The Spinks Jinx Is Back

ST. LOUIS, MO - Cory Spinks captured the International Boxing Federation junior middleweight championship here Saturday, edging Roman Karmazin by a narrow 12-round majority decision.

Hometown hero Spinks, dethroned here 17 months ago as the undisputed world welterweight champion in his previous fight, was scored a 115-113 winner by two judges while the third saw the bout as a 114-114 draw.

"People didn't believe in me but I always knew I could do it," Spinks said. "There's no quit in my heart. I never doubted my talent. I proved everybody wrong. I'm a champion once again."

Southpaw Spinks improved to 35-3 while Karmazin fell to 34-2 with one draw.

Karmazin had not fought since claiming the crown a year ago and complained that referee Marty Nelson separated the fighters too soon after clinches, not allowing Karmazin to work with inside punches against Spinks.

"With this type of referee I could not have won that fight," Karmazin said.

"Unfortunately it did take me until about the seventh round to figure out how to work with him. I was running around. He knew he was ahead after seven rounds and he had to stay on his feet. He was tough to catch running around."

Spinks praised Karmazin, saying his awkward style made it tough on him.

"He is so awkward and he's strong. He keeps hanging in there," Spinks said. "He's a great champion."

Spinks, 28, made his debut one weight class about the welterweight division where he made his fame in the same arena where his two-year welterweight reign was ended by Zab Judah with a ninth-round stoppage.

Karmazin, 33, suffered his only prior loss four years and six fights ago to Spaniard Javier Castillejo in Spain.

Karmazin right staggered Spinks early in round two but the son of former heavyweight champion Leon Spinks answered in the fourth round, ducking a jab and firing two solid lefts before the Russian forced a clinch.

The champion began connecting with consistent combinations in the middle rounds but Spinks responded with flurries set up by jabs to disrupt Karmazin as the close rounds wore on.

Karmazin slammed Spinks with a four-punch combination in the final seconds of the 10th round, a flurry capped by a hard right to the face to stun Spinks, who answered in the final rounds to claim the narrow triumph.

John Sands
Midwest Correspondent

Information from other publications and wire services was used in the compilation of this report.