcohol. Also, as mentioned by Titan1, Gerry was not right after the Holmes fight.

 

He won the first - one point in front on my scorecard. Never seen the second fight. No doubt he got Holmes at the right time - but his fortune changed against Tyson. It was a shocker, nobody expected Tyson to end the fight so quickly.
Haven´t heard much from Spinks since the defeat. Hope he is well these days.

 

Big fan. It's interesting how we peg a fighter with so few total career fights as an ATG, but the shoe fits. He was the real thing.

I don't even think of his heavyweight career when I think of Spinks. I think of the LHW who could box smartly (his effort against Qawi is highly underrated), knock you out with one shot from either hand (which is actually kind of rare), and out-think you. That was probably his best attribute, I'd say; his ability to think on the fly and employ any number of styles.

 

He definitely cought Holmes at the right time. It was his 3rd fight in only 9 months , he was burnt out and had just come off a war against Carl Williams.

He had time to recoup for the rematch a year later and did a lot better.

 

I think he was an all-time great. I think both fights with Holmes were close and could have gone either way. If it had been Ali in there instead of Holmes, Ali would have been given both decisions. He always got the benefit of the doubt in close rounds/fights.

Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't his KO loss to Tyson the only time he hit the deck as a pro?

 

I remember watching that fight, Spinks closed his eye, beat the hell outta him, and came close to stopping him, and i don't think Eddie had any interest in a rematch..
I do agree with most on here that Holmes was robbed, in the rematch with Spinks..:deal

 

Still think Eddie was going to lose that one, even if he was top notch.

 

I happen to think Spiinks was a terrific light heavyweight. His fight against Qwai was a masterpiece. I don't know if he is top ten or not as there were many terrific fighters in that division who had so many more fights. Off the bat I take Langford, Foster, Charles and Moore over him. Maybe Harold Johnson, Billy Conn, John Henry Lewis and Tommy Loughran as well. That's off the top of my head. I always thought he caught Eddie Mustafa Muhammad at a perfect time as well.

 

I absolutely love this post and couldn't agree more:good!

 

yes totally agree, I think overall Spinks is under-rated as a LHW. I see him in the top 5 ATG at LHW, yes not a lot of fights, however, H2H I could see Spinks giving all the top LHWs ATGs a run for their money.

 

Really? Not better than Chad Dawson? Their resume equal at 168/175? Are you sure you want that on record?

 

No offense Boxed Ears but Spinks would have flat out KO`d Dawson. They really aren't in the same league... Dawson, he of shaky chin who could also get outhustled,never fought anywhere near the caliber of fighters that Spinks fought. And Spinks NEVER tasted defeat at 175. Marvin Johnson (who was almost decapitated by Spinks brutal left uppercut) would have stopped Dawson as well. Spinks would have done in Dawson by the 3rd... Spinks IMO, is in the top 5 lt.heavy ATG

 

Just because they were linear champs does not mean they were great fighters when he fought them, I mean some of them weren't great fighters in the 1st place-Antonio Tarver,c'mon. But hey, if you insist.Cheers