"M. Spinks vs. E.M. Muhammad" from '81.. Good stuff..

Vonvell Johnson was a really good boxer, had Angie Dundee working with him. I was hoping for good things for him. Spinks/ gregory, good fight. Great win for Spimks, Gregory was a great boxer also, lots of good lightheavys back then.

 

10-4...

Mr.bill

 

Eddie M. was doing a boxing clinic on Spinks for 8 rds without doubt..... However, that strain to make 175 began to tell by rounds 9 and over..... Spinks had his hands full until round 12, than he just took over to close the show and earn the 15 rd. decision..... Eddie M. ran outta steam cuz making 175 damn near killed him......

MR.BILL

 

What? ...No.

Eddie had more success early on, like many of Spinks' opponents, but he was at no point putting on a clinic. That's just a ridiculous overstatement, Bill.

 

Then again Mustafa Muhammad was an entirely different task than Qawi (not necessarily better, just different, more difficult for Spinks to deal with). I tend to think a fight between them would've always been similar. Hell, I don't even think it's a given that Spinks beats every version of Mustafa.

 

Well, by 1981, its no bull**** that E.M. Muhammad was not gonna get any better at 175, while Spinks at 16-0 was still green and a wee bit raw in winning the WBA title.... I think Spinks learned a lot against a drained, but slick E. M. Muhammad in July 1981... Spinks was much more tuned and seasoned by March 1983 when he schooled a passive Qawi in Jersey..... Me thinks so.......

SR.BILL

 

I have the tape here, and I was reviewing it earlier... Its true Spinks stayed in the pocket and fenced with Muhammad, but Spinks was missing lotsa' key shots... Spinks was having issues for the first 8 rds getting his offense going..... Muhammad was getting off with jabs.... Not a whole lot of intense action was happening, but Muhammad was looking good for a guy who dropped weight the day of the fight...

MR.BILL:bbb

 

Looking good? Enjoying success? Yeah, I can accept those statements, but to say Eddie was putting on a clinic is a little too much. You don't think?

 

Okay, Okay.... Perhaps I was a little aggressive in that initial statement...:yep

Still, yes, Eddie was fine early on and was not showing any weakness prior to round 8......
:deal

MR.BILL:hat

 

It was competitive early on, but Spinks took over. That jab was just great, and Spinks also showed his explosiveness but launching that combo out of nowhere that dropped Eddie. Eddie still showed his abilities, unfortunately the guy seemed to be lacking that fire and discipline to make it to the next level. I loved his left hook to the body.

 

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9rJRYVRz2A[/ame]

 

Again, as I've said before, Eddie M. strained to make 175, but also looked porky when he fought a regular fight in the 180s..... He looked lean at 175... However, I remember seeing Eddie around 187 on ESPN in the early 1980s and Eddie had a pork belly going on....

MR.BILL

 

I hear what you're saying, I just think the best version of Mustafa/Gregory (which wasn't the '81 version) would always be a stylistic dilemma for Spinks, who'd have to rely on outlasting and out-punching him to win, similar to how he won their actual fight. That's the thing that separated Spinks from the others, he knew how to adapt/what strategy to use to beat his man, no matter what their strengths were. That's often why he was such a slow starter against many opponents, too.

 

The thing that concerns me about Eddie M. is, he out-grew 160 in the middle 1970s and also had issues with 175 by circa---'80..... And, once again, at 187 or so on ESPN in the early 1980s, Eddie M. was a porker....... Eddie still won, but he looked sloppy and soft....

MR.BILL

NOTE:

I was pissed like the Dickens in the summer of '83 when Eddie weighed 177 1/2 for the Spinks rematch on HBO, but refused to shed the weight in the sauna.... UGH! Later on in the day, the commish tried to do a non-title fight, but then team Spinks declined the offer........ ARGH!

MR.BILL

 

I might be wrong about 187 according to Boxrec, but I saw Eddie M. in the 180s when he stopped some jack-off named 'Elvis Parks' on ESPN in the 1980s and Eddie looked a slob..... Over 180, Eddie had love handles....

MR.BILL