Cruserweight: Money division

[Shaft081]

I'm home all day babysitting my son, so I figured I'd give my first scenario a shot


It's April 9 1988. Evander Holyfield has just moved to 17-0 with 14 Ko's, and has unified the WBA, WBC and IBF Titles with an 8th round TKO of Carlos Deleon of Puerro Rico. With the big Tyson-Spinks showdown looming, many believe that this was Holyfield's last fight at 190lbs, as a big money fight against the winner of that fight looms on the horrizon.

[Shaft081]

April 23 1989

Tyson v. Spinks canceled.

It appears all the I's were not dotted, and the t's were not crossed, as lineal heavyweight champion Micheal Spinks has announced he will not be fighting Mike Tyson on June 27th in Atlantic City. Spinks cited promoter Don King's insistence on having options on Spinks, shall he pull the upset and defeat Tyson. "I'm 31 years old, I may only have a few fights left, and I don't want to put them in the hands of Don King. After I use my superior boxing ability to defeat Tyson, I want to be able to cash in, and Don King will be in my way. If Tyson wants this fight, lets do it without Don King" . King issued a statement saying that "the metamorphisms of the once proud and gallant Spinks, is a true abomination of the spirit of boxing"
Spinks who has not fought since his Tko of Gerry Cooney in April of 1988, still plans to fight in June, as he has been training since January according to Spinks manager Butch Lewis. Tyson also plans to defend his three heavyweight titles on June 27th against a yet to be named opponent.

[Shaft081]

May 2nd


Tyson-Cooney set for 27th.

In a surprising twist to the Tyson-Spinks-King triangle, Promoter Don king has announced that Gerry Cooney will replace Micheal Spinks as the opponent for Unified Heavyweight champion Mike Tyson. Tyson, 33-0 with 29 knockouts, will be facing his tallest opponent to date in the 6 foot 6 inch Cooney. Cooney may also represent the biggest puncher Tyson has faced. However despite this, many are questioning whether Cooney is worthy of this PPV fight. In Cooney's last fight, he was Tko'd by the original Tyson opponent for the 27th, Micheal Spinks, and he has not won a fight since May of 1986.
Can Cooney, whose dedication has sometimes been questioned, be prepared for a fighter the caliber of Tyson in less than two months? Cooney who weighed 238 in his fight against Spinks, is believed to be walking around at well oer 250 pounds.
Among those who are not impressed is Butch Lewis, the manager for former heavyweight and lightheayweight champion Micheal Spinks. "Micheal got stripped of his title, for fighting Gerry, and since that fight Gerry has done nothing to become a legitimate contender. This once again shows that Don King will stoop to any level to scam the American public"
Lewis also revealed that in the coming days he will be announcing the opponent for Micheal Spinks for a fight that has now been moved to July third.

[Shaft081]

Spinks opponent comes as a shock!

[Shaft081]

May 16th

Spinks to fight for undisputed championship


Micheal Spinks has gone from one undisputed champion to another. In an unprecedented shocking move, Butch Lewis announced that former undefeated former lightheayweight and heavyweight champion Micheal Spinks will battle current undisputed cruserweight champion Evander Holyfield on July 3rd.
The 31 year old Spinks faces a fellow undefeated Olympic medalist in the 25 year old 1984 bronze medalist Evander Holyfield. Much like Spinks originally scheduled opponent, Mike Tyson, Holyfield has wiped out his division, and seemed to have no major challenges on the horizon. That all changes with todays announcement of what will undoubtedly be the most high profile match in the short history of the cruserweight division.
"True fans of boxing will pass on the exhibition fight that Tyson is fighting, and they will watch a true classic. This is two undefeated warriors in their primes, don't miss it on July 3rd said Dino Duva of Main Events who will be promoting the show which will be held at the Riviera Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
Reached by telephone, Spinks was not worried about the bouts 190lb weight limit. "Right now I'm at 201, and I will be in under 190 by fight night. If their were big fights at lightheavyweight I could still make 175, if you give me six months so 190 will not be an issue"
In a press conference in Las Vegas promoting Tyson vs. Cooney, King claimed that Spinks never intended to fight Tyson. "It is very convenient that rather that bulking up to face the strongest man he has ever faced, Spinks has been trimming down, and dropping weight. Micheal is a master of deception"

[mh2365]

Excellent write ups

[Shaft081]

June 23rd

Holmes: "Gerry has my support"


Atlantic City
Retired former heavyweight champion Larry Holmes here in town for Saturday's fight, will be rooting for Gerry Cooney on Saturday night.
Holmes, who Tko'd Cooney in the thirteenth round six years ago says Cooney "Is a good friend of mine, and he still has all the ability in the world if his head is in the right place. I'm no fool with money, so I wouldn't bet on it, but I will say Gerry hit me harder than Tyson did. I just don't know if Gerry will be in the right frame of mind on Saturday, but he certainly has my support"
The belief here is that Holmes is hoping that Cooney can somehow score the monumental upset, which could create yet another circus heavyweight title fight for Holmes to cash in on, in the form of Holmes vs. Cooney II. The likely hood of that is highly unlikely as Holmes has lost his last three fights, and Cooney is a 10-1 underdog.

[Shaft081]

June 25th

King: Holmes is an Uncle Tom

Atlantic City
In a blatant attempt to drum up more hype for a fight that does not need any more hype, promoter Don King claimed that former heavyweight champion Larry Holmes was an Uncle Tom for his vocal support of Gerry Cooney in Saturdays fight, The loquacious King claimed "With all that Larry was put through in 82, he should realize that the boxing establishment will do everything they can to keep people like Mike, myself and Larry in their place. Any black man, who supports Gerry Cooney is a Benedict Arnold and an Uncle Tom".
In the eyes of this reporter, King is in a win win scenario. To King, the whole black and white issue creates green, and it is doubtfull that he would be heartbroken if Cooney wins.
The likely scenario is that Tyson Ko's Cooney early, and the early projections are that this fight could gross 35 million dollars. If Cooney somehow wins, King will have options on Cooney, and he will control the two most marketable fighters in the world.

[Shaft081]

June 27th

Preview of Tonights heavyweight title fight:

Tale of the Tape
AGE HEIGHT REACH WEIGHT RECORD
Tyson 21 5-10 71 219 33-0 29 Ko's
Cooney 31 6-6 81 239 29-2 24 Ko's

Can Gerry win?

Gerry Cooney will get hit in this fight. Whether or not we are here to watch a competitive fight, or a Tyson showcase will depend on how he reacts to Tyson punches early. In his last bout against Micheal Spinks, Cooney plodded through four rounds as if in a rusted suit of armor. He landed a few heavy punches, but whenever he was hit, he covered up instead of trading punches. Cooney shouldn't be accused of not having the heart of a boxer. But he never had the soul. Against Tyson, any hesitation will be suicide, and Cooney will be stopped much sooner than the 5th round this time.
The conventional wisdom, is that to beat Mike Tyson you need to conserve energy, take him in the deep water and drown him. In this case, Cooney need not heed that advice. It is doubtful that Cooney has the legs to stop Tyson late, or the stamina, chin, and workrate to win on points, so most feel he needs to come out aggressive, and hit Tyson with something early to earn his respect, and then pounce. If he can get Tyson to fear his power, Gerry Can then use his 10 inch reach advantage to control the fight. Tyson did show he was vulnerable to early punches last year, when Tony Tucker was able to land early, before fading and losing to Tyson by decision.
The oods have dropped to 7-1, so Gerry must have some believers

Prediction: Cooney will have a few moments in the first round, but Tyson is too fast and too young. Even the Cooney of 1982, would have been a longshot...............Tyson by tko in two

[Jersey-Jim]

I love it. Good stuff!

[Ric915]

Great Stuff so far. Looking forward to this uni

[Shaft081]

Tyson stops Cooney in 4

June 28th
Atlantic City NJ.
Last night Mike Tyson was able to put out Gerry Cooney without putting him down, earning an incredible 17 million dollars for 11 minutes and 33 seconds of work.
Cooney looked to establish the jab in the first round, pawing with it, as Tyson came in bobbin an weaving, and ripping shots to the body. In a move straight out of the Bonecrusher Smith playbook, Cooney grabbed Tyson and tied him up on the inside. Finally at 2:37 of the 1st round, Cooney landed his best shot of the fight, a straight cross that had the pro Cooney supporters roaring in delight. The shot did little to faze Tyson who continued to aggressively target the body. Despite the cheers it was Tyson's round on all scorecards
Round two featured Cooney attempting to do the same, but Tyson began ripping combinations to the body and head. Late in the round Tyson landed a cross followed by a hook that pinned Gerry in the corner. If rounds were 190 seconds long that may hae been the end.
Round three featured more of the same as Tyson continued targeting the body and head, and Cooney's token punches became less and less frequent.
Early in round four a Tyson uppercut on the inside shock Gerry up, and Tyson pounced, determined not to let the wounded Cooney escape again, Tyson pummeled Cooney with combinations until a huge left hook finally caused Frank Capuccino to stop the beating 2:33 into the fourth round. Tyson moved to 34-0 with 30 Ko's and Cooney fell to 29-3 with 24 Ko's, and may be wise to take the 5 million dollars earned for this fight and look for another line of employment.
Cooney surprised many in lasting four rounds, and not being knocked off his feet. He showed excellent heart, but was clearly out gunned, and by the end of round two was only looking to survive.
Tyson showed excellent poise. After round one, this fight looked like it would go along the Mitch Green, Bonecrusher Smith route, with a large opponent tying Tyson up. Tyson wisely attacked the body on the inside, making it difficult for Cooney to tie up , and when the head of Cooney's head opened up, he fired off combinations.
Tyson landed 120 of 338 punches, while Cooney threw only 146 punches, landing 45.








Undercard [taken from Tyson-Spinks card, results are the real ones]

Carl Williams made his case to be next up for Tyson, by outpointing former world champion Trevor Berbick, and moving his record to 21-2 with 16 Ko's

Buster Douglas Ko'd Mike Williams in 7, after knocking him down with jabs twice in the third, and once in the 7th, he put a right cross behind the jab and Ko'd his opponent in 7. Douglas moed to 27-4-1 with 19 Ko's and Williams fell to 16-2 with 11 Ko's

Razor Ruddock Tko'd Regie Gross in 2, moving to 19-1-1 with 12 Ko's

[Shaft081]

Who's next?

April 29th
New York

With his 22nd birthday tomorrow Mike Tyson doesn't care who he fights next. "Spinks, Holyfield, Bruno, the result will be the same. I wanted Spinks, but he found his way out. I'm leaving it up to Jim Jacobs and Don King" the heayweight champion proclaimed.
When asked about his thoughts on not being able to knock Gerry Cooney off his feet, Tyson grew annoyed "Did you want to see a homicide? I was seconds from seriously hurting Gerry, and the referee did his job and protected the fighter. Gerry Cooney is a great fighter, who showed alot of heart, and the referee saved him from himself. I would have loved to have knocked him out. It would have been a great release for me, Just because the referee saved him, doesn't mean I couldn't knock him out. I did my job, beating a man to boliivion, and the referee did his job and rescued a man from certain destruction.
Current linear champion Micheal Spinks is the person most fans want to see face Tyson. If he is successful, and is able to defeat Evander Holyfield on Saturday, the public demand wil increase for the fight.

[Shaft081]

July 1st



Las Vegas
Tyson in the wings for winner



The contrast between the build up for this Saturdays cruserweight bout between Evander Holyfield and Micheal Spinks could not be any more different than the Cooney-Tyson fight. Spinks and Holyfield both hae tremendous respect for one another, and this figures to be a fight of the year candidate. This promotion is strictly about a boxing match.
"I promote boxing, not a freakshow" said promoter Butch Lewis attired in a tuxedo with no shirt.
Oddsmakers have Spinks as a 3 to 2 favorite in this cruserweight title fight, but clearly Spinks has much more to lose. As the lineal heavyweight champion, he was in a great position of power. A loss here, and his bargaining power decreases severely. He would need Tyson much more than Tyson needs him
At this moment, Holyfield and Michael Spinks are regarded as the only fighters with the talent and marquee value to make a closed-circuit match feasible against Mike Tyson, the undisputed heavyweight champion.
Of course, Holyfield will need to add weight to his 6-foot-2-inch frame to handle today's large-sized heavyweight. Earlier this week, Shelly Finkel, a consultant to Holyfield, said he did not expect that would be a problem for the fighter, should he defeat Spinks

''With his frame,'' said Finkel, ''Evander should have no problem building up to 215 pounds. He's not like Spinks, who couldn't weigh much more than 200 pounds - and that's pushing it.''

[Shaft081]

July 3rd
Las Vegas

The tale of the tape

Age Height lbs reach W-L KO
Evander Holyfield 25 6'2 1/2 190 78 17-0 14
Micheal Spinks 31 6'3 190 76 31-0 21

Micheal Spinks has always been a careful surveyor of his opponent, expect him to feel out Holyfield early. Spinks is an improvisational genius, and should be ale to alter his game plan during the fight. He is all boxer, heart and soul and mind. Moving in and out, he will look to sting Holyfield with sharp crisp punches. Spinks is sometimes too picky with his shots. Against Holyfiled he must let his hands go.
Evander Holyfield should be able to outwork the 31 year old Spinks. In his first fight with Dwight Qawi in 1986, the two fighters combined to throw an average of 154 punches a round. Holyfield is a rhythm puncher, who gets excellent leverage on his punches. A possible problem is Holyfield, who was known to fade late in the amateurs, struggled in the middle rounds against Qawi, but picked up steam and pilled up points in the championship rounds. Against a seasoned vet like Spinks, Holyfield needs to stay consistent in the middle rounds when Spinks normally picks up speed.

Prediction: Spinks rallies late for a split decision.

[Ric915]

Go Holyfield

[Ian Lord]

Excellent stuff. Looking forward to seeing who wins the Spinks/Holyfield fight. I reckon Holyfield will just edge it.

[Jersey-Jim]

I hope Holyfield wins by knockout!

[Shaft081]

Holyfield stops Spinks in four

July 4th

Las Vegas: In a toe to toe war, Evander Holyfield stopped Micheal Spinks last night to retain his undisputed cruserweight title. The fight, which many predicted would be a possible fight of the year, may not have lived up to the advance billing, but nobody was asking for a refund either.
In round one, Spinks came out boxing, and out landed Holyfield at a 2 to 1 rate. Holyfield continued coming forward throughout the round, and seemed unfazed by the barrage of punches. Early in round two, Holyfield began to get inside and rib combinations and one counter Spinks beautifully.
As has often been the case for both of these fighters, Spinks seemed scrap his boxing plan in round three, and stood toe to toe with Holyfield and got the better of it in round three, landing big punches throuhout the round. A big cross landed on the chin of Holyfield and left him staggered at the end of round three.
At the beginning of round four, Spinks came out looking to press his advantage and end the fight. Holyfield once again was hurt by a huge right, before firing back with a three punch combination, as Spinks retreated into the corner Holyfield launched a wicked hook that knocked down the challenger. Spinks was able to get up at 5, but spent the next 2 minutes taking punishment and retreating, Spinks was out on his feet when referee Mills Lane stepped in and stopped the fight at 2:46 of round 4. Holyfiled moved to 18-0 with 15 Knockouts, while Spinks fell to 31-1. Despite being out landed in the fight, Holyfield showed that he clearly has more firepower and now must be considered among the top pound for pound fighters in the world.
"He showed great heart in determination, the shot he hit me with in round three had me hurt. I think if he gets a fight with Tyson, we would have a new champion on our hands" Holyfield said at the post fight press conference. As for his own plans, Holyfield stated that he would be leaving in the hands of his promoters at Main Events

[Shaft081]

July 6th,

WBA light heavyweight champion Virgill Hill has announced that he will be moving up to cruserweight to challenge Evander Holyfiled. Hill who Tko'd Jean-Marie Emebe of France last Saturday night cited a lack of credible opposition in his decision. The battle with Holyfield, will be Holyfields second consecutive fight against an undefeated former light heavyweight Olympic representative. Unlike Spinks, Hill will be moving up in weight to face Holyfield. Hill will be the second Olympic teamate that Holyfield will fight. In Febuary of last year, Holyfield Tko'd Henry Tilman in seven