Michael Spinks vs. Tony Tucker

Michael Spins his jaw. (Edit, the reason I said this is because the title said ‘Michael Spins’ at the time’.
In all seriousness, Spinks can take away Tucker’s jab through level changing, being unpredictable with his feet to throw off Tucker’s range so he overcommits, this was something that Spinks was great at.

 

Spinks ducked Tucker an gave up his belt because he knew that at that time of his career he was only capable of beating old men past their primes, drunks an euro trash no hopers until he could cash in with a fight against prime Tyson. Tucker though still untested would’ve beaten him had he defended his title against him as scheduled

 

Did he duck him or did he go where the money is? There's a difference. Remember, boxing is how Spinks paid his bills, it's not all for glory and bragging rights. Spinks was getting like $250K to fight Tucker but $4 million to fight Cooney. I suspect that if he'd gotten $4 million to fight Tucker and $250K to fight Cooney, he'd fight Tucker.

 

Plus Spinks was an underdog against Cooney too. Few people expected him to stop Gerry the way he did. It wasn't an easier fight on paper. Tucker was widely unknown and his fight against Broad wasn't some type of masterclass that would make Spinks think "damn, he's dangerous, I'm gonna duck that guy".

 

Tucker. A big theme of my "Tucker was underrated" song is that Tucker was the best HW when Spinks was champ and at the end of Holmes reign.

Given the layout of the division Spinks really should have had to fight someone like Tucker, Witherspoon or Pinklon to get a title shot. At this point beating Holmes alone by the skin of his teeth was not proving he was the best HW. And the Cooney and Tangstad defenses are a lot more understandbale if Spinks had done anything at all at HW prior to winning his title.

 

August 1, 1987 would have been a good time to make this, with Spinks replacing Tyson in the finale of that tourney. That's basically the Cooney version of Spinks.

I think Tucker quite good around that time. He was 6'5", good mobility, good gas tank, put his punches together well, and seems to have had a granite chin, or something close to it. He never seemed the least bit bothered by some of the flush shots Tyson hit him with.

I think it's a competitive fight for 7 or 8 rounds while Tucker is trying to figure Spinks out, then...

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If Spinks fought and beat Tucker rather than Cooney, there'd be those today waxing poetic on how Spinks ducked Cooney because Tucker wasn't known as a puncher like Cooney and Spinks was afraid to take on a big heavyweight puncher.

 

100%. People forget Spinks was an underdog against Cooney.

 

Tony Tucker by stoppage

 

Tucker would win this. Likely by decision.

 

Spinks by DEC, Tucker was no near Holmes in anything.

 

Spinks by UD

 

Spinks

 

Spinks