Michael Spinks Vs David Tua

Tua could certainly be outboxed but I’m not sure that this would be an ideal fight for Michael Spinks. I can see him winning some rounds and flustering Tua but I can’t see him taking too many of those shots

 

Tua by KO.

 

Spinks

 

Spinks outboxes him to a decision win.

People underestimate Spinks at heavyweight because of that Tyson loss, which was his only loss, but Tyson can close the distance quick, goes from body to head lightening fast and powerful and Spinks’ ankle was finished.

Had Spinks retired after the Cooney win, everyone would pick him against Tua.

Tua was flat footed and could be outboxed, if you kept your feet moving, stuck a long and versatile lead hand on him using feints, lead hooks, jabs and mixing it up, keep moving laterally, he wouldn’t get close enough to land clean punches, and Spinks can gain Tua’s respect with occasional fight hands.

Byrd didn’t have anywhere near the power Spinks had and was able to beat Tua.

If Byrd can…

 

If Spinks isn't crapping himself before the fight and goes in there with a champions mentality - I pick Spinks by decision.

Prime Mike Tyson was much better than prime Tua.

 

I don’t know…
couple of key differences:
- Byrd was in his prime at heavyweight Spinks wasn’t.
- Byrd was a southpaw
- Byrd showed he could survive real heavyweight power as displayed against both Klitschko brothers, Golata and then of course Tua. Spinks was getting staggered by shots from an aging Holmes.

To be clear Chris Byrd wasn’t better than Michael Spinks. But he was different in a way that was more conducive to beating David Tua as were the circumstances

 

IMO, Byrd didn’t get hit as clean as Spinks got hit against Tyson, only time he did was against Ibeabuchi, against the Klitschkos he rode many of the punches, so Spinks and Byrd’s chins could be the same, or very similar O suspect.

The thing that I do agree with is that the southpaw stance may indeed have made a great difference.

Holmes hurt Spinks because he’s Spinks’ height and can reach him better and is much more skilled at setting up punches, Tua didn’t hurt Byrd because he’s much shorter so Byrd can see everything coming and on top of that, he has cement feet and can’t get close enough as fast.

Between Spinks and Byrd, I’d actually say that Spinks has the better defence, Byrd’s may be more flashy, but Spinks is smarter with it, Byrd’s head movement is risky against shorter guys because he’s unnecessarily putting his head in their range, whereas Spinks would just keep it at range, could stay tight better and see punches coming better, he could use the jab and pull over the shoulder subtly to avoid returns.

Spinks’ defence was more subtle and less flashy, but smarter and allowed him to see punches coming better and not get hit clean as much, he also had head movement as well when he really needed it.

Byrd had to use his head movement because he got backed against the ropes because he couldn’t gain Tua respect, and had to use head movement as he had no room to just move back.

Spinks would be able to gain Tua’s respect as he could punch with both hands, would land the hard lead left hook and long right hands which would be able to stiffen Tua and keep him much more honest than Byrd and it would give Spinks more room to move laterally.

Also Tua wasn’t great at closing the ring off or closing the distance, so that combined with the fact Spinks can gain his respect will mean Spinks won’t get trapped in the corner very often, especially when he’s feinting, moving side to side with unpredictable movement and just bamboozling Tua and keeping him off balance.

 

I personally wouldn’t due to the circumstances surrounding Cooney in that fight. To me, that was not an accurate representation of what Cooney was capable of and this I don’t put as much stock into that win for Spinks as some do.

 

Nothing to do with the Cooney win, I mean because of the Tyson loss, because people now assume vulnerability in Spinks because of the Tyson loss, but I’d pick Tyson to stop every light heavyweight in history and early as well including all of the ones who had success at heavyweight, so it’s not a knock on Spinks and it doesn’t show vulnerability.

 

I keep harping on it but Spinks durability at heavyweight concerns me. He only really got hit in two fights. an aging holmes, never a big hitter, hurt him a few times and not always on 100% clean punches.

Tua's a bit of a plodder. He has huge power, great durability and his stamina is decent usually. Against an aggressive aged but in shape Holmes he had to give up the first handful or rounds, pretty much, due to the danger Holmes presented. Tua is going to present that danger all night, but in a less effective tho more powerful application.

This fight is just about as open as it gets, lets not kid ourselves. If we saw Spinks against a solid contender not names Holmes or Tyson we'd have a much better idea how this might go - but we didn't.

Spinks has plenty of heart and elite defense. I think he'd be a chance of surviving a knockdown in this one and potentially coming back to win. Gun to me head i'd probably go with him by decision but it would be a rather nervous watch.

 

Ah gotcha, I misunderstood the point you were getting across, my apologies old lad.

 

Dwight Qawi was around 5’7” and able to hit Spinks with some pretty flush shots. Spinks didn’t always use his height and reach to the best of his advantage. By the time he was fighting at heavyweight his knees were starting to give out on him. I acknowledge that it’s possible he might have won a decision but it honestly isn’t something I’d bet money on. Tua for all his shortcomings was a bull. He hit like a truck and had an iron chin.

 

Tua either in the first 30 seconds or last 30 seconds of the bout