Mike Tyson vs. Michael Spinks Mike Tyson vs. Michael Spinks Mike Tyson vs. Michael Spinks was a boxing match which took place on Monday June 27, 1988. Both men were undefeated and each had a claim to being the legitimate heavyweight champion. At the time, Tyson held the belts of all three of the major sanctioning organizations (World Boxing Council, World Boxing Association, and International Boxing Federation) while Spinks was the "Ring" champion and was considered the lineal champion. Held at the Atlantic City Convention Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey and promoted as "once and for all", it was at the time the richest
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