In the aftermath of Cory Spinks’ loss to Zab Judah in last weekend’s welterweight championship bout at the Savvis Center, the great debate has centered around whether Spinks’ elaborate ring entrance with rap star Nelly caused him to lose focus and eventually his title.
I happen to think Cory lost because he ran into an extremely talented opponent who brought his A game to St. Louis. While others may have wondered about that topic, it was the farthest thing from my mind as I watched Cory and Nelly bring the house down with their extraordinary showcase. It may have been the most spectacular display I have ever seen in all of my years of covering sports.
Nelly escorted Cory to the ring, blaring the lyrics to his song “Na-Nana-Na” while the record crowd of more than 22,000 stood and chanted along. As a sports fan who loves the atmosphere as well as the event itself, the nearly 10-minute production was truly a sight to behold, and I admit to getting caught up in it.
As I looked around the Savvis Center and felt the electricity streaming around the building, I turned to my colleague Alvin A. Reid and said, “I could just go home after this.” Even then, the fight promised to be almost anti-climatic. I had seen what I had came to see: a community celebrating two favorite sons who made it big, but came back to share the fruits with everyone. It was quite exhilarating.
It was really sad to see Cory lose his title, because he has been a great champion as a boxer in the ring and as a person out of it. Cory may be without a title right now, but what he accomplished last weekend was something that will be remembered and talked about for generations to come.
Those who now say it was a mistake for Cory to defend his title in his St. Louis don’t understand the depth of commitment that Cory Spinks has for his home city. It has been his dream since he started boxing more than a decade ago to win a world title and defend the belt in St. Louis. Cory gave us all the opportunity to share in a historical event that may not be duplicated in this city in our lifetime.
By bringing a title fight to this city and packing the house with a record crowd in front of the world and a television audience on ShowTime Cable, Cory Spinks put St. Louis right square in the national boxing mix. Local fighters such as former world champ Terronn “Tramp” Millett, Chantell Stanciel and Radford Beasley got to take a bow as they were recognized by ring announcer Jimmy “IT’S SHOWTIME” Lennin. A high school student named Devon Alexander got to showcase his talent in front of the world.
For a couple hours on an unseasonably warm February evening, St. Louis became the center of the boxing world. Who would have ever thought that day would actually come? Well, it did, and it was because Cory Spinks made it happen.
More than 22,000 shoehorned into a basketball arena to watch a welterweight bout. That’s really huge, and that fact wasn’t lost on the St. Louis boxing community, which turned out in full force.
“An event like this put St. Louis back on the map in boxing,” said Marvin Elam, a veteran referee who worked four bouts on Saturday’s undercard. “We’ve been down for so long, but hopefully something like this will give us that spark that we need.”
Former professional boxer-turned-trainer Harold Petty was not the least bit surprised at the local support for this show. Petty currently trains-up and-coming boxers Mike Wood and Stanciel.
“This was the real deal,” Petty said. “We went to the next level with this one. I always said that St. Louis was ready for big-time fights. It just took the right person to come around and promote it like it should be promoted. It just so happened that the best promoter in the world (Don King) made it happen.”
It was quite an evening, indeed.
52 and counting
The Vashon High boys basketball team moved its current winning streak to 52 after Monday night’s 62-54 victory over Beaumont at Gateway Tech. The Wolverines (21-0) will take their streak and USA Today No. 1 ranking on the road this weekend. Vashon will face Niagra Falls (N.Y.) in the Prime Time Shootout in Trenton, N.J. Niagra Falls is currently 19-0 and nationally ranked by several publications. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. Before heading East, Vashon will host Sumner in a Public High League contest tonight at 6:15 p.m.
Black man to lead Browns
Congrats go to former New England Patriots’ defensive coordinator Romeo Crennell, who accepted the head coaching job with the Cleveland Browns this week. Crennell becomes the first African-American coach in the storied history of the Browns. With Marvin Lewis at the helm of the Cincinnati Bengals, the state of Ohio now has two black NFL head coaches.
Crennell gets his opportunity on the same weekend that the late Fritz Pollard was voted into the National Football League Hall of Fame. Pollard was coach of the Akron Pros and the first African-American coach in professional football. He coached in the American Professional Football Association, which became the National Football League.