a left-right combo of St. Louis boxing news & history

Say what you will about Don King, after all the man served 4 years in prison for the stomping death of an employee, was questioned by the Senate in the early 90’s allegedly keeping ties with organized crime and even Mike Tyson, a true role model in his own right, has said King “would kill his own mother for a dollar.”  Still, the man has a place in boxing, as fans appreciate his willingness to put together a complete undercard, layered with top billed talent and multiple title belts on the line.  In his career as a boxing promoter, King has twice put together cards featuring (an almost unheard of) 6 title bouts.  August 7^th’s Gateway to Greatness event in St. Louis showed he hasn’t lost his touch for match making, as three separate fights had championship implications.

The most anticipated bout of the night took place when local St. Louis hero Devon Alexander (21-0, 13 KOs) defended his 140-pound World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation belts successfully, by means of unanimous decision, against Ukranian challenger Andreas Kotelnik (31-4-1, 13 KOs), a former World Boxing Association super lightweight champion in his own right.  After originally attempting to schedule a fight with Marcos Maidana (28-1, 27 KOs), Alexander turned to Kotelnik with his second choice, suitable as Kotelnik was responsible for the only mark against Maidana’s otherwise flawless record. Read the rest of this entry »

While many boxing legends out of inner-city St. Louis ultimately fall back on bad habits and poor decision making, likely stemming from an underprivileged upbringing in the city’s rough streets, Michael Spinks represents the one of the hard-luck community’s true shining stars.  The younger brother of heavyweight champ Leon Spinks, the two came up together in a housing project that would later be condemned and demolished, often the victims of bullying by some of area’s shadier figures.  Both brothers took to boxing as a means of self-defense, Leon first taking to the sport then urging his younger brother to join him.  Though Leon was older, Michael tended to display more maturity in his decision making, and could be considered the man of the house, as their father abandoned the boys at a young age.  Michael’s level head manifests itself today as he has managed his money responsibly and walked a well-thought out career path, while Leon has fallen on hard times after the early glory of his fighting days.   The two brothers rose to fame together taking dueling gold medals at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.

Unlike brother Leon’s quick rise and fall, Michael rose through the boxing ranks more slowly, running his tally to 17-0 before finally accepting a title fight, in the light heavyweight division.  He would proceed to defend his title successfully, later uniting his WBA belt with the WBC belt as well.  As his career progressed, Spinks decided to bulk up and pursue the heavyweight title belt.  Despite giving up 22 pounds to champion Larry Holmes, Michael defeated his much heavier opponent in 15 rounds.  He defended his IBF heavyweight crown three times from ’85 to ’87, including a rematch with Holmes ending in the same result.  Spinks finally suffered his first defeat at the hands of upstart Mike Tyson, virtually unbeatable at that stage of his career, after which he found it fit to retire. Read the rest of this entry »

A fixed fight, a “phantom” punch, whatever you want to call it, Sonny Liston is most famously remembered as that guy staring up at a screaming Muhammad Ali from his back, in what has become one of the world’s most famous pictures, and a common poster adorning college dorm rooms across the country thanks to Adidas’ “Impossible is Nothing” campaign.   But before falling to Ali, whether or not you think he was actually knocked down, Liston put together as an illustrious a career as any St. Louis fighter of all time, ranked as #15 on the greatest punchers of all time list by Ring Magazine (a compilation of the hardest hitters not necessarily the best all-around boxers).  Putting together an impressive 50-4 record, while knocking out 39 opponents along the way, Liston’s talent was indisputable, though much of his life is surrounding by mystery and tainted by boxing’s dark underworld.

First arriving in St. Louis at the age of 13, after hitchhiking from Arkansas to reunite with his mother, Liston finally escaped his abusive father, though he would not find himself free from trouble, this time legal trouble.  Regarded as a menace in the neighborhood, he was arrested upwards of 20 times, the most serious of which resulted in an 8-year sentence on a robbery charge.  It was behind bars, however, well Liston first found his natural aptitude for the sweet science.  Discovered by a reverend, Father Alois Stevens, his talent helped Liston to see early parole after only 2 years.  Though remarkably successful in the ring, Liston’s checkered past and rumored ties to the mafia at times limited his ability to secure big fights and prevented him from ever being revered as a fan favorite.  Liston finally got a title shot against Floyd Patterson, who he handily disposed of in the first round. Read the rest of this entry »

With the gap-tooth smile that endeared a nation, fresh off his upset of then heavyweight champion and self proclaimed “greatest of all-time” Muhammad Ali, Leon Spinks quickly rose to national celebrity on boxing’s grandest stage.  Today, the same man who was once on the cover of Sports Illustrated pushes a janitor cart down the hall at the Columbus, Nebraska YMCA for a significantly less money than he earned as a top billed fighter.  Still, were you to meet Spinks he wouldn’t ask for pity, as he by all reports is a proud man, thankful to be able to put in an honest day’s work, never asking for handouts from anybody and appreciating that there are plenty of people out there who find themselves in much worse situations when they wake up in the morning.  Though pity may not be called for or appropriate, a young fighter or any young person freshly coming into money might find it wise to take caution from his tale. Read the rest of this entry »

The city honored St. Louis’ proud son Devon Alexander on August 1st, with celebrities such as Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee, rapper Chingy and comedian Cedric the Entertainer, in a celebration that drew over 900 attendees to City Hall.  The WBC and IBF boxing champion surely realizes exactly how far he has come since his humble days growing up in the rough Hyde Park neighborhood in the north part of the city.  Hyde Park is notorious for its tough streets, characterized by gang activity and heavy drug presence, but with similar focus and strength to that displayed against opponents in the ring, Alexander has been able to beat back pressure and keep his head clean of negative influence on his way to an undefeated boxing career through 21 fights.

While he has managed to steer clear from trouble on his own road to success, that is not to say Alexander has been unaffected by the pressures of the streets and the hard-knock community which he calls home.  Alexander was one of 30 kids to join Kevin Cunningham’s boxing program, set in the basement of an old police station.  Cunningham, a former police officer himself, started the program in an effort to shield kids from the troubles of the surrounding area and provide a positive influence amidst a sea of potentially life-altering bad decisions.  While the program certainly has its success stories, in Alexander along with welterweight champion (and son of former heavyweight champ Leon Spinks) Cory Spinks, 12 of the 30 have been arrested and 8 have passed away.  Devon’s own brother, Vaughn, a member of the class of 30, is serving 18 years in prison stemming from a robbery conviction. Read the rest of this entry »