Boxing history will be made on Saturday night when Cory Spinks defends his world welterweight titles against challenger Zab Judah of Brooklyn, N.Y. at the Savvis Center in downtown St. Louis.
The paid admission will be 20,655 and overall attendance will top 22,050, according to Alan Hopper, director of public relations for Don King Productions.
Both are records for indoor boxing events, topping Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier in March 1971 and Evander Holyfield vs. Lennox Lewis in March 1999. Both bouts took place in Madison Square Garden in New York.
Spinks said he couldn’t wait for Saturday to arrive.
“I want the time to go fast, so I can (kick) his (behind),” Spinks said following a strenuous workout at the Sheraton City Center Hotel.
Spinks scoffed at Judah’s quote “I will destroy (Spinks).”
“C’mon, man, c’mon, now. That stuff bounces right off me. I talk with my hands,” the world welterweight champion said.
“I wish (the fight) was today. He can wait for his butt whuppin’, but I’m ready to give it to him now.”
Spinks said he feels no pressure because of the historic crowd and fighting on his home turf.
“The hard work is over. It’s fun time now,” he said with sweat pouring from his forehead.
Spinks said the St. Louis region responded to him because he remained loyal to the city of his birth.
“They wanted me to move. I stayed right here. I love the Lou,” he said.
Spinks said he is home “to put on a show.”
“I was built here. Fighting here is nothing new to me. I can’t wait,” the champ said.
“I plan to come out shining, and, when the night is over, my hand will be held in the air.”
The fight will be televised live on Showtime. The estimated first bell for Spinks-Judah is at 9:30 p.m., the last fight of nine bouts with a scheduled 66 rounds.
“This is a blessing. When I heard how many people were gonna be there, I broke into tears,” Spinks said.
He hopes to leave Zab Judah in tears late Saturday night n a night that is guaranteed to be of historic proportion.
Champ visits Beaumont
Earlier on Wednesday, Spinks returned to Beaumont High School as the conquering hero.
He enjoyed every minute of being back at his old school.
As students cheered wildly, the marching band blasted out tunes and the cheerleading and pom pon squads performed energetic routines, Spinks enjoyed the show with a huge smile on his face.
When he took the podium to a standing ovation, Spinks said proudly, “It’s a Lou thang, baby!”
For a moment, his title defense on Saturday night was secondary to the mutual admiration shared between Beaumont and its favorite son.
“I love Beaumont. I had good times n and some bad times n here,” Spinks, who did not graduate, told a crowd of hundreds of students, teachers and administrators.
“It was right here that I learned to achieve the goals I wanted to achieve. I wasn’t the best student, but I did my best. Beaumont kept me on the right track, and I expect you to do the same. Stick to your goals, keep pushing, keep pushing.”
The highlight of the pep rally came when Spinks suddenly leapt from his chair, crossed the Beaumont stage and disappeared for a few seconds. He returned with a pair of blue and gold pom pons and began swaying back-and-forth as Michellee Moss sang Mariah Carey’s “A Hero Lies in You.”
Spinks then treated the auditorium to some of the shimmying and shaking that befuddle the best of boxers in the ring.
The electricity that has surrounded the fight since it was announced in early January filled the air at Beaumont High School as promoter Don King, trainer Kevin Cunningham and Ald. Freeman Bosley Sr. watched from the stage.
“This could be you,” said Kevin Cunningham, who also attended Beaumont, while pointing at Spinks.
“If you try to be all you can be, you can do it. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t be what you want. Be like Cory. Be focused. Be motivated.”
