Michael Spinks
(the "Jinx")

BORN   July 13 1956; St. Louis, Missouri
HEIGHT 6-1 (Some sources report 6-2 1/2)
WEIGHT 166-212 1/4 lbs
MANAGER Butch Lewis
TRAINER Eddie Futch

Spinks was an excellent Light Heavyweight Champion who moved up and accomplished what so many Light Heavies could not do - capture the ultimate prize in boxing - the Heavyweight Championship of the World; Michael was tall, boxed well and carried a stiff, devastating punch

He is most famous for two Heavyweight Championship bouts against Larry Holmes in which he won the title and defended it; His amateur victories in route to an Olympic Gold Medal in 1976 and his very last professional fight - the quick loss to Mike Tyson - also come to mind

Herb Goldman ranked Spinks as the #6 All-Time Light Heavyweight; Michael was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1994

*** AMATEUR BOUTS (93-7, 35 KO) ***

1975
       Tom Sullivan                 Shreveport, La                   L  3
          -National AAU 165 lbs Championship Competition; 
           Spinks won the Silver Medal

1976
       Lamont Kirkland              Miami, Fl                       WF  3
          -National Golden Gloves Middleweight Championship

       Keith Broom                  Cincinnati, Oh                   W  3
          -United States Olympic Trials - Middleweight Championship
           Spinks won the Middleweight Competition

       Jean-Marie Emebe             Montreal, Que, Can          W Forf   
       Ryszard Pasiewicz            Montreal, Que, Can               W  3
       Alec Nastac                  Montreal, Que, Can          W Forf   
       Rufat Riskiev                Montreal, Que, Can              TK  3
          -The previous 4 bouts were part of the Olympic Middleweight
           Competition; Spinks won the Gold Medal


*** PROFESSIONAL BOUTS ***

1977
Apr 16 Eddie Benson                 Las Vegas, Nv                   KO  1
May  7 Luis Rodriguez               St. Louis, Mo                    W  6
Jun  1 Joe Borden                   Montreal, Que, Can              KO  2
Aug 23 Jasper Brisbane              Philadelphia, Pa                TK  1
Sep 13 Ray Elson                    Los Angeles, Ca                 KO  1
Oct 22 Gary Summerhays              Las Vegas, Nv                    W  8

1978
Feb 15 Tom Bethea                   Las Vegas, Nv                    W  8
Dec 15 Eddie Phillips               White Plains, NY                KO  4

1979
Nov 24 Marc Hans                    Bloomington, Mn                 TK  1

1980
Feb  1 Johnny Wilburn               Louisville, Ky                   W  8
Feb 24 Ramon Ranquello              Atlantic City, NJ               TK  6
May  4 Murray Sutherland            Kiamesha Lake, NY                W 10
Aug  2 David Conteh                 Baton Rouge, La                 TK  9
Oct 18 Alvaro "Yaqui" Lopez         Atlantic City, NJ               TK  7

1981
Jan 24 Willie Taylor                Philadelphia, Pa                TK  8
Mar 28 Marvin Johnson               Atlantic City, NJ               KO  4
Jul 18 Eddie Mustafa Muhammad       Las Vegas, Nv                    W 15
          -WBA Light Heavyweight Championship of the World
Nov  7 Vonzell Johnson              Atlantic City, NJ               TK  7
          -WBA Light Heavyweight Championship of the World

1982
Feb 13 Mustafa Wassaja              Atlantic City, NJ               TK  6
          -WBA Light Heavyweight Championship of the World
Apr 11 Murray Sutherland            Atlantic City, NJ               TK  8
          -WBA Light Heavyweight Championship of the World
Jun 12 Jerry Celestine              Atlantic City, NJ               TK  8
          -WBA Light Heavyweight Championship of the World
Sep 18 Johnny Davis                 Atlantic City, NJ               TK  9
          -WBA Light Heavyweight Championship of the World

1983
Mar 18 Dwight Muhammad Qawi         Atlantic City, NJ                W 15
          -WBC Light Heavyweight Championship of the World;
           WBA Light Heavyweight Championship of the World
Nov 25 Oscar Rivadeneyra            Vancouver, BC, Can              TK 10
          -WBC Light Heavyweight Championship of the World;
           WBA Light Heavyweight Championship of the World

1984
Feb 25 Eddie Davis                  Atlantic City, NJ                W 12
          -WBC Light Heavyweight Championship of the World;
           WBA Light Heavyweight Championship of the World
           IBF Light Heavyweight Championship of the World

1985
Feb 23 David Sears                  Atlantic City, NJ               TK  3
          -WBC Light Heavyweight Championship of the World;
           WBA Light Heavyweight Championship of the World
           IBF Light Heavyweight Championship of the World
Jun  6 Jim MacDonald                Las Vegas, Nv                   TK  8
          -WBC Light Heavyweight Championship of the World;
           WBA Light Heavyweight Championship of the World
           IBF Light Heavyweight Championship of the World
Sep 21 Larry Holmes                 Las Vegas, Nv                    W 15
          -IBF Heavyweight Championship of the World

1986
Apr 19 Larry Holmes                 Las Vegas, Nv                    W 15
          -IBF Heavyweight Championship of the World
Sep  6 Steffen Tangstad             Las Vegas, Nv                   TK  4
          -IBF Heavyweight Championship of the World

1987
Apr    -Spinks was stripped of the IBF Heavyweight Championship
          of the World after he opted to fight Gerry Cooney, instead
          of participating in the HBO and Don King backed Heavyweight
          unification tournament.

Jun 15 Gerry Cooney                 Atlantic City, NJ               TK  5

1988
Jun 27 Mike Tyson                   Atlantic City, NJ               LK  1
          -WBC Heavyweight Championship of the World;
           WBA Heavyweight Championship of the World
           IBF Heavyweight Championship of the World


*** Assistance Was Provided By Mike Knight  ***


Record courtesy of Tracy Callis, Historian, International Boxing Research Organization
 
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