Tyson-Spinks.

[VG_Addict]

Why was Tyson able to beat Spinks so quickly? Was it because Spinks was afraid, or was Tyson just a bad style match-up for him?

I honestly don't know if it would haven been much different if Spinks weren't afraid. Tyson was bigger and stronger than him

[QueensburyRules]

--- You answered your question, but only in part.

Holmes and Cooney bigger and stronger but lost. The missing link is style, power, and speed mixed with HOF training.

Voila, there it is...

[Dempsey-Louis]

Spinks got robbed; Trump fixed the fight; it was quick count; the judges were in the tank; ropes were too loose; lights were in Spinks eyes; Tyson's gloves were loaded; Spinks was doped; Spinks had sex the night before; it was actually brother Leon in disguise; there is a 'no boxing on Sunday' law in New Jersey, fight had to end before mid-night; it was a low blow; Spinks would have easily won the rematch but Tyson ducked him; . . . Oh yea, Tyson kept hitting him.

Truth be told I think Spinks showed up for the 20 million and was looking for a soft spot to lay down, Tyson quickly obliged him.

Even if Spinks had come to fight it was never going to be competitive, they needed to fake it.

Had Tyson (and Trump) been more experienced he would have known to carry him for a few rounds e.g. Dempsey-Carpentier, but Tyson wasn't as experienced (or confident in himself) as Dempsey and Trump had no clue what he was doing so in the end everybody just got ripped off.

Tex Rickard knew what he was doing and had a relationship with Dempsey and Dempsey understood what needed to be done. Had Trump had any clue he would have recognized what was coming and would have worked it out with Tyson, but Trump was just an upstart; a rich child playing at being a promoter the same way he is cluelessly playing with his current toy, America.

This is a good example of what I said about promoters being important.

[Dempsey-Louis]

P.S. Watch a replay of the Chavez-Haugen fight.

A 130,000 crowd needed to be entertained, so in the first round you can see Chavez work his way in and catch Haugen hard. Chavez breaks out with a small smile; confident he can do whatever he wants, Chavez backs off and carries Haugen for few rounds.

King and Chavez had a relationship; Chavez was an experienced and confident fighter. They knew how to sell a miss-match.

[Ray Corso]

This was a money opportunity for Spinks and after a one year lay off he took it!
His legs were not in great shape and he had dealt with a very bad knee for some time.
It just was a bad decision to take the fight he should have retired after the Holmes bouts but money talks!

Ray

[GhostofDempsey]

Spinks was defeated before he entered the ring. Look at the fear in his eyes upon entering the ring. He didn't want to be there.

[QueensburyRules]

--- seen plenty of fighters look fearful and win...poster boy being Lennox Lewis.

No need to go full blown schoolboy psychpop when the reasons are obvious and documented

[Dempsey-Louis]

I wonder if it is true that Spinks delayed the fight because he wouldn't leave the dressing room.

Foreman (II) claimed Foreman (I) was always scared to death (of Frazier in particular).

[tonysoprano]

I don't care what shape Spinks was in, even on his best day, the Tyson that entered the ring that night ruins him.

That's an elite heavyweight with genuine KO power fighting a blown up LHW. No matter how great Spinks was at LHW he was going to get iced.

[Sugarj]

Quite honestly, Spinks was a damn good 15 round technician, as evidenced by the Holmes fights. But he wasn't a terribly fast starter (certainly at heavyweight), he was not too difficult to hit and he wasn't quite a heavyweight in terms of dimension. In other words; an ideal opponent for a fired up Mike Tyson in his prime.

It's sad in a way that Tyson's signature win is held in so little regard these days. Michael Spinks was justifiably the second best heavyweight in the world in 1988 and would have probably beaten any of Tyson's title challengers or unifications (though Tucker might have been a tough task).