HONEST MICHAEL : It’s Threatening, Terrifying and a Living for Spinks

Michael Spinks fights with fear.

It’s fear of the unseen opponent--the risk which accompanies any fighter into the ring--and Spinks willingly talks about it.

“He’s just honest, that’s all,” says his trainer, Eddie Futch. “Other fighters have it. They just don’t talk about it.”

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“If I could do something else as well, I would do it . . . I can get hurt,” Spinks said several years ago before even he could envision the success he has achieved the ring.

Listen:

“It’s life-threatening, I’ll tell you. It’s terrifying at times.

“It’s what I do for a living.”

Does it well, too, unbeaten in 31 pro fights and the only light heavyweight champion to win a heavyweight title.

Listen:

“I’ve never run from anybody. I’ve never been afraid of anybody to the point of not trying to win.

“I got my courage from boxing with Leon,” said the 31-year-old, recalling gym sessions as an amateur with brother Leon, who won and lost the heavyweight title in fights with Muhammad Ali in 1978.

“Leon was awesome.”

Monday night at the Atlantic City Convention Center Spinks will fight heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, a 21-year-old whose fists and demeanor in the ring have given him an aura of a fighter who will not be denied.

“He’s totally awesome,” Spinks said. “I can’t blame anybody for really not wanting to be in there.”

“I could use a tag team if I get tired,” said Spinks, who also approaches his hard trade with the kind of dry humor born of hard times.

Michael and Leon Spinks came out of a St. Louis ghetto to win gold medals at the 1976 Olympics at Montreal and become the only brothers to win the heavyweight title. Leon was undisputed champion, while Michael held the International Boxing Federation version.

The brothers’ careers have passed, going in opposite directions. Leon now fights for minor purses years after the promise of boxing riches, which never materialized.

“Leon gets very emotional when I fight,” Michael said.

--March 18, 1983: Michael is fighting Dwight Muhammad Qawi for the undisputed light heavyweight championship at the Convention Center and Leon is prowling the working press section in a black cowboy hat shouting encouragement to his brother. Between the sixth and seventh rounds, Leon, his hat askew, rushes to Michael’s corner to offer advice. Michael looks down and says, “Straighten your hat, Lee.” Leon does.

“Leon cares a lot for me,” Michael said.

--June 12, 1981, Leon is challenging for the World Boxing Council title and is being pounded into submission by Larry Holmes in the third round. Out of the audience and on to the ring apron bounds Michael.

“I wanted to stop the fight,” Michael said. “My brother was hurt.”

Michael’s feelings of real hurt for his brother stem from the problems success brought to Leon.

“The only problem Leon had was being too nice,” Michael said. “You shouldn’t hang out and let the public get into your life.”

Leon’s out of-the-ring problems have been publicized. Michael has had some minor problems, but has been pretty successful in maintaining his privacy and that of Jennifer, his 5-year-old daughter. Jennifer’s mother, Sandy Massie, was killed in January when her car was hit by an auto operated by a drunk driver.

Spinks was able to keep his career on track, something he couldn’t do when Leon upset Ali for the title Feb. 15, 1978.

After having six fights in 1977, Spinks fought only twice in 1977.

” . . . with Leon’s quick success, I was staying in the background,” Spinks said. “People would say, ‘Mike get out of the way; I got to get to Leon.’ It didn’t bother me because I was concerned for Leon, too.”

Spinks fought only once in 1979, but that was due to a knee injury.

Finally in 1980, after splitting with promoter Bob Arum and joining Butch Lewis, who once worked for Arum, Spinks started his streak.

On Sept. 22, 1985, Spinks, a 6-1 underdog, won the IBF heavyweight title on a 15-round unanimous decision over Larry Holmes at Las Vegas.

He beat Holmes in the rematch on a split decision, knocked out Steffan Tangstad and appeared headed for a showdown with Tyson in the final of the HBO television heavyweight unification series.

Spinks and Lewis opted, however, to leave the series to fight Gerry Cooney, a move that led to Spinks being stripped of the IBF title. For knocking out Cooney in the fifth round June 15, 1987, at Atlantic City, Spinks got $4 million, which is about what he would have made for fighting Tyson on HBO.

Monday night, Spinks is guaranteed $13.5 million.

“It’s what I do for a living.”