Cory Spinks


Cory Spinks is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1997 to 2013. He held multiple world championships in two weight classes, including the undisputed welterweight title from 2003 to 2005, and the IBF junior middleweight title twice between 2006 and 2010. Additionally, he challenged once for the lineal middleweight title in 2007.

Early life and amateur career

Spinks is the son of former world heavyweight champion Leon Spinks and nephew of former world heavyweight and light heavyweight champion Michael Spinks. He has an amateur record of 78-3, and won the National Golden Gloves and National Police Athletic League welterweight titles in 1997.

Professional career

Undisputed welterweight champion

Spinks went 29-2 in his first 31 contests, only losing to Antonio Díaz and Michele Piccirillo, whom he defeated by decision in a re-match.
However, Spinks rose to boxing stardom by unifying the WBC, WBA, IBF, and The Ring and lineal welterweight titles on December 13, 2003, when he defeated Ricardo Mayorga by majority decision. Spinks was a 5 to 1 underdog going into the fight with Mayorga. The judges scored the fight 114-112, 117-109, 114-114, favoring Spinks.

Spinks vs. Judah I, II

Spink' first Welterweight title defense came on April 10, 2004, against former world champion Zab Judah. Spinks controlled the action over the first four rounds. In the later rounds, however, Judah's quick left hands began to find their target. Both men hit the deck late, but all three scorecards favored Spinks, as the champion won with scores of 116-111, 114-112, 114-112.
Spink's second Welterweight defence came when the two fighters met in a February 2005 rematch. The second fight was the first major bout in St. Louis in more than 40 years, and it was a 22,000+ sellout at the Savvis Center in St. Louis, Missouri. Spinks received star treatment during introductions, with rapper Nelly accompanying him into the ring and leading the crowd in a singalong.
Midway through round 9, Judah landed a huge left that hurt Spinks, with a follow-up putting him on the canvas. Spinks rose, but Judah rushed in with a series of hard punches that left Spinks defenseless on the ropes. Judah tried to get the official to step in, but the bout continued until another right-left sent Spinks sprawling into the ropes, where the official finally halted the bout with 11 seconds left, transferring the undisputed Welterweight Championship to Judah.

IBF junior middleweight champion

On July 8, 2006, Spinks earned his fifth world title, the IBF Junior Middleweight Championship, in a fight with reigning champion Roman Karmazin at the Savvis Center. Despite having some rough moments in the bout, Spinks beat Karmazin by majority decision with final scorecards of 114-114, 115-113, and 115-113.

Unified middleweight title challenge

On May 19, 2007, Spinks moved up one weight class to Middleweight with a challenge against World Middleweight Champion Jermain Taylor at the FedEx Forum in Memphis. Taylor held on to the title, defeating Spinks in a split decision.

Losing and regaining the IBF title

On March 27, 2008, in a fight with Verno Phillips at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Spinks lost the IBF Junior Middleweight Championship via controversial split decision.
On April 24, 2009, Spinks reclaimed the vacant IBF Junior Middleweight Championship in a close split-decision victory over fellow St. Louis native Deandre Latimore. Spinks fought back after suffering a 1st round knockdown to win by the scores of 115-112 Spinks, 115-112 Latimore and 114-113 Spinks. The fight was held at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis.
On August 7, 2010, after a five-month delay due to scheduling conflicts, Spinks lost the IBF Junior Middleweight Championship in a fight with mandatory challenger Cornelius Bundrage at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. The fight was decided by a technical knockout in the fifth round.
On January 28, 2012 Spinks defeated Sechew Powell by unanimous decision to become the #1 and mandatory contender for Bundrage's IBF Junior Middleweight Title, his second consecutive victory since coming back from the loss to Bundrage. The fight took place at The Shrine Mosque in Springfield, Missouri.

Professional boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
47Loss39–8 Carlos MolinaUD12Feb 1, 2013 UIC Pavilion, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
46Loss39–7 Cornelius BundrageTKO7, 2:32Jun 30, 2012 Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, Indio, California, U.S.For IBF junior middleweight title
45Win39–6 Sechew PowellUD12Jan 28, 2012 Abou Ben Adhem Shrine Mosque, Springfield, Missouri, U.S.
44Win38–6 Shakir AshantiUD10Jun 25, 2011 Family Arena, St. Charles, Missouri, U.S.
43Loss37–6 Cornelius BundrageTKO5, 1:28Aug 7, 2010 Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.Lost IBF junior middleweight title
42Win37–5 Deandre LatimoreSD12Apr 24, 2009 Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.Won vacant IBF junior middleweight title
41Loss36–5 Verno PhillipsSD12Mar 27, 2008 Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.Lost IBF junior middleweight title
40Loss36–4 Jermain TaylorSD12May 19, 2007 FedEx Forum, Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.For WBC, WBO, The Ring, and lineal middleweight titles
39Win36–3 Rodney JonesUD12Feb 3, 2007 Silver Spurs Arena, Kissimmee, Florida, U.S.Retained IBF junior middleweight title
38Win35–3 Roman KarmazinMD12Jul 8, 2006 Savvis Center, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.Won IBF junior middleweight title
37Loss34–3 Zab JudahTKO9, 2:49Feb 5, 2005 Savvis Center, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.Lost WBA, WBC, IBF, The Ring, and lineal welterweight titles
36Win34–2 Miguel Ángel GonzálezUD12Sep 4, 2004 Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Retained WBA, WBC, IBF, and The Ring, and lineal welterweight titles
35Win33–2 Zab JudahUD12Apr 10, 2004 Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Retained WBA, WBC, IBF, The Ring, and lineal welterweight titles
34Win32–2 Ricardo Mayorga12Dec 13, 2003 Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.Retained IBF welterweight title;
Won WBA, WBC, The Ring, and lineal welterweight titles
33Win31–2 Michele PiccirilloUD12Mar 22, 2003 Casinò, Campione d'Italia, ItalyWon IBF welterweight title
32Win30–2 Rafael PinedaTD7, 3:00Aug 23, 2002 Jai-Alai Fronton, Miami, Florida, U.S.Won vacant WBA Fedelatin welterweight title;
Split TD after Spinks was cut from accidental head clash
31Loss29–2 Michele PiccirilloUD12Apr 13, 2002 Casinò, Campione d'Italia, ItalyFor vacant IBF welterweight title
30Win29–1 Charles WardUD8Dec 6, 2001 Adam's Mark Hotel, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
29Win28–1 Larry MarksUD12Aug 17, 2001 DePaul University, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.Won vacant USBA welterweight title
28Win27–1 Leonard Townsend4, 2:18Mar 23, 2001 Sportscenter, Owensboro, Kentucky, U.S.
27Win26–1 Dennis AllenTKO2, 2:17Feb 23, 2001 Frank Erwin Center, Austin, Texas, U.S.
26Win25–1 Luis VazquezUD10Dec 15, 2000 Alliant Energy Center, Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
25Win24–1 Edgar RuizUD10Nov 17, 2000 Peppermill, Reno, Nevada, U.S.
24Win23–1 Jorge VacaTKO7, 1:35Sep 17, 2000 Harrah's, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.Won vacant WBO–NABO welterweight title
23Win22–1 Ken ManuelTKO3, 2:00Jan 18, 2000 The Ambassador, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
22Win21–1 Sammy SparkmanUD8Nov 26, 1999 New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
21Win20–1 Verdell SmithUD10Jul 12, 1999 Harrah's, North Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
20Win19–1 Rodolfo GomezUD8Jun 11, 1999 Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
19Win18–1 Mark HammonKO9, 1:33May 17, 1999 Harrah's, North Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.Won vacant IBA Continental light welterweight title
18Win17–1 Teddy WorthUD6Apr 22, 1999 Adam's Mark Hotel, Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.
17Win16–1 Ken ManuelTKO2, 1:20Apr 3, 1999 Civic Arena, St. Joseph, Missouri, U.S.
16Win15–1 John StewartKO1, 1:20Mar 11, 1999 Heart Banquet Center, St. Charles, Missouri, U.S.
15Win14–1 Larry Kenney6, 1:45Mar 2, 1999 The Ambassador, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
14Loss13–1 Antonio Díaz12Dec 12, 1998 Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, Indio, California, U.S.For IBA light welterweight title
13Win13–0 Mike CooleyKO1, 1:55Oct 6, 1998 The Ambassador, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
12Win12–0 Ken DurhamTKO4 Oct 1, 1998 Harrah's, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
11Win11–0 Javier Guadalupe SuazoUD6Sep 18, 1998 Thomas & Mack Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
10Win10–0 Clifton WoodsKO3, 1:42Aug 4, 1998 The Ambassador, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
9Win9–0 Abraham BrunoUD6Jun 14, 1998 Etess Arena, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
8Win8–0 Reggie StricklandUD4Jun 2, 1998 The Ambassador, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
7Win7–0 Juan Antonio GonzalezUD4May 16, 1998 Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, Indio, California, U.S.
6Win6–0 Andre HawthorneUD4Apr 7, 1998 The Ambassador, Jennings, Missouri, U.S.
5Win5–0 Carlos Horacio NevarezUD4Mar 19, 1998 Thornton, Colorado, U.S.
4Win4–0 Lamont Buchanan1, 2:18Feb 3, 1998 The Ambassador, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
3Win3–0 Jim Williams2, 1:34Jan 23, 1998 Grand Casino, Tunica, Mississippi, U.S.
2Win2–0 David TurnerUD4Dec 2, 1997 The Ambassador, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
1Win1–0 Hector Leguillow4Nov 21, 1997 Station Casino, Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.Professional debut