Boxer Michael Spinks was one of the most accomplished fighters of his generation, even if his career has never received quite the recognition it deserves. A gold medalist at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, Spinks became the dominant light heavyweight of his era before doing what no reigning light heavyweight champion had ever done: move up and defeat the heavyweight champion, upsetting the unbeaten Larry Holmes in 1985 and beating him again the following year.
Yet for many casual sports fans, Spinks is remembered less for everything he accomplished than for the 91 seconds it took Mike Tyson to knock him out in their massive 1988 "Once and For All" showdown. That loss became the final fight of Spinks’ career, obscuring a remarkable body of work that legendary boxing writer Jack Hirsch believes deserves far greater historical appreciation.
Hirsch joins the show to discuss his newly published authorized biography of Spinks ("Michael 'Jinx' Spinks: An Authorized Biography"), and the fascinating life behind the fighter: his unlikely path from Olympic champion to reluctant professional, his complicated relationship with promoter Butch Lewis, his historic victories over Holmes, the circumstances surrounding the Tyson fight, and the financial turmoil that emerged years after his retirement.
We also explore Spinks’ famously low-key personality, his relationship with brother Leon, and why Hirsch places Michael firmly among boxing’s all-time greats — even if the wider sporting public has never quite given him his due.
