SPORTSCLOPEDIA 60: 35 YEARS AGO, TYSON DESTROYS SPINKS IN 91 SECONDS ON JUNE 27, 1988
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 27 Jun 2023
Mike Tyson vs. Michael Spinks was dubbed as Once and For All, was fought on June 27, 1988. Before the match, both Tyson and Spinks were undefeated and each fighter was named as the legitimate heavyweight champion. Tyson was the champion of all three of the major boxing organizations (WBA, WBC, and IBF) while Spinks was The Ring magazine champion, claimed to be "The People's Champion," and was regarded by sports media as the lineal champion.
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Tyson was already considered by several boxing experts as the undisputed heavyweight champion and was a devastating knockout artist. Spinks was also undefeated and became the first light heavyweight to move up and became heavyweight honors by convincingly winning over Ring, IBF and lineal champion Larry Holmes in September 1985. Spinks retained those titles on a controversial decision in a rematch.
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Spinks refused to face unbeaten contender Tony Tucker so he was stripped of the IBF title. Instead, he chose to fight Gerry Cooney, whom he stopped in the fifth round. Meanwhile, Tucker defeated Buster Douglas for the vacant IBF crown. Tyson then outpointed Tucker to win his third boxing organization title, but the showdown with Spinks remained the clamor of the boxing world.
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The Tyson-Spinks superfight was held at the Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey U.S. During that time, the match was the richest fight in the history of boxing, earning some $70 million in revenues, where Tyson earned a record breaking purse of $22 million and Spinks received $13.5 million.
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"Iron" Mike Tyson was from Catskill, New York, U.S., had a pre-fight record of 34–0 (30 KOs). He stood 5 ft 10 in (178 cm), weighed 218 1⁄4 lbs, and had an Orthodox style.
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Michael "Jinx" Spinks was from St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. had a pre-fight record of 31–0 (21 KOs). He stood 6 ft 2 1⁄2 in (189 cm), weighed 212 1⁄4 lbs, and had an Orthodox style.
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Tyson attacked Spinks at the sound of the opening bell, connecting a thundering left hook in the first ten seconds forcing Spinks to clinch. He was pinned on the ropes by a flurry from Tyson. cornered him and landed a left uppercut and right hand combination to the body and Spinks took a knee after receiving the hard blows. It was only the second time that Spinks was knocked down in his professional career.
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Spinks rose at the count of four. Tyson delivered another left hook with a short right to the chin which sent Spinks down to the canvas again. This time Spinks could not get up as referee Frank Cappuccino counted him out. The fight was over after 91 seconds, and it was the sixth shortest heavyweight title fight in history. In a short time, only ten punches were landed, Tyson connected eight punches, and Spinks two. The round was named round of the year for 1988 by Ring Magazine.
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