Michael Spinks Record & Stats
In a career spanning 11 years and two months, Michael Spinks fought 32 times with 31 wins and a single loss. By his last professional fight on June 27, 1988, Spinks' boxing record stood at 31-1 (21 KO wins, 1 KO loss).
- Born
- Jul 22, 1956
- Age
- 66
- Debut
- Apr 16, 1977
- Record
- 31-1
- Rounds
- 226
- KOs
- 21 (65.6%)
- Height
- 185 cm
- Reach
- 193 cm
- Ape Index
- 8 cm
- Stance
- Orthodox
- Last Fight
| WBA | WBC | IBF | TheRing |
|---|---|---|---|
| HV w1 d2 | HV w1 d3 | ||
| lHV w1 d10 | lHV w1 d4 | lHV w1 d2 | lHV w1 d4 |
Featured Opponents
Michael Spinks (Jinx) is a retired American professional boxer. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. on July 22, 1956. Spinks made his professional boxing debut at the age of 20, on April 16, 1977. He is a former two-weight-class world champion. He is 66 years old, and will be turning 67 in one month and 13 days. Spinks is a Hall of Famer.
Fight Record
| Total Fights | 32 |
|---|---|
| Wins | 31 |
| Losses | 1 |
| Draws | 0 |
| No-Contests | 0 |
| KO Wins | 21 |
|---|---|
| Total Title Wins | 6 |
| Title Defenses | 13 |
| Title-Fight KO Wins | 10 |
| Losses via KO | 1 |
| # | Date | Age | Opponent | Result | Via |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | Jun 27, 1988 | 31 | Mike Tyson | Loss * | KO1 |
| 31 | Jun 15, 1987 | 30 | Gerry Cooney | Win * | TKO5 |
| 30 | Sep 6, 1986 | 30 | Steffen Tangstad | Win * | TKO4 |
| 29 | Apr 19, 1986 | 29 | Larry Holmes | Win * | SD |
| 28 | Sep 21, 1985 | 29 | Larry Holmes | Win * | UD |
| 27 | Jun 6, 1985 | 28 | Jim MacDonald | Win * | TKO8 |
| 26 | Feb 23, 1985 | 28 | David Sears | Win * | TKO3 |
| 25 | Feb 25, 1984 | 27 | Eddie Davis | Win * | UD |
| 24 | Nov 25, 1983 | 27 | Oscar Rivadeneyra | Win * | TKO10 |
| 23 | Mar 18, 1983 | 26 | Dwight Muhammad Qawi | Win * | UD |
| 22 | Sep 18, 1982 | 26 | Johnny Davis | Win * | TKO9 |
| 21 | Jun 12, 1982 | 25 | Jerry Celestine | Win * | TKO8 |
| 20 | Apr 11, 1982 | 25 | Murray Sutherland | Win * | TKO8 |
| 19 | Feb 13, 1982 | 25 | Mustafa Wassaja | Win * | TKO6 |
| 18 | Nov 7, 1981 | 25 | Vonzell Johnson | Win * | TKO7 |
| 17 | Jul 18, 1981 | 24 | Eddie Mustafa Muhammad | Win * | UD |
| 16 | Mar 28, 1981 | 24 | Marvin Johnson | Win | KO4 |
| 15 | Jan 24, 1981 | 24 | Willie Taylor | Win | TKO8 |
| 14 | Oct 18, 1980 | 24 | Yaqui Lopez | Win | TKO7 |
| 13 | Aug 2, 1980 | 24 | David Conteh | Win | TKO9 |
| 12 | May 4, 1980 | 23 | Murray Sutherland | Win | UD |
| 11 | Feb 24, 1980 | 23 | Ramon Ranquello | Win | TKO6 |
| 10 | Feb 1, 1980 | 23 | Johnny Wilburn | Win | UD |
| 9 | Nov 24, 1979 | 23 | Marc Hans | Win | TKO1 |
| 8 | Dec 15, 1978 | 22 | Eddie Phillips | Win | KO4 |
| 7 | Feb 15, 1978 | 21 | Tom Bethea | Win | UD |
| 6 | Oct 22, 1977 | 21 | Gary Summerhays | Win | UD |
| 5 | Sep 13, 1977 | 21 | Ray Elson | Win | KO1 |
| 4 | Aug 23, 1977 | 21 | Jasper Brisbane | Win | TKO2 |
| 3 | Jun 1, 1977 | 20 | Joe Borden | Win | KO2 |
| 2 | May 7, 1977 | 20 | Luis Rodriguez | Win | UD |
| 1 | Apr 16, 1977 | 20 | Eddie Benson | Win | TKO1 |
* World-title fight
World Titles
Spinks was a two-weight-division world champion. He has held six world titles, all six of which were lineal championship wins.
| Weight Division | World Titles Held |
|---|---|
| Heavyweight | IBF, The Ring |
| Light-heavyweight | WBA, WBC, IBF, The Ring |
Statistics
Michael Spinks is 185 cm tall (6' 0.83") with a reach of 193 cm (6' 3.98"). He fights out of the orthodox stance and presents an ape-index of 8 cm (3.15").
Spinks has a 65.6% KO rate. Of his total 21 KO wins, nine were in the early rounds, nine in the mid rounds, and three in the later rounds. He has three first-round KO wins.
Career Summary
Michael Spinks' professional boxing career spanned more than 11 years — from 1977 to 1988.
Spinks made his professional boxing debut against Eddie Benson at the age of 20 on April 16, 1977, defeating Benson via 1st round TKO. He went on to win 30 more consecutive fights after the debut, which included 20 wins via stoppage.
Spinks had his first world title fight at the age of 24 on July 18, 1981 after 16 professional fights, against Eddie Mustafa Muhammad for the light-heavyweight WBA title. He defeated Muhammad via 15 round unanimous decision to become the light-heavyweight champion of the world.
He was a two-time undisputed light-heavyweight world champion, and has won six world titles at two weight classes. For all the details about Spinks' world title wins and defenses refer to "Michael Spinks World Titles".
Some of Spinks' best fights and notable victories include wins over two Hall-of-Famers (Larry Holmes and Dwight Muhammad Qawi), David Sears, Steffen Tangstad, Jim MacDonald, Oscar Rivadeneyra, and Mustafa Wassaja.
Spinks had just a single loss in his professional boxing career.
His last professional fight was for the heavyweight undisputed championship title against fellow American boxer Mike Tyson on June 27, 1988. Spinks lost the fight via 1st round KO, and lost his The Ring title. It's been 34 years, 11 months, and 13 days since this fight.
Career Highlights
Spinks fought a total of 32 times during his professional career, which includes 16 world-title fights at two weight divisions — heavyweight and light-heavyweight. He was among the very best of his generation and put on some great performances in his fights. These eight fights are the highlight of his career.
July 18, 1981: Spinks wins his first world title by defeating Eddie Mustafa Muhammad via 15 round unanimous decision. He is now the WBA light-heavyweight world champion.
March 18, 1983: Spinks becomes the undisputed light-heavyweight world champion by defeating Dwight Muhammad Qawi via 15 round unanimous decision. He now holds the WBA, WBC, and The Ring light-heavyweight world-champion belts.
February 25, 1984: Spinks becomes the undisputed light-heavyweight world champion by defeating Eddie Davis via 12 round unanimous decision. He now holds the WBA, WBC, The Ring, and IBF light-heavyweight world-champion belts.
February 23, 1985: Spinks successfully defends the WBA, WBC, IBF, and The Ring light-heavyweight titles against David Sears, winning the fight via 3rd round TKO.
June 6, 1985: Spinks successfully defends the WBA, WBC, IBF, and The Ring light-heavyweight titles against Jim MacDonald, winning the fight via 8th round TKO.
September 21, 1985: Spinks wins the IBF and The Ring heavyweight titles from Larry Holmes, by beating Holmes via 15 round unanimous decision.
April 19, 1986: Spinks successfully defends the IBF and The Ring heavyweight titles against Larry Holmes, winning the fight via 15 round split-decision.
September 6, 1986: Spinks successfully defends the IBF and The Ring heavyweight titles against Steffen Tangstad, winning the fight via 4th round TKO.
Michael Spinks Fights
The following is a fight-by-fight progression of Spinks' boxing career; all the way from his debut, to winning world-titles, to his last fight against Mike Tyson, and all the other wins and the single loss of his career.
Michael Spinks vs. Mike Tyson
Fight page: Spinks vs. TysonOn June 27, 1988, a 31-year old Michael Spinks (31-0, 21 KO) faced an undefeated fellow American boxer Mike Tyson, who was 21 years old with a record of 34-0 in an undisputed heavyweight championship bout. Tyson was on a 34-fight win streak with 30 KO wins. Spinks was the taller of the two by 7 cms and also had a 13 cm reach advantage.
Spinks lost to Tyson via 1st round KO and lost the Ring Magazine heavyweight title. He suffers the first loss of his career, and his 31-fight win streak comes to an end with this loss. This was the last professional fight of his boxing career.
Michael Spinks vs. Gerry Cooney
Fight page: Spinks vs. CooneyOn June 15, 1987, a 30-year old Michael Spinks (30-0, 20 KO) faced fellow American boxer Gerry Cooney, who was 30 years old with a record of 28-1 in a heavyweight title-defense fight. Cooney was on a three-fight win streak with 24 KO wins, and was the taller of the two by 13 cms and also had a 13 cm reach advantage over Spinks. Coming into this fight, Cooney had a single loss, which was via stoppage.
Spinks defeated Cooney via 5th round TKO to retain the Ring Magazine heavyweight title. He is now on a 31-fight winning streak, with two back-to-back KO wins.
Michael Spinks vs. Steffen Tangstad
On September 6, 1986, a 30-year old Michael Spinks (29-0, 19 KO) faced Steffen Tangstad in a heavyweight title-defense fight. He defeated Tangstad via 4th round TKO to retain the IBF and Ring Magazine heavyweight titles. He is now on a 30-fight winning streak.
Michael Spinks vs. Larry Holmes II
Fight page: Spinks vs. Holmes IIOn April 19, 1986, in their 2nd fight, which was an immediate rematch, a 29-year old Michael Spinks (28-0, 19 KO) faced Larry Holmes again, who was now 36 years old with a record of 48-1 in a heavyweight title-defense fight. Holmes had lost to Spinks in their last fight, and was the taller of the two by 6 cms and also had a 13 cm reach advantage over Spinks. Coming into this fight, Holmes had a single loss, but had never been stopped.
Spinks defeated Holmes via 15 round split-decision to retain the IBF and Ring Magazine heavyweight titles. He is now on a 29-fight winning streak.
Michael Spinks vs. Larry Holmes
Fight page: Spinks vs. HolmesOn September 21, 1985, a 29-year old Michael Spinks (27-0, 19 KO) faced an undefeated fellow American boxer Larry Holmes for the first time, who was 35 years old with a record of 48-0 for Holmes' IBF and Ring Magazine heavyweight titles. Holmes was on a 48-fight win streak with 34 KO wins, and was the taller of the two by 6 cms and also had a 13 cm reach advantage over Spinks.
Spinks defeated Holmes via 15 round unanimous decision to win the IBF and Ring Magazine heavyweight titles. He handed Holmes the first loss of his career, and put an end to Holmes' 48-fight win streak. Spinks is now on a 28-fight winning streak.
Michael Spinks vs. Jim MacDonald
On June 6, 1985, a 28-year old Michael Spinks (26-0, 18 KO) faced Jim MacDonald in an undisputed light-heavyweight championship bout. He defeated MacDonald via 8th round TKO to retain the WBA, WBC, IBF, and Ring Magazine light-heavyweight titles. He is now on a 27-fight winning streak, with two back-to-back KO wins.
Michael Spinks vs. David Sears
On February 23, 1985, a 28-year old Michael Spinks (25-0, 17 KO) faced David Sears in an undisputed light-heavyweight championship bout. He defeated Sears via 3rd round TKO to retain the WBA, WBC, IBF, and Ring Magazine light-heavyweight titles. He is now on a 26-fight winning streak.
Michael Spinks vs. Eddie Davis
Fight page: Spinks vs. DavisOn February 25, 1984, a 27-year old Michael Spinks (24-0, 17 KO) faced fellow American boxer Eddie Davis, who was 32 years old with a record of 27-3-1 in an undisputed light-heavyweight championship bout. Davis was on a four-fight win streak with 17 KO wins. Spinks was the taller of the two by 7 cms and also had a 15 cm reach advantage. Coming into this fight, Davis had three losses, all of which were via stoppage
Spinks defeated Davis via 12 round unanimous decision to win the IBF light-heavyweight title and retain the WBA, WBC, and Ring Magazine light-heavyweight titles. He is now on a 25-fight winning streak.
Michael Spinks vs. Oscar Rivadeneyra
On November 25, 1983, a 27-year old Michael Spinks (23-0, 16 KO) faced Oscar Rivadeneyra in a light-heavyweight title-defense fight. He defeated Rivadeneyra via 10th round TKO to retain the WBA, WBC, and Ring Magazine light-heavyweight titles. He is now on a 24-fight winning streak.
Michael Spinks vs. Dwight Muhammad Qawi
Fight page: Spinks vs. QawiOn March 18, 1983, a 26-year old Michael Spinks (22-0, 16 KO) faced fellow American boxer Dwight Muhammad Qawi, who was 30 years old with a record of 19-1-1 in an undisputed light-heavyweight championship bout. Qawi was on a 18-fight win streak with 12 KO wins. Spinks was the taller of the two by 15 cms and also had a 5 cm reach advantage. Coming into this fight, Qawi had a single loss, but had never been stopped.
Spinks defeated Qawi via 15 round unanimous decision to win the WBC and Ring Magazine light-heavyweight titles and retain the WBA light-heavyweight title. He is now on a 23-fight winning streak.
Michael Spinks vs. Johnny Davis
On September 18, 1982, a 26-year old Michael Spinks (21-0, 15 KO) faced Johnny Davis in a light-heavyweight title-defense fight. He defeated Davis via 9th round TKO to retain the WBA light-heavyweight title. He is now on a 22-fight winning streak, with five back-to-back KO wins.
Michael Spinks vs. Jerry Celestine
On June 12, 1982, a 25-year old Michael Spinks (20-0, 14 KO) faced Jerry Celestine in a light-heavyweight title-defense fight. He defeated Celestine via 8th round TKO to retain the WBA light-heavyweight title. He is now on a 21-fight winning streak, with four back-to-back KO wins.
Michael Spinks vs. Murray Sutherland II
On April 11, 1982, in their 2nd fight, a a 25-year old Michael Spinks (19-0, 13 KO) faced Murray Sutherland in a light-heavyweight title-defense fight. He defeated Sutherland via 8th round TKO to retain the WBA light-heavyweight title. He is now on a 20-fight winning streak, with three back-to-back KO wins.
Michael Spinks vs. Mustafa Wassaja
On February 13, 1982, a 25-year old Michael Spinks (18-0, 12 KO) faced Mustafa Wassaja in a light-heavyweight title-defense fight. He defeated Wassaja via 6th round TKO to retain the WBA light-heavyweight title. He is now on a 19-fight winning streak, with two back-to-back KO wins.
Michael Spinks vs. Vonzell Johnson
On November 7, 1981, a 25-year old Michael Spinks (17-0, 11 KO) faced Vonzell Johnson in a light-heavyweight title-defense fight. He defeated Johnson via 7th round TKO to retain the WBA light-heavyweight title. He is now on a 18-fight winning streak.
Michael Spinks vs. Eddie Mustafa Muhammad
On July 18, 1981, in his 17th professional fight, a 24-year old Michael Spinks (16-0, 11 KO) had his first world title fight against Eddie Mustafa Muhammad for Muhammad's WBA light-heavyweight belt. He defeated Muhammad via 15th round unanimous decision to win the WBA light-heavyweight title. He is now on a 17-fight winning streak.
Michael Spinks vs. Marvin Johnson
Fight page: Spinks vs. JohnsonOn March 28, 1981, a 24-year old Michael Spinks (15-0, 10 KO) fought fellow American boxer Marvin Johnson, who was 26 years old with a record of 27-4. Johnson was on a three-fight win streak with 21 KO wins. Spinks was the taller of the two by 6 cms and also had a 9 cm reach advantage. Coming into this fight, Johnson had four losses, three of which were via stoppage.
Spinks defeated Johnson via 4th round KO. He is now on a 16-fight winning streak, with four back-to-back KO wins.
Michael Spinks vs. Willie Taylor
On January 24, 1981, a 24-year old Michael Spinks (14-0, 9 KO) fought Willie Taylor in his 15th professional fight. He defeated Taylor via 8th round TKO. He is now on a 15-fight winning streak, with three back-to-back KO wins.
Michael Spinks vs. Yaqui Lopez
On October 18, 1980, a 24-year old Michael Spinks (13-0, 8 KO) fought Yaqui Lopez in his 14th professional fight. He defeated Lopez via 7th round TKO. He is now on a 14-fight winning streak, with two back-to-back KO wins.
Michael Spinks vs. David Conteh
On August 2, 1980, a 24-year old Michael Spinks (12-0, 7 KO) fought David Conteh in his 13th professional fight. He defeated Conteh via 9th round TKO. He is now on a 13-fight winning streak.
Michael Spinks vs. Murray Sutherland
On May 4, 1980, a 23-year old Michael Spinks (11-0, 7 KO) fought Murray Sutherland in his 12th professional fight. He defeated Sutherland via 10th round unanimous decision. He is now on a 12-fight winning streak.
Michael Spinks vs. Ramon Ranquello
On February 24, 1980, a 23-year old Michael Spinks (10-0, 6 KO) fought Ramon Ranquello in his 11th professional fight. He defeated Ranquello via 6th round TKO. He is now on a 11-fight winning streak.
Michael Spinks vs. Johnny Wilburn
On February 1, 1980, a 23-year old Michael Spinks (9-0, 6 KO) fought Johnny Wilburn in his 10th professional fight. He defeated Wilburn via 8th round unanimous decision. He is now on a 10-fight winning streak.
Michael Spinks vs. Marc Hans
On November 24, 1979, a 23-year old Michael Spinks (8-0, 5 KO) fought Marc Hans in his 9th professional fight. He defeated Hans via 1st round TKO. He is now on a nine-fight winning streak, with two back-to-back KO wins.
Michael Spinks vs. Eddie Phillips
On December 15, 1978, a 22-year old Michael Spinks (7-0, 4 KO) fought Eddie Phillips in his 8th professional fight. He defeated Phillips via 4th round KO. He is now on a eight-fight winning streak.
Michael Spinks vs. Tom Bethea
On February 15, 1978, a 21-year old Michael Spinks (6-0, 4 KO) fought Tom Bethea in his 7th professional fight. He defeated Bethea via 8th round unanimous decision. He is now on a seven-fight winning streak.
Michael Spinks vs. Gary Summerhays
On October 22, 1977, a 21-year old Michael Spinks (5-0, 4 KO) fought Gary Summerhays in his 6th professional fight. He defeated Summerhays via 8th round unanimous decision. He is now on a six-fight winning streak.
Michael Spinks vs. Ray Elson
On September 13, 1977, a 21-year old Michael Spinks (4-0, 3 KO) fought Ray Elson in his 5th professional fight. He defeated Elson via 1st round KO. He is now on a five-fight winning streak, with three back-to-back KO wins.
Michael Spinks vs. Jasper Brisbane
On August 23, 1977, a 21-year old Michael Spinks (3-0, 2 KO) fought Jasper Brisbane in his 4th professional fight. He defeated Brisbane via 2nd round TKO. He is now on a four-fight winning streak, with two back-to-back KO wins.
Michael Spinks vs. Joe Borden
On June 1, 1977, a 20-year old Michael Spinks (2-0, 1 KO) fought Joe Borden in his 3rd professional fight. He defeated Borden via 2nd round KO. He is now on a three-fight winning streak.
Michael Spinks vs. Luis Rodriguez
On May 7, 1977, a 20-year old Michael Spinks (1-0, 1 KO) fought Luis Rodriguez in his 2nd professional fight. He defeated Rodriguez via 6th round unanimous decision. He is now on a two-fight winning streak.
Michael Spinks vs. Eddie Benson
On April 16, 1977, a 20-year old Michael Spinks successfully debuted against Eddie Benson. He defeated Benson via 1st round TKO.
FAQs
How many KOs does Michael Spinks have on his record?
Spinks knocked out 21 of his 32 opponents. By his last fight, his KO ratio was at 65.6%. Of his total 31 wins, 21 of them were via KO (67.7%).