Spinks ignores Billie Holiday’s entreaty to Don’t Explain
Cory Spinks was MIA for the past year, but after taking some time to lick his wounds after being KOd by Zab Judah in his hometown, and battling through romantic and managerial tangles, Spinks is back in the mix.
He’s conceded that 147 is too tough for him to make, so the offspring of Leon will try 154. On July 8, the 28-year-old Spinks will step in with Roman Karmazin, the IBF junior middleweight champion, who is by no means a tune-up type opponent.
The fight (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast) is a Showtime freebie and will take place at Savvis Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
Spinks (34-3, 11 kayos) shared some insights on why he took a year off, his proper weight and how he’ll look at a higher weight division. Writers peppered Spinks, who it’s fair to say didn’t inherit his dad’s propensity for delivering delicious soundbites when he shares, with questions about his layoff and the upcoming scrap.
Q) What are your thoughts going into this fight and fighting at home after losing the undisputed welterweight championship in St. Louis in your last start?
A) My mind is clear. I know what happened last time and I have none of those distractions now. So I am going into the fight totally focused.
Q) Do you think you made some mistakes as far as dealing with the things that are required when you are fighting in your hometown?
A) No, it was not that at all. It was personal issues of life, things that people go through. But I have that handled, so I have no distractions.
Q) This is your first fight in more than a year and you are also moving up in weight. Why not a tune-up before this (world title) fight?
A) I look at myself as a world-class fighter. This is not something I had to learn. This is a gift. I am a boxer and it is just my talent.
Q) Will fighting at 154 hinder you in any way or will it enhance your skills?
A) Well, it will, but I will do what it takes to win. This is a gift, so I can fight any way and any style I want.
Q) Do you feel any pressure to win this in front of your hometown fans?
A) In a way, I do. I know I sent my fans home last time with a bad taste in their mouths, but I have corrected those mistakes that I made. They will be going home with a good taste in their mouths.
Q) How difficult was it for you to get over not only losing the undisputed title in your hometown in front of all those people, but in pretty heartbreaking fashion – getting knocked out? How long did it take you to recover from that?
A) It took me awhile. I had to collect myself. But I think I needed the time off. It made me get back to what Cory Spinks was doing, and that is being focused and always being ready. I needed that time off to be with my daughter and everything, so I can come back to the game fresh.
Q) So are you saying that the little longer than a year off was by design or were there times where you thought you might have a fight and things just could not work out with dates and opponents?
A) Well, things happened. Everybody goes through things and then it dragged on a little longer than we expected. But I am back now and I am ready to go.
Q) What kind of things are you talking about? At one point, you had signed with another promoter and then you came back with Don [King]. Can you talk about what happened with that?
A) We did have a problem, but things happened. We just decided to stay with Don and proceed on.
Q) A perception of your second fight with Judah is that you put too much attention on the dancing in the ring and the rappers and the whole bit. What happened and what were those distractions? How are they not going to affect you again still fighting in your hometown?
A) That was not a distraction. If you see me box, I do that all the time. This is another part of my repertoire. I know how to dance. And it does not waste any energy. That was not a distraction. It was personal problems in life that had my mind elsewhere, plus the weight loss. I lost too much weight and it had me weak, I did not have any energy. So things happen.
Q) What was the reason that you have sat out so long?
A) Well, problems that people go through. I think I needed that time to collect myself. The loss did hurt, but I also needed time to spend with my family because I never did get a break and sometimes it can get tiring. But some people always need that time to collect themselves.
Q) What did you learn about Karmazin after watching his fight against Ouma?
A) He is a hard worker. I cannot take that from him and he beat Ouma convincingly to me. What I plan to do, you will see the night of the fight.
Q) Where are you doing the training?
A) Don King’s training camp in Orwell, Ohio.
Q) What do you know about Karmazin and how do you plan to fight him? What do you have to do differently this time around?
A) People are just going to see what the plan is the night of the fight. But he is a good boxer and he is good at what he does. You have to be ready.
Q) Did you just come to the point that you just could not make 147-pounds and be strong anymore?
A) That is what happened.
Q) You looked strong in your first fight with Zab and you looked strong against Miguel Angel Gonzalez but do you think your age caught up with you in the rematch and you were unable to make it and be as strong as you needed to be?
A) The Gonzalez fight, I had a little bit of a problem but I found the will and the way to do it. I was planning a career move up to 154 after that fight, but things happened and I heard the fight could possibly be in my hometown and I just wanted to do what it took to bring it to St. Louis.
Q) Going up to 154 from 147, what are you walking around at right now?
A) Right now, I am pulling weight. I am 155.
Q) Who are you sparring with to get you ready for Karmazin?
A) We have our own team, so we have real good workers. Trust me, I am ready.
Q) Did you see anything in Karmazin that you think could [take advantage of] and cause him troubles in this matchup?
A) People will see the night of the fight. Not to take anything from Karmazin. He is good at what he does. But you have to be very prepared to be ready for what he brings.
Q) Is Roman Karmazin the biggest opponent that you have fought in your career?
A) Well, I cannot judge that right now. I will just have to see and that is like a question that you would comment on after the fight.
Q) With the move up in weight, is it true that you have retained your speed, but you are hitting harder?
A) Yes, it is true. I am stronger. I am very strong. I just feel great.
Q) I hear champions like you say all the time, “I fought the fight at a weight I should not have fought at.” Does this sort of sneak up on you, the idea of meeting a certain weight and having a certain physical strength and endurance and then you go into the fight and it just does not happen? Or do you know during training and you sort of say to yourself, “I’m a professional, I signed a contract, I’ve got to go through with it,” How did it happen for you?
A) We did know there were some problems making 147. My manager wanted to call it off. It was me. I just had to bring this to my hometown to show them. It was always a dream to defend a world title in St. Louis and when I got that opportunity, I just had to do it. It was a long lost dream of mine, defending the world title in St. Louis.
Q) How do you feel about that situation now? Financially, it was a great move.
A) I cannot really think of that because, of course, I went into the fight wanting to win but things happened and I just did not have the energy in the later rounds to pull it off. But you learn from your mistakes and that is definitely what I have done. I just promised my mom before she passed that that would happen.
Q) Was the choice to fight again in your hometown in the same arena intentional? If so, what was the reasoning behind that choice?
A) That is the biggest arena in town, so that is the only arena that would be able to hold an event like that. So it was not really a whole bunch of selections in terms of arenas in St. Louis.
Q) What about the mental aspect and having to go back to the place where you just lost your last fight?
A) No, that is not any big deal. We went back to Italy when we got robbed over there the first time and fought in the same arena and brought the world title back. So that is what we are going to do on this one.
Q) You guys want to go back to St. Louis. You want to rectify that, right?
A) For sure. It is all about redemption for us. We are coming back home, Cory was not right. Everybody knows that was not the Cory Spinks that everybody knows. That was not the Cory Spinks at 100 percent after having a big weight loss problem and personal issues going on. So he has been off for a while and the time off was good. The 154 is real good. He is eating good. He is ready to go.
Q) Kevin Cunningham, Cory was reticent to speak about Roman. I am sure you have broken down some tapes. Can you tell us what your feeling is on him as a boxer?
A) We have studied the tapes of Ouma and Holmes and after really studying the tape and breaking it down, my master strategist, Kenny Adams, and me, got a real good game plan. He does a lot of things very good. He does pretty much everything good. But he does nothing great. So that is my analysis of Roman Karmazin. He is a solid fighter, good fighter, well conditioned, but he is nothing special.
Q) Kevin, your feeling is Cory will be great again now that he has moved up to 154?
A) Cory is going to be the “exciting, extra slick, special, fast, with a lot more power” Cory on July 8.
Q) So you see no speed loss in the increase in weight, Kevin?
A) No, we just added some power.
Q) After the Zab Judah fight, a lot of writers seemed to turn on you a little bit. Do you feel like you are going to be the underdog in this fight?
A) Yes, of course. It motivates me more to go in there and prove them wrong.
Q) Not looking past Roman by any means, but would you fight Zab Judah again at Madison Square Garden?
A) Man, I am not even worried about Zab. That is going backwards.
Q) You alluded to some personal problems. Those are all behind you now and you have dissolved your marriage, is that correct?
A) Correct.
Q) What does it feel like now going back to your hometown fresh?
A) It feels great. I never felt better. I am so excited to go back because I know I am always ripe. I had a tremendous training camp.
Q) Would you speak directly to those 22,370 people who showed up the first time and all the people watching on SHOWTIME, especially the people in St. Louis, and express to them how you feel about them and their support and how you want them to come out for you in the fight?
A) I want to tell all my fans that the Cory Spinks that they have known and loved is back. He is faster; he is stronger and ready to put on a show for them. I am feeling so good coming back home this time, so focused. I am just ready to get it on.
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