Once upon a time, Cory Spinks was a world champion who could fill Scottrade Center and make the night come alive. It happened in February 2005 when more than 22,000 fans showed in an amazing display of energy and loyalty to support Spinks in his second fight with Zab Judah.
Spinks didn't train well before that fight, didn't take his craft seriously, and Judah pummeled him into submission in the ninth round. Spinks lost the welterweight championship but avoided a dead end by moving up to the junior-middleweight class. There, he beat Roman Karmazin for the IBF belt and experienced a moderate rejuvenation. He lost the title, then regained it again. When Spinks was in the mood to prepare and really get ready for a fight, he could still be a factor. But those days — suddenly — appear to be over.
Spinks put his IBF junior-middleweight title on the line against Cornelius Bundrage on Saturday at Scottrade. He put his reputation on the line, too. And the result was disastrous and depressing.
At 32, Spinks has been in decline for a while now. He will never be the same. It's all slipping away from him now. He's becoming increasingly irrelevant. Spinks looks tired, weak and spent. And that unpleasant reality came into full view Saturday.
Fighting on the undercard of the Devon Alexander headliner on HBO, Spinks absorbed a terrible beating from Bundradge and saw his career crash on the ropes with referee Mark Nelson's merciful stoppage at 1:28 of the fifth round.
It was a brutal and embarrassing defeat for Spinks, who did so much to revive the boxing scene in St. Louis. He'll always be appreciated for his historical impact, and for carrying on the Spinks name. But he's no longer the same fighter or person. He lost his passion for the fight game a few years ago, which led to his breakup with longtime trainer Kevin Cunningham. Spinks' work ethic faded; his skills eroded; the light is out.
Saturday, we saw a burned-out husk of a fighter get humiliated on his home turf in downtown St. Louis. Bundrage smacked Spinks around from the opening bell, throwing 49 punches in the first round to take the mystery out of the bout, and the will out of the former champ.
Spinks, once known for his quick, slithering movement and keen defensive agility, could fluster opponents by making them miss; he seemingly vanished at the point of connection. Bundrage, however, turned Spinks into that side of beef that Rocky Balboa beat on during training.
In less than five full rounds, Bundrage hit Spinks 44 times, and according to CompuBox, 28 were power shots. Spinks didn't show up. He was a wisp of his former self. Spinks attempted only 73 punches, landing just 17. And remember the great precision jab? Spinks connected only nine of them. This was sad. And thankfully Nelson put an end to the horrific destruction of Spinks before Cory suffered needless, damaging harm. Spinks lost his IBF title. That's unfortunate. But worse, he lost his dignity in front of the hometown crowd. And he didn't seem to understand.
"The ref stopped the fight, and I don't know why," Spinks said.
Why?
Because he wanted to save your brain, Cory.
I mean no disrespect by this. But Spinks should stop doing this for a living. Because if this was a sign of things to come, his quality of life will deteriorate. This is a formula for tragedy: an older fighter who does not commit to training, walking into a ring in a defenseless state, unable to slow the opponent's assault.
The preliminaries gave us one local hero, however.
St. Charles' Ryan Coyne warmed up the crowd with an entertaining, hard-hitting performance against the amazingly stubborn Warren "The Hitman" Browning. Browning hails from Kentucky but is more mule than thoroughbred. And extensive labor was required of Coyne to finally put the big man down, which he did at 2 minutes, 21 seconds of the ninth with a straight stick of dynamite delivered from his left hand to Browning's chin.
The knockout of a game opponent was a positive step for the relatively inexperienced Coyne, who was a hit in playing the big room for the first time. In winning the WBC USNBC cruiserweight title, Coyne displayed the punching power, straightforward style and crowd appeal that first attracted legendary promoter Don King.
Coyne is an interesting profile. He played linebacker for Gary Pinkel at Mizzou for two years, but chronic injuries put an end to any pro football aspirations. So Coyne transferred his natural aggression to boxing and made a name for himself on "The Contender," the reality-TV tournament. Coyne can definitely throw, and it doesn't hurt that he's ruggedly handsome. It's a fresh face for boxing. King doesn't miss many opportunities. And King clearly sees Coyne's obvious potential to sell a lot of tickets. Coyne will now move into the WBC Top 15 rankings, and more substantial fights and paydays are in front of him.
"This is a great fight town," Coyne said. "Leon Spinks, Michael Spinks, Cory Spinks, Devon Alexander and all of the rest. I'm just proud to follow in their footsteps."
Coyne will have to improve — as he'd be the first to tell you. But this isn't a one-punch, one-trick show pony. Coyne pieces together some effective combinations and regularly doubles up on his punches. And he appears to be able to take a punch; two booming uppercuts by Browning, a former heavyweight, did not faze Coyne in the eighth round. But Coyne needs to develop more skill fighting in tight spaces. He repeatedly trapped Browning into a corner, but Browing was almost always able to pivot out of trouble, forcing Coyne to chase him down again.
But Coyne faithfully stalked his opponent until he could break him down. "He was a tough guy," Coyne said. "The truth is, I will walk you down, lock you in the closet and defeat you."
We'll be seeing a lot more from Ryan Coyne. And hopefully, we won't be seeing any more of Cory Spinks in a boxing ring.
