Michael Spinks

CTL-E-7093 · Person · other · 1956–present

VERIFIED evidence grade — build store (JSON graph)

Combined Graph record U-07965 · provenance: build store (JSON graph), record CTL-E-7093.

Michael Spinks, born July 13, 1956, in St. Louis, Missouri, is the younger brother of Leon Spinks (S8-13) — with Leon, Britannica records, the first brothers to win gold medals in the same sport at the same Olympics and the first brothers to win world titles as professional boxers. Michael won the 1976 Montreal Olympic middleweight gold medal, defeating Rufat Riskiev of the Soviet Union in the final. As a professional, his right hand was dubbed 'The Spinks Jinx.' He won the WBA light heavyweight title in 1981 with a fifteen-round decision over Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, then became undisputed light heavyweight champion in 1983 by decisioning WBC champion Dwight Muhammad Qawi. On September 21, 1985, the International Boxing Hall of Fame records, Spinks decisioned IBF heavyweight champion Larry Holmes — who entered 48-0, one win from tying Rocky Marciano's record — becoming the first reigning light heavyweight champion to win the heavyweight title; he beat Holmes again, by split decision, in their rematch. After a knockout of Gerry Cooney in 1987, Spinks lost his final fight to Mike Tyson, a 91-second first-round knockout on June 27, 1988, and retired. Britannica states his totals as 31 wins (21 by knockout) against one loss in 32 bouts. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1994. None of his brother Leon's 1978 fights with Muhammad Ali belongs to this record.

The record

• Also known as: Jinx, The Spinks Jinx

Notes

Sports Encyclopedia roster CTL-SPE-0474. Firsts disposition: first reigning light heavyweight champion to win the heavyweight title (1985) — carried in the Hall's and Britannica's dated form; with Leon, first brothers to win Olympic gold at the same Games and first brothers to hold professional world titles (Britannica). BROTHERS SEPARATION, stated plainly: this is MICHAEL Spinks. The February 15, 1978 split-decision win over Muhammad Ali and the September 1978 rematch loss are his brother LEON's (S8-13) and appear nowhere in this record's facts; Michael's own signature wins are the 1983 unification over Dwight Muhammad Qawi and the September 21, 1985 decision over Larry Holmes. Identity/variance: Michael's birthdate is carried as July 13, 1956 (Britannica's current article and BoxRec); a July 22, 1956 variant circulates in some listings (a World Boxing Association birthday article and a 2010 Sports Illustrated list, as a Wikipedia footnote documents) and is flagged here rather than blended. Britannica's shorthand that Spinks won 'the vacant world title' over Qawi in 1983 is not used — the Hall's precise form (decisioned WBC champion Qawi to become undisputed champion) governs. Curator's Judgment (DRAFT): Michael Spinks is the technician of the two brothers — an awkward, angles-first champion whose single defeat came in 91 seconds against Tyson at his peak, a loss that has unfairly shrunk a two-division reign in public memory. Photo: CLEARED, Public domain, 1987 photograph whose Commons description names Michael Spinks; group photographs showing both brothers or Holmes/Frazier groupings were rejected so the file depicts Michael alone.

Relationships

• Dwight Muhammad Qawi — related to
  Michael Spinks decisioned WBC champion Dwight Muhammad Qawi over fifteen rounds on March 18, 1983, to unify the world light heavyweight championship and become undisputed champion (International Boxing Hall of Fame, 'Michael Spinks' and 'Dwight Muhammad Qawi'; BoxRec).
• Larry Holmes — related to
  Michael Spinks decisioned Larry Holmes (CTL-E-6051) on September 21, 1985, ending Holmes's 48-0 start one win short of Rocky Marciano's record and becoming the first reigning light heavyweight champion to win the heavyweight title; he beat Holmes again by split decision in the 1986 rematch (International Boxing Hall of Fame, 'Michael Spinks'; Encyclopaedia Britannica, 'Michael Spinks').
• Leon Spinks — related to
  Michael Spinks and Leon Spinks are brothers — the first brothers to win gold medals in the same sport at the same Olympics (Montreal 1976: Leon at light heavyweight, Michael at middleweight) and the first brothers to win world titles as professional boxers (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 'Michael Spinks' and 'Leon Spinks'; International Boxing Hall of Fame, 'Michael Spinks').
• Mike Tyson — related to
  Michael Spinks's final fight was his June 27, 1988 heavyweight showdown with Mike Tyson (CTL-E-5680), who knocked him out in 91 seconds of the first round; Spinks retired after the fight (International Boxing Hall of Fame, 'Michael Spinks'; Encyclopaedia Britannica, 'Michael Spinks').

Sources

• International Boxing Hall of Fame. "Michael Spinks." IBHOF.com. Accessed 2026-11-03. (primary source · build store)
• Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Michael Spinks." Britannica.com. Accessed 2026-11-03. (build store)
• BoxRec. "Michael Spinks." BoxRec.com. Accessed 2026-11-03. (build store)

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Record CTL-E-7093 · Combined Graph record U-07965 · CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph · 3 sources · 4 mapped relationships.
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Researched and maintained by the CultureTechLens research program · CultureTechLens Combined Graph, Release 2026-11-04. Corrections are public: the corrections log.

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