Mike Tyson traveled to Tokyo, Japan on March 21, 1988 to knock out an overweight, and undertrained Tony Tubbs in 2 rounds. I went over my sister’s house to watch it on HBO, and was hardly surprised at the outcome, especially when Tubbs entered the ring as such a fat slob. He got what he deserved, and Tyson got rid of another misfit from the heavyweight division.
Michael Spinks had left the HBO tournament to name a unified champion, and opted instead to fight Gerry Cooney in June of 1987. Michael knocked out Cooney in 5 rounds, and many still viewed him as the Lineal Heavyweight Champion. In the meantime, Mike Tyson had captured all 3 title belts by August of ’87, and was the ‘official’ unified Heavyweight Champion of the World. The two finally agreed to meet on June 27, 1988 at Atlantic City Convention Hall, to end all questions as to who was the legitimate champ.
I drove the hour or so to Trump Castle on the Marina in Atlantic City to watch Michael Spinks train once for the bout. A year earlier, I had done the same thing 5 or 6 times to see Michael train for Gerry Cooney at the same make-shift gym at Trump Castle. The difference was I knew Michael could beat Cooney, and this time I knew he would lost to Tyson.
I went to see the closed-circuit event at the Spectrum in Philadelphia on Monday June 27, 1988 expecting the worst. Despite the fact that Michael had bulked up to 212 1/4 lbs., and looked impressive at the weigh-in held on Saturday afternoon on ABC television, I knew he was going to get knocked out. After purchasing a program, I took my seat on the floor of the Spectrum, and held my breath.
After Butch Lewis foolishly made an already hyped Tyson angry by saying his hands needed to be rewrapped, and his gloves replaced, the two fighters both finally arrived into the ring. Michael looked petrified, and I vividly remember ring announcer Michael Buffer saying “I knew Spinks was in trouble when I saw his heart beating through his chest, as I held the mike for ring instructions.”
Tyson swarmed Michael from the start, and dropped him with a body shot along the ropes a minute or so into the round. Spinks was up a the count of four, but Tyson knocked him down and out with a vicious right hand to his head, ending it in all of just 91 seconds. I jumped from my seat and yelled “Son of a Bitch!”, as I scurried from the arena. I didn’t bother to listen to any interviews, and hurried to my 1985 Firebird to go home.
It was depressing to see one of my favorite all-time fighters get knocked out in a humiliating way, and it hurt me as a real fan of his. I took solace in the fact the he was the best light-heavyweight in history in my opinion, went up to heavyweight to make some money, and had done so successfully.
As for Tyson, his life began to crumble as the year 1988 progressed. Jimmy Jacobs died in early 1988, and it was soon after that Tyson left Bill Cayton to sign with Don King. It was the beginning of the end for the young champion, and time would bear me right.
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