Michael Spinks years he remained close to his former promoter, Butch Lewis, training fighters and making rare public appearances at events promoted by Lewis. In 2011, however, after Lewis died from natural causes, it was reported that Spinks had sued Lewis's estate in a Delaware Chancery Court, alleging that the promoter had failed to properly manage more than $24 million Spinks had earned in the ring and had violated their agreements that Lewis would continue to manage Spinks's money and pay his living expenses for the rest of the boxer's life. The lawsuit alleged that he commingled his personal funds with Spinks's
Michael Spinks vs. Dwight Muhammad Qawi desperate to score a knockout. But Spinks made him miss frequently, bobbing his head and trying to keep his distance from Qawi. (In 2006, Qawi bitterly told "Sports Illustrated" that Spinks "ran like a thief" during the fight.) After the fight ended, the scorecards were read: judge Tony Castellano had scored the fight 144-140, judge Tony Perez had it at 144-141, and judge Frank Cappuccino had it also at 144-141, all in favor of Spinks. The closeness of the decision made fans write to magazines and newspapers, asking for a rematch. The rematch came very close to happening; it was