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Michael Spinks Made History And Prevented It On The Same Night
Numerals, because of Floyd Mayweather, such as 48-0, and 49-0 and most observers believe by this time next year, 50-0, will be getting a lot of news play.
Well, slightly over 30 years ago, on September 21, 1985, there was another fighter chasing Rocky Marciano’s majestic record of 49-0 (43).
His name was Larry Holmes 48-0 (34) and he was the IBF heavyweight champion. Holmes was 35 years old and prior to his 49th bout against undisputed light heavyweight champ Michael Spinks 27-0 (19), Larry was 21-0 in heavyweight title bouts, recording 20 successful title defenses.
Ironically, Marciano won his 49th bout by scoring a ninth round knockout over reigning light heavyweight champ Archie Moore 30 years to the day (September 21, 1955) prior to Holmes fighting Spinks.
By the time Holmes defended his title against Spinks, Larry and Michael shared two career parallels; for starters, they were both undefeated champions and secondly, Holmes they virtually cleaned out their respective divisions. If that weren’t enough to peak interest in the fight, it was widely known that via Holmes knocking out Michael’s older brother Leon four years earlier, Larry and Michael had their own history, since Michael vowed he would get even with Holmes for beating up Leon.
Prior to the bout Holmes often stated that he was one of the greats but didn’t get his due respect because he succeed Muhammad Ali. Larry figured that by equaling Marciano’s record and retiring undefeated he would most certainly receive his due props. So it was easy to see where Larry’s motivation was coming from.
On the other hand, Spinks wanted to make history by becoming the first reigning light heavyweight champ to move up in weight and defeat the reigning heavyweight champ. However, the Vegas bookmakers didn’t like his chances and installed him as a 6-1 betting underdog.
During the run-up to the fight, Spinks brought in New Orleans nutritionist Mackie Shilstone, who put him on a 4,500-calorie diet sliced into 65% carbohydrates, 20% protein and 15% fat. It was mostly made up of vegetables and grains. Spinks added 25 pounds of muscle to the frame that carried 175 pounds in his last title defense three months earlier, and his body fat dropped from 9.1 percent to 7.2 percent. As for Holmes, he was experiencing shoulder pain when he threw his right hand and was diagnosed with a pinched nerve in his neck. When the pain persisted after heat and massage treatments he was informed that he had a slipped disc in his fifth vertebra… but he decided to go through with the fight.
The consensus before the fight was Holmes would be too big and skilled for Spinks to handle. Holmes was a great boxer and along with Sonny Liston and Muhammad Ali, possessed one of the greatest left jabs in heavyweight history. But at age 35 Larry was on the physical decline and could no longer put his punches together in succession like he could two or three years earlier. As for Spinks, who was only an inch shorter than Holmes, he was just 29 and was at or near his physical prime. Also, Michael was a very cerebral fighter and knew his limitations. As a light heavyweight Michael was a boxer-puncher who knew when to move and box and also who and when to go after and fight it out with. There was no way Spinks was going to take the fight to the bigger and stronger Holmes…..and this would turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
Throughout Holmes’ stellar career he was often compared to Muhammad Ali from a stylistic vantage-point. Both relied on their jab offensively and defensively and were at their best when the opponent pushed and carried the fight to them. However, when they had to fight as the attacker and assume the role as the predator in the fight, they weren’t at their stylistic best. Because of their lack of head movement and carrying their hands low they were easier to hit and time with head shots. Make that two-fold if they had to track down a fighter smaller in physical stature with quick hands. Well, Michael Spinks was barely 200 pounds and possessed light heavyweight hand-speed and as mentioned above had no intention on fighting as the aggressor.
Holmes-Spinks I went the full 15 round distance. When it was over Spinks won a unanimous decision by the scores of 145-142, 143-142 and 143-142. The decision was controversial in the eyes of many, something that gained traction when it was found out that the AP scored it 144-141 Holmes and the UPI saw it 146-141 Holmes. Yes, the fight was extremely close, but in my view it came down to the 15th and final round – a round that Spinks clearly owned.
The thing that’s been lost over the years via the closeness of the fight is how Spinks’ boxing and retreating style befuddled Holmes for many rounds of the bout. Spinks, like when Jimmy Young fought Muhammad Ali nine years earlier, forced Holmes to miss and reset the entire fight. And while Larry was looking for the big shot against the smaller fighter, he was getting peppered by quick lefts and rights. No, they didn’t hurt him but they disrupted his offense and stymied him from getting off. This frustrated Holmes as was the case when Young did the same thing to Ali. The net result was Larry, like Muhammad, sought to win the fight with one punch, something they seldom ever did.
Spinks deservedly gets a lot of credit for the way he boxed against Holmes in both of their fights. But the fact is, because Michael was smaller and weaker, he had no choice; he had to move away from Holmes and box him. That totally threw Larry off because he was used to his opponents coming after him, seeking to knock him out. With Michael moving back, Holmes missed a lot of jabs. And since the jabs weren’t finding the target, the right cross was rendered ineffective. Holmes has said he was reluctant to cut loose with his right because of the pinched nerve in his neck, which is completely plausible. However, I don’t buy all of that because Holmes’ right hand wasn’t much more of a weapon when he was healthy and when he fought Spinks the second time. I believe Larry was frugal with his right hand against Michael because he often missed with it and then was countered.
Larry Holmes lost to Michael Spinks the first time they met, albeit closely, because he was on the physical decline and Spinks due to his smaller stature was forced to fight in retreat. Looking back, if you re-watch the bouts of both Ali (Ali-Young & Bugner) and Holmes (Holmes-Williams and Spinks I & II) when they were forced to fight as the predator instead of the prey, you’ll observe that they both missed with many jabs and right hands and neither looked anything close to the all-time greats they truly were.
The old cliché “styles make fights” never rings hollow. It played a deciding part in both fights between Larry Holmes and Michael Spinks. And with that, due to his lack of aggression along with his hand and foot speed……Michael Spinks made and denied history on the same night.
Frank Lotierzo can be contacted at GlovedFist@Gmail.com
How good is Bakhodir Jalolov? Some would argue that in terms of pure talent, the six-foot-seven southpaw from Uzbekistan who has knocked out all 14 of his opponents since turning pro, is better than any heavyweight you can name. Others say that this can’t possibly be true or his braintrust wouldn’t keep feeding him junk food. Jalolov has been brought along as gingerly as Christopher Lovejoy who was exposed as a fraud after running up a skein of 19 straight fast knockouts,
One thing that’s indisputable is that Jalolov was one of the best amateurs to come down the pike in recent memory. A three-time Olympian and two-time gold medalist, Jalolov won 58 of his last 59 amateur bouts. The exception was a match in which he did not compete which translated into a win by walkover for his opponent, countryman Lazizbek Mullojonov.
The circumstances are vague. Was Jalolov a no-show because of an injury or illness or a technicality? Amateur boxing, save in a few places or in an Olympic year, is the quintessential niche sport. The mainstream media does not cover it.
What we do know, thanks to boxrec, is that Jalolov caught up with Mullojonov in May of last year in the Russian Far East city of Khabarovsk and won a split decision. And Mollojonov was no slouch. He too won a gold medal at the Paris Games, winning the heavyweight division to give the powerful Uzbekistan contingent the championship in the two heaviest weight classes.
Jalolov, whose late father was a champion free-style wrestler, has answered the bell as a pro for only 35 rounds. The Belgian-Congolese campaigner Jack Mulowayi came closest to taking the big Uzbek the distance, lasting into the eighth round of an 8-round fight. But when Jalolov closed the show, he did it with a highlight reel knockout, knocking Mulowayi into dreamland with a vicious left hook.
The KO was reminiscent of Jalolov’s most talked-about win as an amateur, his first-round blast-out of Richard Torrez Jr at a tournament in Ekaterinburg, Russia, in 2019. Torrez, knocked out cold with a left hook, left the ring on a stretcher and was removed to a hospital for evaluation.
This was the first AIBA-sanctioned international tournament in which pros were allowed to compete and WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman was incensed, calling the match-up “criminal” in a tweet that was widely circulated. (Jalolov then had six pro fights under his belt.) They would meet again in the finals of the Tokyo Olympiad with the Uzbek winning a unanimous decision.
Perhaps there will be a third meeting down the road. When Jared Anderson was roughed-up and stopped by Martin Bakole, Torrez Jr (currently 12-0, 11 KOs) vaulted ahead of him on the list of the top home-grown American heavyweights. But Torrez Jr, a short-armed heavyweight who overcomes his physical limitations with a windmill offense, would be a heavy underdog should they ever meet again.
Bakhodir Jalolov’s last bout before heading off to Paris was against the obscure South African Chris Thompson. His match on Thursday at the Montreal Casino in Montreal pits him against an obscure 33-year-old Frenchman, David Spilmont.
Spilmont’s last two opponents were the same guy, an undersized Lithuanian slug who has lost 36 of his 41 documented fights. It seems almost inevitable that Spilmont will suffer the same fate as Thompson who was KOed in the first round.
There’s talk that Jalolov doesn’t really care how far he advances at the professional level; that he has his sights set on the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles where he would have an opportunity to become only the fourth boxer to win three Olympic gold medals, joining the immortal Teofilo Stevenson, Hungarian legend Laszlo Papp, and Cuban standout Felix Savon. Were he to accomplish the hat trick, they would build monuments to him in Uzbekistan. But, if that is his mindset, he’s skating on thin ice. There’s no guarantee that boxing will be on the docket at the Los Angeles Games and, if so, the powers-that-be may choose to roll back the calendar to the days when the competition was off-limits to anyone with professional experience.
While it’s true that Jalolov needs to work off some rust, a pox on promoter Camille Estephan and his enabler, the Quebec Boxing Commission, for not dredging up a more credible opponent than the grossly overmatched David Spilmont.
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Jalolov vs. Spilmont is ostensibly the co-feature. The main event is a 10-round junior welterweight clash between Movladdin “Arthur” Biyarslanov (17-0, 14 KOs) and Spilmont stablemate Mohamed Mimoune (24-6, 5 KOs). Undefeated light heavyweights Albert Ramirez and Mehmet Unal will appear in separate bouts on the undercard. The Feb. 6 event, currently consisting of seven bouts, will air in the U.S. on ESPN+ starting at 6:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. PT.
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Claressa Shields blasted her way to the undisputed heavyweight championship and nearly knocked out challenger Danielle Perkins in the final seconds, but settled for a win by unanimous decision on Sunday.
Yes, she can punch.
“I just feel overwhelmed and so happy.” Shields said.
Shields (16-0, 3 KOs) proved that even the super athletic Perkins (5-1, 2 KOs), a true heavyweight, could not stop her from becoming an undisputed world champion in a third weight division at Dort Arena in Flint, Michigan, her home town.
In the opening round it was easy to see the size difference. Shields calmly measured Perkins long right jabs then countered with rocket rights through the guard. The speed was evident in Shield’s punches. Perkins used jabs to work her way in but was caught with counters.
“That girl was strong as hell,” said Shields describing Perkins.
Perkins, a southpaw, was somewhat confident that she was the stronger puncher and the stronger fighter overall. But when Shields connected with 10 rocket overhand rights in the third round the power moved Perkins several feet backward.
Suddenly, Perkins realized that indeed Shields has power.
Perkins became more cautious with her approaches. Though the true heavyweight was not frozen in fear, she was wary about getting caught flush with Shields rights. But bullet jabs and lightning combinations still rained on Perkins.
Finding a way to nullify Shields speed was crucial for Perkins.
The former basketball player Perkins continually proved her athleticism with agile moves here and there, but Shields just was superior in every way.
When Perkins became focused too much on the right, a Shields left hook caught the New York native flush. Suddenly there was another Shields weapon to worry about.
Many critics of Shields had focused on her lack of knockouts. But in her previous fight against another heavyweight, the two-time Olympic gold medalist surprised Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse with knockout power. It’s the same power Shields showed Perkins as if firing a fast ball by powering her right with leverage by using her left leg to produce momentum and an explosive punch.
In the 10th and final round Shields and Perkins exchanged blows. Perkins was looking to connect with one of her power shots when suddenly Shields countered with a perfectly timed right to the chin and down went Perkins with about 10 seconds remaining. She beat the count to finish the round.
“I showed I was the bigger puncher and better boxer,” said Shields. “I knew I could do it because I’m really strong at heavyweight.”
All three judges favored Shields 100-89, 99-90 and 97-92.
It was another convincing performance by Shields. So what is next for the best female fighter pound for pound?
“I want to fight Franchon Crews, Hanna Gabriels,” said Shields also naming a few others. “Flint, (Michigan) I love you all so much.”
Other Bouts
A heavyweight clash saw why there is a rule against holding. Brandon Moore (17-1) and Skylar Lacy (8-1-2) punched and held throughout their eight rounds. Referee Steve Willis finally disqualified Lacy when he tackled Moore and took him through the ropes and on to table below.
No, holding and clinching is not part of the fight game. Now you know why.
Moore was ruled the winner by disqualification due to unsportsmanlike conduct by Lacy at 1:35 of the eighth. No need to describe the fight.
A battle between undefeated welterweights saw Joseph Hicks (12-0, 8 KOs) stop Keon Papillon (10-1-1, 7 KOs) at 1:35 of the seventh round. Hicks stunned Papillon at the end of the sixth, then unloaded in the seventh round to force a stoppage.
Joshua Pagan (12-0) out-battled Ronal Ron (16-8) over eight rounds to win the lightweight match by unanimous decision.
Samantha Worthington (11-0) defeated Vaida Masiokaite (10-27-6) by decision after eight rounds in a super lightweight bout.
Featherweight Caroline Veyre (9-1) out-boxed the shorter Carmen Vargas (5-3-1) to win by decision after six rounds.
Super bantamweight Asheleyann Lozada (1-0) won her pro debut by unanimous decision over Denise Moran (3-1) in a four-round fight.
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David Benavidez showed fans why they call him “El Monstro” as he plowed through Cuba’s heavy-punching David Morrell to retain a number one ranking in the light heavyweight division by unanimous decision on Saturday.
Not even a flash knockdown for Morrell could make a difference.
Phoenix native Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) gave Morrell (11-1, 9 KOs) his first loss as a professional in front of more than 15,000 fans at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. No one needed to hear the judge’s decision.
“I prepared for everything. I know he’s a great fighter,” said Benavidez. “I thought he was going to hit harder, but he didn’t.”
Before the fight, Morrell was almost an even bet according to oddsmakers, but that was not the case once the fight commenced.
Immediately Benavidez pounded the body and exposed the weaknesses of Morrell’s peek-a-boo defense by using his own left glove to push down the Cuban’s guard. Then immediately firing a crushing right to the jaw.
For the first four rounds Benavidez pounded away on the left and right side of Morrell’s body. And when the openings came the uppercuts caught Morrell’s chin. But he absorbed the blows.
Morrell didn’t waver in trying to find a solution. Though Benavidez connected often to the body and head, the Cuban fighter who moved up from super middleweight displayed a very solid chin.
In the fourth round during a furious exchange Morrell beat Benavidez to the punch that stunned him momentarily. But the blow seemed to spark outrage and a storm of blows followed from Benavidez.
It must have seemed like a nightmare for Morrell.
At times the Cuban fighter would connect perfectly with a right hook and pause. Then Benavidez would return fire with massive blows.
The look on Morrell’s face bore traces of disappointment.
As the rounds continued Benavidez became emboldened by his success. Soon the Mexican Monster began launching lead right uppercuts through Morrell’s guard especially in the sixth round.
“He was easier to hit than I expected,” Benavidez said.
During the breaks Morrell’s corner asked him to pressure Benavidez. It was a fruitless suggestion. How do you corner a Monster?
Benavidez continued to stalk Morrell who never stopped swinging but could not seem to hurt the Monster. In the 11th round Morrell managed to catch Benavidez perfectly with a right hook and down went Benavidez. He immediately got up and the two fighters unloaded on each other. Morrell fired one punch after the bell and was deducted a point by referee Thomas Taylor. That negated the extra point gained from the knockdown.
“I wasn’t really hurt,” said Benavidez. “That bullshit knockdown caught me off-balance.”
The final round saw both resume their efforts to knock the other out. Both showed great chins and the ability to trade. Benavidez was simply better. Even Morrell didn’t wait for the decision to be read as he raised the arm of the Monster at the final bell. All three judges scored in favor of Benavidez 115-111 twice and 118-108.
“He knows this is Monstro’s world. Big shout out for Morrell, he’s a tough fighter,” Benavidez said.
Other Bouts
In a fight dedicated to honor the late Israel Vazquez, the ultimate Aztec warrior, super lightweights Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz (27-3-1) and Angel Fierro (23-3-2) battled like demons for 10 nonstop rounds. Cruz was ruled the winner by unanimous decision.
With little resemblance of defense, Cruz and Fierro whacked each other relentlessly with shots that might have stopped a moving car. Cruz was tagged by a right cross on the top of the head that staggered him momentarily. Fierro was driven back four feet by an overhand right to the chin early in the fight.
Both fighters took cruel and unusual punishment and never wavered more than a few seconds. It was brutal war and fans were the winners after 10 rounds of violent and savage action.
All three judges saw Cruz the winner 96-94, 97-93, 98-92.
“I’m so happy I gave the fans a great fight,” Cruz said.
Fulton Wins
Stephen Fulton (23-1, 8 KOs) defeated Brandon Figueroa (23-2-1, 19 KOs) again and took the WBC featherweight title by unanimous decision after 12 rounds. He had previously defeated Figueroa in 2021 for the WBC and WBO super bantamweight titles.
Most of the action took place in nose-to-nose fashion where Fulton landed the cleaner shots especially with uppercuts. Figueroa had his moments but was unable to hurt the challenger who lost to Naoya Inoue by knockout 17 months ago.
Fulton landed clean shots but as his record shows he lacks the power with only eight knockouts on his record. But Figueroa was unable to hurt or knock down Fulton. After 12 rounds all three judges saw Fulton win by scores of 116-112 twice and 117-111,
“It feels good. I’m champion again,” said Fulton.
Ramos Wins
Jesus Ramos (22-1, 18 KOs) won by technical knockout over former world champion Jeison Rosario (24-5-2) in the eighth round of a middleweight fight. Both fighters attacked the body but by the sixth round Ramos was the busier fighter and began to dominate the fight. At 2:18 of the eighth round referee Robert Hoyle stopped the fight.
“I like to throw a lot of body punches. It’s kind of my style,” said Ramos.
Photos credit: Al Applerose
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