Mike Tyson vs Michael Spinks – Technical Breakdown
Mike Tyson vs Michael Spinks – Scientific Violence
Few things in the sport of boxing are more attractive then match ups that reveal who the king of the division is. Even more appealing, is when the match-up is between undefeated champions. Even more rare, is when that match up takes place among the big men, the heavyweights. In 1988, that was exactly what the public got to see. Boxing fans were spoilt with the fight, billed ‘Once and For All’, between champions Mike Tyson and Michael Spinks. Spinks had defeated the old king Larry Holmes twice, and was seen as the only real threat to the young Iron Mike. Despite the fact that most observers missed the technical subtleties of Tyson, focusing instead on his power, Tyson had improved massively by the time of this fight. On this night, Tyson was a monster. But more impressively, he was a methodical monster.
The Opening
From the opening bell, Tyson went out with clear intent to press the action. The first punch was a Tyson jab, coming from a crouching stance, allowing him to spring up with punches that are hard to track. Spinks seemed to be caught off guard, and was pushed back. He would later negate Tyson’s crouching by crouching with him, so that Tyson had no target to spring up against, or using his lead hand to keep Tyson at range.
More significant was the first counter from Tyson. Michael Spinks threw a right hand, which Tyson tried to counter with a left hook. His accuracy was off, but as the bout went on, it would grow in potency. On the part of Spinks, his right hand was inaccurate too. But the bigger problem was his loss of balance every time he threw it. Spinks would fall into the punch, causing his weight to fall forward over his front foot. Every time he done this, he gave away free counterpunching opportunities, which Tyson was happy to take full advantage of.
Patterns
Already a minute into the fight, crucial patters were emerging. Firstly, Spinks’ lead right kept causing him to smother himself, as he fell into inside range, where Tyson could punch and he could not. Secondly, Tyson was intent on countering Spinks’ right with his left hook. Lastly, Spinks’ reaction when Tyson stormed forward, was to lean forward at the waist with a high guard. All three of these patterns were to be the crucial factors that caused the end of the fight.
Another interesting tendency in the fight was Tyson’s use of his lead forearm (on both sides, depending on whether he was southpaw or orthodox). He frequently used it in the same way a roman soldier would, advancing behind the shield and bringing through the rear hand, which was also more difficult to see in this way.
First Knockdown
Next came the pivotal moment in the fight. Tyson started to lean to his left, this generated momentum in his back leg (he was southpaw by this point), which allowed him to counter Spinks before he even started his punch. This was because when Spinks went to throw a punch, he had to load his body to throw a punch. But on the other hand, Tyson had already had his body loaded, meaning he only had to wait for the opening.
Spinks made a suicidal move. He threw a right hook to Tyson’s body whilst Tyson had already primed his legs to launch an uppercut. By this time, Tyson was in a southpaw stance. With his left side further behind him, this meant that Spinks threw his rear side into Tyson’s rear side, putting himself deeply in Tyson’s punching range. To make it worse, Spinks was in harm’s way with his back to the ropes, with nowhere to run or hide. It goes without saying, this is certainly not a place of safe sanctuary.
As Tyson threw the viciously potent left uppercut, he carried his whole left side into the punch. Tyson done this, not just by pushing his left side into the punch, but also by pulling his right shoulder back, to get ‘the proper snap’. He then readjusted back into a southpaw stance, urgently searching for openings whilst Spinks bends forward, with a high guard. As Mike searched for the opening, he put his left forearm on Spinks’ head, controlling Spinks whilst he readjusted himself. Despite Spinks’ desperate attempt to make himself a small target, Tyson, like a true disciple of Cus D’Amato, understood that a body attack is a great counter to the high guard and forward bend.
Countering The High Guard
After Tyson lands the poisonous right hook to the body, under Spinks’ guard, you can instantly see the effect as Spinks instinctively brings his left arm down. Tyson then instinctively puts his left forearm on Spinks’ head once again, but at this point, there’s no need. Just like a poison with a delayed effect, Spinks sinks to the floor, wisely taking the logical decision to take a knee instead of take more punishment.
This is the beauty of body punching. It’s clear that Tyson’s quick predisposition to go down to the body was a result of Kevin Rooney, imparting into Tyson an appetite to go down to the body quickly. Do you remember Tyson’s most destructive performance earlier in his career against Marvin Frazier? You may have thought that Tyson’s 30 second destruction was faultless. But after the fight, Rooney criticised Tyson (constructively), saying ‘he coulda worked the body alot more’. This is exactly what he meant, and the improvement since then was there to see in this fight.
Efficient Finishing
As Referee Frank Cappuccino gives Spinks a mandatory eight-count, you can see the determination on Spinks’ face as he readies himself to go back into the battle. But with one look of ambition and defiance, the beginning of the end is clear to see. Spinks marches on towards Tyson, instead of retreating and throws a lead right.
Just as he did earlier in the fight, Tyson countered with a left hook. The left hook doubles up as a guide, as his forearm encourages Spinks to lean forward, again trying to make himself a small target. In fact, Spinks quits on his right hand midway through the action, sensing he has just entered No Mans Land. But by now it’s too late. Tyson then fires a right uppercut, from an extremely low angle. The punch comes from, and travels at a low angle. By the time it reaches Spinks’ head, Spinks is actually looking down at the floor, a result of his excessive forward momentum and bending. As a consequence, Spinks didn’t see the punch coming. And as we know, the punch you don’t see coming is the punch that knocks you out.
Initially, I was of the belief that when Tyson fired the finishing right uppercut, he was quickly readjusting in the moment to Spinks’ lean. However, that may not be the case. From the first ten seconds of the fight, until the end, Spinks continued to lean forward after his right hand. Which is proven by the fact that as the bout went on, his counter hook grew in accuracy. Perhaps Tyson began to adapt to the leaning, and was aware that Spinks would move his head forward once again, in place for a right uppercut. Perhaps Tyson’s finish was premeditated. Either way though, there is no doubt that it was impressive.
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