Michael Spinks (born July 22, 1956) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1977 to 1988. He held world championships in two weight classes, including the undisputed light heavyweight title from 1983 to 1985, and the lineal heavyweight title from 1985 to 1988. As an amateur he won a gold medal in the middleweight division at the 1976 Summer Olympics.
Nicknamed "Jinx", which spawned the nickname of his straight right hand, "the Spinks Jinx", Spinks is the brother of late world heavyweight champion Leon Spinks, and uncle of Cory Spinks, a former welterweight and light middleweight champion.
BoxRec-style profile
- Birth name: Michael Spinks
- Born: July 22, 1956 — St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
- Nationality: American
- Height: 6 ft 2½ in (189 cm)
- Reach: 76 in (193 cm)
- Stance: Orthodox
- Pro debut: Apr 16, 1977 (Win by TKO vs Eddie Benson)
- Last bout: Jun 27, 1988 (Loss by KO vs Mike Tyson)
- Total rounds boxed: 226 (summed from the bout table below)
- Divisions: Light heavyweight, Heavyweight
- KO percentage: 67.7% (21 KO wins in 31 wins)
- Titles held (major, with reign dates): WBA light heavyweight title July 18, 1981 – 1985 (won from Eddie Mustafa Muhammad; a defense run including Vonzell Johnson, Mustafa Wassaja, Murray Sutherland, Jerry Celestine and Johnny Davis; added the WBC and The Ring titles on March 18, 1983 against Dwight Muhammad Qawi and the inaugural IBF title on February 25, 1984 against Eddie Davis; final light heavyweight defense June 6, 1985 against Jim MacDonald, per the bout table, before the move to heavyweight); IBF and The Ring heavyweight titles September 21, 1985 – June 27, 1988 (won from Larry Holmes; defended against Holmes in the rematch and Steffen Tangstad; retained The Ring title against Gerry Cooney on June 15, 1987; lost The Ring title to Mike Tyson in his final bout) — all dates per the bout table
Record at a glance
- Total bouts: 32
- Wins: 31
- Wins by KO: 21
- Losses: 1
- Losses by KO: 1
- Draws: 0
- No contests: 0
- Born: July 22, 1956 — St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
- Nationality: American
- Height: 6 ft 2½ in (189 cm)
- Reach: 76 in (193 cm)
- Stance: Orthodox
- Divisions: Light heavyweight, Heavyweight
Fight-by-fight record
| No. | Date | Opponent | Result | Method | Round/Time | Venue / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apr 16, 1977 | Eddie Benson | Win | TKO | 1 (6), 2:55 | The Aladdin, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. |
| 2 | May 7, 1977 | Luis Rodriguez | Win | UD | 6 | Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| 3 | Jun 1, 1977 | Joe Borden | Win | KO | 2 (6), 2:20 | Forum, Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| 4 | Aug 23, 1977 | Jasper Brisbane | Win | TKO | 2 (6), 2:56 | Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| 5 | Sep 13, 1977 | Ray Elson | Win | KO | 1 (8), 0:51 | Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| 6 | Oct 22, 1977 | Gary Summerhays | Win | UD | 8 | The Aladdin, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. |
| 7 | Feb 15, 1978 | Tom Bethea | Win | UD | 8 | Las Vegas Hilton, Winchester, Nevada, U.S. |
| 8 | Dec 15, 1978 | Eddie Phillips | Win | KO | 4 (8), 1:33 | Westchester County Center, White Plains, New York, U.S. |
| 9 | Nov 24, 1979 | Marc Hans | Win | TKO | 1 (8) | Metropolitan Sports Center, Bloomington, Minnesota, U.S. |
| 10 | Feb 1, 1980 | Johnny Wilburn | Win | UD | 8 | Louisville Gardens, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| 11 | Feb 24, 1980 | Ramon Ranquello | Win | TKO | 6 (10), 3:00 | Steel Pier, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 12 | May 4, 1980 | Murray Sutherland | Win | UD | 10 | Concord Resort Hotel, Thompson, New York, U.S. |
| 13 | Aug 2, 1980 | David Conteh | Win | TKO | 9 (10), 2:35 | Riverside Centroplex, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S. |
| 14 | Oct 18, 1980 | Yaqui Lopez | Win | TKO | 7 (10), 0:46 | Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 15 | Jan 24, 1981 | Willie Taylor | Win | TKO | 8 (10), 2:40 | Martin Luther King Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| 16 | Mar 28, 1981 | Marvin Johnson | Win | KO | 4 (10), 1:22 | Steel Pier, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 17 | Jul 18, 1981 | Eddie Mustafa Muhammad | Win | UD | 15 | Imperial Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Won WBA light heavyweight title |
| 18 | Nov 7, 1981 | Vonzell Johnson | Win | TKO | 7 (15), 1:13 | Playboy Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBA light heavyweight title |
| 19 | Feb 13, 1982 | Mustafa Wassaja | Win | TKO | 6 (15), 1:36 | Playboy Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBA light heavyweight title |
| 20 | Apr 11, 1982 | Murray Sutherland | Win | TKO | 8 (15), 1:24 | Playboy Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBA light heavyweight title |
| 21 | Jun 12, 1982 | Jerry Celestine | Win | TKO | 8 (15), 1:58 | Playboy Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBA light heavyweight title |
| 22 | Sep 18, 1982 | Johnny Davis | Win | TKO | 9 (15), 2:27 | Sands, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBA light heavyweight title |
| 23 | Mar 18, 1983 | Dwight Muhammad Qawi | Win | UD | 15 | Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBA light heavyweight title; Won WBC and The Ring light heavyweight titles |
| 24 | Nov 25, 1983 | Oscar Rivadeneyra | Win | TKO | 10 (15), 1:42 | Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada — ★ Title fight — Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring light heavyweight titles |
| 25 | Feb 25, 1984 | Eddie Davis | Win | UD | 12 | Steel Pier, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring light heavyweight titles; Won inaugural IBF light heavyweight title |
| 26 | Feb 23, 1985 | David Sears | Win | TKO | 3 (12), 1:02 | Sands, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBA, WBC, IBF, and The Ring light heavyweight titles |
| 27 | Jun 6, 1985 | Jim MacDonald | Win | TKO | 8 (15), 1:30 | Riviera, Winchester, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBA, WBC, IBF, and The Ring light heavyweight titles |
| 28 | Sep 21, 1985 | Larry Holmes | Win | UD | 15 | Riviera, Winchester, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Won IBF and The Ring heavyweight titles |
| 29 | Apr 19, 1986 | Larry Holmes | Win | SD | 15 | Las Vegas Hilton, Winchester, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained IBF and The Ring heavyweight titles |
| 30 | Sep 6, 1986 | Steffen Tangstad | Win | TKO | 4 (15), 0:58 | Las Vegas Hilton, Winchester, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained IBF and The Ring heavyweight titles |
| 31 | Jun 15, 1987 | Gerry Cooney | Win | TKO | 5 (15), 2:51 | Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained The Ring heavyweight title |
| 32 | Jun 27, 1988 | Mike Tyson | Loss | KO | 1 (12), 1:31 | Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Lost The Ring heavyweight title; For WBA, WBC, and IBF heavyweight titles |
Titles & notes
Major title reigns (start–end): WBA light heavyweight title July 18, 1981 – 1985 (won from Eddie Mustafa Muhammad; a defense run including Vonzell Johnson, Mustafa Wassaja, Murray Sutherland, Jerry Celestine and Johnny Davis; added the WBC and The Ring titles on March 18, 1983 against Dwight Muhammad Qawi and the inaugural IBF title on February 25, 1984 against Eddie Davis; final light heavyweight defense June 6, 1985 against Jim MacDonald, per the bout table, before the move to heavyweight); IBF and The Ring heavyweight titles September 21, 1985 – June 27, 1988 (won from Larry Holmes; defended against Holmes in the rematch and Steffen Tangstad; retained The Ring title against Gerry Cooney on June 15, 1987; lost The Ring title to Mike Tyson in his final bout) — all dates per the bout table
- Jul 18, 1981 vs Eddie Mustafa Muhammad: Won WBA light heavyweight title
- Nov 7, 1981 vs Vonzell Johnson: Retained WBA light heavyweight title
- Feb 13, 1982 vs Mustafa Wassaja: Retained WBA light heavyweight title
- Apr 11, 1982 vs Murray Sutherland: Retained WBA light heavyweight title
- Jun 12, 1982 vs Jerry Celestine: Retained WBA light heavyweight title
- Sep 18, 1982 vs Johnny Davis: Retained WBA light heavyweight title
- Mar 18, 1983 vs Dwight Muhammad Qawi: Retained WBA light heavyweight title; Won WBC and The Ring light heavyweight titles
- Nov 25, 1983 vs Oscar Rivadeneyra: Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring light heavyweight titles
- Feb 25, 1984 vs Eddie Davis: Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring light heavyweight titles; Won inaugural IBF light heavyweight title
- Feb 23, 1985 vs David Sears: Retained WBA, WBC, IBF, and The Ring light heavyweight titles
- Jun 6, 1985 vs Jim MacDonald: Retained WBA, WBC, IBF, and The Ring light heavyweight titles
- Sep 21, 1985 vs Larry Holmes: Won IBF and The Ring heavyweight titles
- Apr 19, 1986 vs Larry Holmes: Retained IBF and The Ring heavyweight titles
- Sep 6, 1986 vs Steffen Tangstad: Retained IBF and The Ring heavyweight titles
- Jun 15, 1987 vs Gerry Cooney: Retained The Ring heavyweight title
- Jun 27, 1988 vs Mike Tyson: Lost The Ring heavyweight title; For WBA, WBC, and IBF heavyweight titles
Photo: John Mathew Smith & www.celebrity-photos.com from Laurel Maryland, USA via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0). Featured image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Michael_Spinks_1996.jpeg
Record source: Wikipedia professional boxing record table (cross-checked against the bout list), retrieved 2026-11-04.
