Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
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.
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 70)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Cancer / Monkey
- Origin
- St. Louis, Missouri, United States
- Height
- 190 cm
- Occupation
- boxer
2. Background
- High school
- Vashon High School
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
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Michael Spinks born?
Born July 13, 1956 (age 70).
Where is Michael Spinks from?
Michael Spinks is from St. Louis, Missouri, United States.
What does Michael Spinks do?
Michael Spinks works as boxer.
How tall is Michael Spinks?
Michael Spinks is 190 cm.
Boxer — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.