Like most professional boxers, Cory Spinks wants to win championship belts.
Like most professional boxers, Cory Spinks wants to make as much money as he can while he can.
Cory Spinks likes to win titles and make money, but what drives him the most is his unquenchable thirst to become the best fighter in the business. He is a true competitor who strives to be the best in the world, and he is not afraid to prove it against the best that the sport has to offer at any time. He is a risk-taker.
At this time last week, Cory Spinks thought he had the opportunity of a lifetime when it was announced that he would be defending his International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior middleweight title against Floyd Mayweather Jr., the IBF welterweight champion in November. Mayweather is considered the best boxer in the world pound-for-pound.
Not only would Spinks receive his biggest payday as a professional, it was his opportunity to show the what he could do against the best fighter in the world. Spinks and trainer-manager Kevin Cunningham have had a long-standing tradition of wanting to fight the best and nothing less will do.
Apparently, Floyd Mayweather Jr. does not feel the same way. One week after the bout was approved by the IBF, Mayweather pulled out. Instead, he will defend his IBF welterweight title against an average joe named Carlos Baldomir, the World Boxing Council welterweight champ. The same Carlos Baldomire who is 35 years old with nine losses and six draws to his credit.
Taking a fight against a lesser fighter like Baldomir for the 147-pound title instead of fighting a master boxer like Spinks at 154 pounds would seem to be a wise business move for Mayweather. But for someone who carries the moniker of best boxer in the world pound-for-pound, this is very disappointing and terribly disturbing. Cunningham made no bones about what he thought about Mayweather upon hearing about the news that the fight was off.
“Mayweather ducks Spinks should be the headline in St. Louis!” he said.
To correct Cunningham for a moment, it should be the headline throughout the boxing world. When you have Mayweather’s reputation and ego, you should want to take on the best to show the world that the reputation is earned. You shouldn’t be running away from the likes of Cory Spinks to take on a scrub you know you can whip with your “C” game. Instead, Mayweather take $5 million to clobber Baldomir rather than making $6 million to potentially look bad against a ring general such as Spinks. Being the best means finding a way to beat guys with different styles, but Mayweather seems to be taking a pass.
In a sport where such business decisions usually take precedence over competitive fire, Spinks and Cunningham like to buck the trend. After Spinks won the undisputed welterweight title in 2003 from wildman Ricardo Mayorga, he made his first defense against the dangerous Zab Judah, a former world champion. He didn’t waste any time with any tomato cans or tune-ups, he went for a top-caliber fighter.
Just one month after winning the junior middleweight crown from Roman Karmazin last month in St. Louis, Spinks and Cunningham went searching for the big fish for that first title defense. And they thought they landed the big catch in Mayweather, who is still undefeated. After putting his career back on track after beating Karmazin, Spinks was ready to risk his new title against an “A-List” boxer.
Until Floyd Mayweather Jr. is ready to seek out the best fighters in the world, his title of “best pound for pound” fighter in the world is nothing more than just that. A paper title.
