Sometimes I just find myself in “reminisce” mode. Intermitently, without warning, a memory blazes through my mind, and as fast as it appears, it disappears.
From the first moment I saw him in the 76 Olympics, I was a fan.
Every punch said “OBLITERATE”. When he jabbed, it was to decapitate… not to measure distance. I’ve never seen anyone fight like him. He had this radiant happiness about him, but just five seconds after the bell rang, he was slashing at you like Jason Voorhees. The contradictions were spectacular.
He maintained the same style he had as an amateur and became an all-time great professional.
Another thing, throughout history, I don’t see ANYONE beating him at 175. Light heavyweight… EVER.
Not Bob Foster. Not Archie Moore. Not Gene Tunney. Not Ezzard Charles. Not Bivol. Not Benevidez…. Not even Roy Jones Jr. ATG’s or not. Doesn’t matter. At 175lbs I believe no-one can beat this man. And there’s a strong reason why.
When a Hagler fight was bandied about, Marvin rightfully, politely declined.
Like all the greatest fighters, this man, Michael Spinks, did it differently.
Not one thing he did was conventional. And for a man so polite, unassuming, and kind, he punched with a consistent violence that contradicted his peaceful persona. Even when he had a fighter out on his feet, Michael wouldn’t hesitate to throw a punch with all the fire he could generate… until the referee stepped in.
Michael Olajide, at left, with Michael Spinks when he was boxing, and, at right, with Spinks in more recent days.
Check Spinks vs Wassajah (One of the most vicious KO’s of all time. Michael, who probably ends a fight far more violently than any other fighter in history (see the first two video links below).
You can see Michael’s intent. Vs. Wassajah, this was every bit as violent a KO as Mercer vs Morrison… To me, more so… The way Spinks drove that uppercut home, snapping Muhammad’s head back 3/4 times… I can only remember thinking, “c’mon ref, Jump in ref! Better jump in!!!”.
Without a doubt, the worst punch to get hit with in boxing is an uppercut. Uppercuts destroy tissue, break bones, and kill neurons… More so than any other punch.
Being a huge NFL fan, I used to love the fact that Michael was from St. Louis and liked the Cardinals and their logo… I always thought Michael wore his hair in the style he did, patterned after the Cardinal’s logo.
No way that hairstyle was normal. Anybody else think so? I’m going to ask him.
I distinctly remember when the powers that be were batting around a Spinks vs Saad Muhammad fight. I prayed to the gods that it wouldn’t happen. Saad was one of my favorites. There was just absolutely no way Saad was going to weather that storm and come back to KO, Michael Spinks. A snowball in Hades has a better chance of survival.
Spinks vs Holyfield at 175 is probably one of the greatest fights of all time. Who do you side with and why? Oh, and why do I think the aforementioned fighters couldn’t beat Spinks? They couldn’t change or master his timing. They would have to punch through Michael’s punches in order to beat him. I just don’t see how that happens. You give Michael one opportunity to think, and it’s a wrap.
100%SILK
And you have to take the moment to shout out “Diamond” Jim Mcdonald. Incredible effort against Spinks. If you never seen that fight. Check it out.