Michael Spinks vs. Dwight Muhammad Qawi recommended him not to fight, as he had been diagnosed with pneumonia. This diagnostic put the fight on jeopardy, but he decided to go on with the fight. The bout was carried live on HBO Boxing. The bout was fought at Atlantic City, New Jersey, near Qawi's hometown of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Some fans and critics would later say that the fight did not live up to its name, because they were expecting an action packed fight. Spinks surprised many observers by taking a technical stance from the beginning, and Qawi, in his typical style, charged forward, chasing Spinks. Rounds one
Cory Spinks in a fight with Verno Phillips at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Spinks lost the IBF Junior Middleweight Championship via controversial split decision. On April 24, 2009, Spinks reclaimed the vacant IBF Junior Middleweight Championship in a close split-decision victory over fellow St. Louis native Deandre Latimore. Spinks fought back after suffering a 1st round knockdown to win by the scores of 115-112 Spinks, 115-112 Latimore and 114-113 Spinks. The fight was held at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. On August 7, 2010, after a five-month delay due to scheduling conflicts, Spinks lost the IBF Junior Middleweight Championship