My Take
Michael Spinks is one of those fighters who quietly rewrote the record books while the flashier names grabbed the headlines. Coming out of St. Louis and winning Olympic gold at the 1976 Montreal Games as a middleweight, he then climbed the professional ranks and unified the light heavyweight title — WBC, WBA, IBF, the whole stack — before doing something almost nobody thought was possible: moving up to heavyweight and actually beating Larry Holmes to claim that lineal title in 1985. Let that sink in. A light heavyweight knocking off a reigning heavyweight champion. His run ended dramatically against Mike Tyson in 1988, but even that 91-second stoppage can't erase what he built. The International Boxing Hall of Fame class of 1994 got it right — Spinks belongs in any serious conversation about great crossover champions.
Overview
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.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Michael Spinks
- Name (Japanese)
- マイケル・スピンクス
- Reading
- まいける・すぴんくす
- Born
- July 13, 1956 (age 69)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Cancer / Monkey
- Origin
- St. Louis, Missouri, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- 190 cm
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- boxer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Vashon High School
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 1994 International Boxing Hall of Fame
- WBC World Light Heavyweight Champion
- IBF World Heavyweight Champion
- IBF World Light Heavyweight Champion
- WBA World Light Heavyweight Champion
- The Ring World Heavyweight Champion
- The Ring World Light Heavyweight Champion
- 1976 Sugar Ray Robinson Award
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.