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From ABC Studios, it's highlights from Mike Tyson's KO of Pinklon Thomas. Mike Tyson and Michael Spinks are in studio with Alex Wallau and Jim Lampley
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00:00The right hand that many call the hardest single punch ever thrown.
00:09Muhammad Ali was still Cassius Clay when he dazzled the world with a stunning upset of Sonny Lister.
00:19And after Ali, Larry Holmes was recognized as the legitimate champion.
00:24But in recent years, three different organizations, the World Boxing Association, the World Boxing Council, and the International Boxing Federation, sanctioned championship fights.
00:34And each claimed that their man was the real title holder.
00:38One of the most prestigious titles in sports had been cheapened by a confusing series of unknown champions.
00:44The heavyweight division was a mess.
00:46Then two years ago, a young bull named Mike Tyson began an all-out assault that made him the youngest heavyweight champion ever.
00:53And earned him the WBC and the WBA versions of the title.
00:59In 1985, the third title was taken from Larry Holmes by Michael Spinks, first light heavyweight champion to win even a share of the heavyweight crown.
01:08The two Michaels, Tyson and Spinks, were scheduled to settle matters for the unification fight last month.
01:13But Spinks pulled out and was stripped of his title, leaving Mike Tyson to defend against former champion Finklin Thomas.
01:20While Michael Spinks took on Jerry Cooney last week before a sellout crowd in Atlantic City.
01:27Tonight, we'll talk with the winners.
01:30And for the first time on network television, you'll see both fights and examine the question.
01:35Who is the heavyweight champion of the world?
01:38The heavyweight showdown.
01:43Michael Spinks versus Jerry Cooney, the fight which took place June 15 in Atlantic City.
01:48And Mike Tyson versus Pinklin Thomas, May 30 in Las Vegas.
01:53Are the two men who sit at the center of that question.
01:56On the right, Mike Tyson, current holder of the WBA and WBC versions of the heavyweight title.
02:02A man with a chance on August 1 to unify the championship in the eyes of all three existing governing bodies if he can defeat current IBF title holder, Tony Tucker.
02:13And on the left, the man who twice defeated Larry Holmes, who was seen at the time as the legitimate heavyweight champion of the world.
02:21Michael Spinks, a man who though stripped of that title by the International Boxing Federation, is still seen in many circles as the legitimate heavyweight champion.
02:29Also joining me for this discussion, in the ring, our ABC Sports boxing expert, Alex Wallow.
02:35And Alex, we're going to look first at Tyson Thomas.
02:38Indeed we are, Jim.
02:40As Mike Tyson has moved up the heavyweight ladder, we've seen evidence of a kind of split personality.
02:45And his first two world title fights were really dramatic evidence of his two extremes.
02:50In November of last year, he looked sensational when he went up against WBC champion Trevor Burbick, who chose to stand and fight with Michael.
02:58And got bombed out early by the Tyson power.
03:05This was the victory that made Mike the youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history.
03:10Then in March, he looked lethargic against WBA champion James Bonecrusher Smith, who did nothing but grab and hold for 12 of the dullest rounds in heavyweight championship history.
03:21Mike fought just enough to win every round, but it was an embarrassing effort for a young man who says he feels an obligation, not just to win, but to create excitement in the ring.
03:32And Mike, coming off the Smith performance, were you determined to look impressive against Thomas?
03:36Well, at that particular time, I felt like Mr. Smith didn't want to do anything but went, you know, last the 12 rounds.
03:44And I knew Pinklin Thomas came to win back his title.
03:47And I felt very confident in the spectacular performance.
03:51Mike's opponent in his third title fight last month was Pinklin Thomas, a man once considered the heir apparent to Larry Holmes as the dominant heavyweight in the world.
03:59He was unbeaten in 25 fights when he stepped in against Tim Witherspoon in August of 1984 and used his outstanding left jab to dominate the fight and capture the title.
04:16Pinklin Thomas showed he had more than just a jab when he went against former champion Mike Weaver and destroyed Weaver with a single right hand.
04:23But the bright lights distracted Pinklin Thomas, and he was very unimpressive in losing his WBC title in March of 86 to Trevor Burbick.
04:36It was that title that Mike Tyson won from Burbick, and it was that title, along with the WBA version of the heavyweight championship,
04:43that were on the line as Mike Tyson, unbeaten in 29 fights with 26 knockouts, defended against Pinklin Thomas last month in Las Vegas.
04:53The third man in the ring, veteran referee Carlos Padilla.
04:58And right off the bat, Mike Tyson threw a power punch with the right hand, and right away Pinklin Thomas tied him up.
05:05And again, Thomas, making sure Tyson doesn't do any damage inside.
05:14Tyson, of course, had been frustrated in two previous bouts.
05:17The one immediately preceding this one, when Bone Crusher Smith tied him up inside, locking his arms down.
05:24And Mitch Green had done it the year before and about in Madison Square Garden.
05:32Low right hand below Thomas' belt, and Mike Tyson was warned by referee Padilla.
05:37And certainly it appeared, here in round one, Alex, after that good right-left combination,
05:45that Tyson was determined to get off to the kind of fast start he had exhibited in his title-winning two-round TKO of Trevor Burbick.
05:53The important thing is, he put punches together.
05:55There he tried a jab, missed it, tried another one, connected it, and then came with another punch.
06:00There, two good body punches.
06:01Mike Tyson is at his best.
06:06He is a devastating body puncher.
06:12Good left hook.
06:14Driving Thomas back into the ropes.
06:17Right after that left hook, when Thomas was on the ropes,
06:19a right hand to the body, and then in combination, a left hook to the head.
06:31Good one.
06:32Good one.
06:33Pinklett Thomas tried to fight back.
06:35He didn't run.
06:36He's not grabbing at this point.
06:38Maybe it's just that Tyson's just too active.
06:39He's just throwing too many punches.
06:41And too strong inside.
06:43And now just past the midway point of round one,
06:46the crowd at ringside began to anticipate a possible early knockout,
06:50as Thomas' legs appeared a bit wobbly.
06:54The biggest surprise of this round was the fact that Pinklett did not move more.
06:57Angela Dundee, his trainer, said he was going to show Tyson a lot of lateral movement and confuse him.
07:02But here in round one, he just hasn't been able to do so.
07:05It was also interesting that he was unable to tie Tyson up inside
07:09and force him to stop punching, as had Smith and Green for long occasions.
07:14There, a devastating left hook.
07:16And again, Thomas backed up against the ropes.
07:19Two tremendous punches inside.
07:21Led by the uppercut.
07:23Mike Tyson at this point is really fighting left-handed.
07:26He's got his right foot forward.
07:27He's looking to load up that left hand.
07:29He just missed it there.
07:34Right uppercut inside.
07:37Thomas not holding on here.
07:38Perhaps two days to do so.
07:41So largely as the result of the effectiveness of the left hook,
07:45used over and over again,
07:48round one was a devastating and overpowering round for the champion, Mike Tyson.
07:5313 years old, and he's watching me box.
07:58And the only thing I can remember him saying was,
08:00you're going to be the youngest heavyweight champion in the world.
08:03Lockdown rounds, drag-out fights,
08:07endless days and sleepless nights,
08:11and one memory that still shines bright,
08:15you were there for me.
08:19I miss you, Chris.
08:21Round two.
08:23The round in which Mike Tyson had finished off Trevor Burbick
08:26after a similarly dominant round one
08:28to take away a title that Burbick had won
08:31from this same Pinklin Thomas six months before.
08:36You saw Mike miss two left hooks and then the right hand.
08:39A little bit of movement here from Pinklin
08:43to the start of round two.
08:44And you had to suspect that Thomas' concerns
08:46entering round two would be,
08:49number one, to move and try to stay away
08:51from some of Tyson's heavy punches,
08:53and two, to begin to try to tie him up a little bit inside.
08:57And the surprising thing here,
08:58Mike was not as active on the inside as he could have been.
09:01You see his hands are free there.
09:02He did not let his hands go
09:05with the kind of powerful shots that he did in round one.
09:08A good Tyson jab.
09:13That's a jab that he shows all the time in the gym,
09:15but he has not yet been able to work into his fight plan in the ring.
09:23Good body punches again from Tyson.
09:26And this time, Thomas began to clinch and hold.
09:34But now Pinklin Thomas was looking for his opportunities
09:37to throw the left jab.
09:41Not hard punches, but a little bit annoying,
09:43a little bit distracting for Tyson.
09:50And again, the two fighters laying on each other
09:52on the inside at the halfway mark of round two.
09:54In round one, Tyson would not have stood there
09:59and just pawing with his punches.
10:00He was ripping punches then.
10:06You heard Kevin Rooney's voice maybe in the background.
10:08Push him off.
10:08Step back.
10:12It looked like Mike's really crowd beginning to boo.
10:15It looked like Mike was going to think about pushing back
10:18and a good isolated left hook.
10:23Break it up, break it up.
10:28Early boos from the crowd
10:29in that brief period of inactivity,
10:32but of course, this was the scene
10:34of the disappointing Bone Crusher-Smith bout.
10:36Tyson there seemed determined
10:38not to let it happen again.
10:40But at the end of that combination,
10:41he looked amateurish.
10:42His opponent was out of range
10:44and Mike let go of a wild right hand.
10:56Falling inside.
10:58Mike Tyson is not working his way in behind the jab
11:00or not letting his hands go.
11:01He kind of falls inside
11:03and does not let his hands go.
11:06And as round two came to a close,
11:08the fight had taken on
11:10an entirely different complexion
11:12than at the end of round one.
11:14It no longer appeared
11:16that Tyson was headed for
11:17an easy early knockout.
11:19Questions had arisen.
11:22Mike, what caused the change
11:23in your fighting style
11:24from round one
11:25when you're so aggressive and dominant
11:26to the latter stages of round two?
11:29Well, you see,
11:29after I exerted the engine in round one,
11:32I saw every time I hit him with a punch,
11:33I was able to hurt him.
11:34And then I wasn't concentrating.
11:36I just take him out.
11:37I knew any time I hit him,
11:39I could hurt him.
11:39And I wasn't really conscious.
11:41He was just going any amount of rounds.
11:43And I just knew eventually he would tire.
11:46And I saw in his last couple of fights
11:47and I would catch him and he would go.
11:49Were you trying to pace yourself?
11:50Were you afraid of running out of gas?
11:52No, not at all.
11:53It's just that because I can box 15, 20 rounds,
11:57it's just that I was cautious of the heat
11:59and, you know, over expiring from the heat.
12:03So I just wanted to take my time
12:04and he was trying to land the shot
12:06and get him out there and get him hurt
12:08and finish him.
12:10Well, the action stayed much the same
12:11in rounds three, four, and five.
12:13Mike doing enough to win
12:14on most of the judges' scorecards.
12:16Thomas jab, giving a little bit of trouble.
12:19We'll be back in a moment
12:20and pick up the action with round six.
12:24So as round six began,
12:26Tyson chased Pinkland Thomas to the ropes
12:28and was immediately grabbed for his trouble.
12:31Stop, Mark.
12:32Now the burden was falling
12:46on referee Carlos Padilla
12:48to be more active in controlling the bout.
12:57There, you saw Mike.
12:58Try to step back and get punching room,
12:59but he didn't let his hands go.
13:00It was a good idea, though,
13:03the kind of thing that Kevin Rooney
13:05urges Tyson to do.
13:15There are two good punches,
13:18both to the body.
13:19The body punches obviously do two things.
13:21They take the opponent's legs away
13:23and they should create
13:24punching opportunities to the head.
13:25It was body punching
13:28which had established the tempo
13:29in round one
13:30when Tyson appeared to be close
13:32to knocking Thomas out.
13:34Now, he tried to take command of the bout
13:36with a similar assault.
13:38The right uppercut landed on Thomas' chin.
13:40And that turned the crowd's booing,
13:41which had just begun, into cheers.
13:43Punch out!
13:44Punch out!
13:45Punch out!
13:45Again, Kevin Rooney from the Tyson corner.
13:48Punch out! Punch out!
13:50And there!
13:51The Savage left hook.
13:52And that punch really
13:54was the beginning of the end.
13:59And now this flurry of blows
14:01dominated by the left hook.
14:05Three of them right there
14:06putting Thomas on the canvas.
14:09Four!
14:11Five!
14:12Six!
14:13Seven!
14:15Eight!
14:16Nine!
14:16Nine!
14:18As Padilla finished the count,
14:20Angelo Dundee entered the ring
14:22to say that his fighters
14:23should take no more punishment.
14:25That was it.
14:27Mike, did that fight answer
14:29any questions you had about yourself?
14:31No, there was never no doubts.
14:32There were never no doubts
14:33in my quality of capabilities
14:35and confidence
14:37in handling anyone in the world.
14:38It's just that I wanted to have
14:40a good, spectacular performance
14:42in this fight
14:42prior to the fight
14:44six weeks ago
14:46before that.
14:48And I was pretty satisfied.
14:50I put punches together
14:51and I knew I had to take him out
14:52in the sixth round
14:53and every punch
14:54was growing bad intentions.
14:55And once I got him hurt,
14:56you know,
14:57he shouldn't even blink or twitch.
14:59And once I found out,
15:00I just put it all out
15:01and that was it.
15:02Well, let's take a look back
15:03at the crucial punches
15:05in that sixth round
15:06that led to the first stoppage
15:07of Pinklin Thomas
15:08in his professional career.
15:09And right now,
15:11I'm sitting,
15:12I'm throwing my jab
15:12and I'm leaning to my left
15:14where I'm going to throw the hook
15:14because I knew he was going
15:16to drop his right
15:17as soon as he jabs.
15:18And right there,
15:18he was in a tremendous amount
15:19of pain.
15:21You got underneath his jab
15:22to throw that left hook.
15:24A lot of people said
15:24that his jab gave you trouble.
15:25Is that accurate?
15:26No, not at all.
15:27But as you know,
15:27he had the best left hand
15:29in the business
15:30and he could give anyone problems,
15:33but I refused to be denied.
15:35And after I saw I had him hurt,
15:36I just put everything together.
15:39And the punches he was taking
15:41was tremendous.
15:43Even though he seemed like
15:44he's incoherent at the moment,
15:46he's able to get away
15:47from some of the punches,
15:48but they were just coming
15:48in such a concession.
15:52Oh, and he was so brave, man.
15:53He took those punches.
15:55And he left the guy
15:55who probably stayed down
15:56from the first left hook.
15:59The left hook was dominant
16:00in that flurry.
16:01Let's take a look
16:01at your right uppercut here
16:02from the overhead view.
16:03As you see,
16:06the uppercut was effective,
16:08but it wasn't accurate enough.
16:10I just barely grazed him
16:11with the end of my thumb.
16:16Another angle on the sequence
16:17of punches that led to the stoppage.
16:19Do you have any criticisms
16:19of this performance at all, Mike?
16:21Anything you want to go back
16:22into the gym and try to learn?
16:23Well, not at all.
16:25You know, I let him feel comfortable
16:26that he can hold me,
16:27but what's really,
16:29as you really put it to perspective,
16:30I could have got out
16:31of any one of his clinches.
16:33I mean, he felt comfortable safe,
16:35so he stayed safe.
16:36Well, of course,
16:37an interested spectator
16:38here in the ring
16:39as we look back
16:40at that replay of Tyson Thomas.
16:42Excuse me.
16:43Is the man in the tuxedo
16:44with the bandage on his eye,
16:45Michael Spinks.
16:46Your reaction to that fight, Michael?
16:48Well, I thought it was
16:49a good fight for Tyson,
16:51and I still didn't understand
16:53why the public was booing
16:56the way they were,
16:57but I think he displayed
16:58a very powerful performance.
17:00Now, as you look at a fight
17:01like that in your present
17:03state of affairs,
17:04do you look at it
17:04as purely an interested spectator
17:06or as a scout looking ahead?
17:08I look at it
17:09as an interesting spectator.
17:11All right.
17:12There'll be plenty of time
17:13to prepare for Mike Tyson
17:14when that fight comes up,
17:16and, of course,
17:17when we come back
17:17right after this,
17:18we're going to get
17:19to the business
17:19of Michael Spinks
17:20and Jerry Cooney.
17:21We'll be back.
17:30OK?
17:30We'll be back.
17:31Bye.
17:31Bye.
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