Spinks Proves in 4 Rounds That He and His Left Hook Are Back

Leon Spinks didn’t let bad publicity or a two-year layoff halt his comeback bid.

“I felt pretty good out there,” Spinks said Thursday night after stopping Lupe (Macho) Guerra 43 seconds into the fourth round of their scheduled 10-round cruiserweight match.

“He was the kind of guy I was looking for,” Spinks said of Guerra. “I felt the crowd was behind me, and that felt good. After being away for two years, you read a lot of things that people say.”

Spinks, 31, the former World Boxing Assn. heavyweight champion, had knocked down Guerra earlier in the round and flattened him with a left hook a second time before referee Tom Briscoe stopped the fight.

Guerra was surprised at Briscoe’s decision.

“I was already up when the ref counted to eight,” Guerra said. “It could have been a cleaner fight. Spinks was holding me when he dropped me.

“My intentions were to just stay away from the guy.”

Guerra’s manager, Ron Stander, said Spinks could have a successful comeback.

“If he was in better shape and gets his hand speed faster, he’ll be all right,” Stander said. “He just has to get under 200 pounds for a good month.”

Spinks was about six pounds heavier than Guerra but was giving up two inches to the 6-3 Omaha native. Neither fighter had an edge in quickness, and Guerra seemed to be effective only during an exchange in the second round.

Guerra also was knocked down by his opponent’s left hooks in the first and third rounds.

With the victory at Cobo Arena, Spinks raised his record to 13-4-2. Guerra’s record dropped to 24-13-1.