Both men were undefeated and each had a claim to being the legitimate heavyweight champion; Mike Tyson held the WBA, WBC and IBF belts, while Spinks held the Ring Magazine belt and was considered the lineal champion.
Tyson vs. Spinks was the richest fight in boxing history up to that point, grossing around $70 million, $10 million more than the previous record holder, the Marvin Hagler vs. Sugar Ray Leonard bout in 1987. 600,000 households bought the fight on pay per view, generating $21 million. A further $12.3 million came from the 21,785 live gate, almost double the previous live gate record of $6.8 million set by Hagler vs. Leonard. The fight also surpassed the 1987 Super Bowl as the highest-grossing single day sporting event in history. It is estimated to have generated $344 million in gambling revenues in Atlantic City, over $100 million more than a typical four day weekend in June. The Trump Plaza casino achieved a record drop of $11.5 million on the day of the fight.
Spinks never boxed again and announced his retirement from the sport a month later. The Tyson fight was the only loss of his professional career. Tyson also spoke of retiring, hinting that “this may be my last fight.” The win over Spinks has been described as the pinnacle of Tyson’s boxing career. It was also his last fight under longtime trainer Kevin Rooney, who was dismissed by Tyson in December. Tyson made two more successful title defences before losing to James ‘Buster’ Douglas in a major upset in 1990. He continued fighting until 2005, but was unable to replicate his earlier achievements. Tyson and Spinks have both been inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame.
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