Spinks stuns Mayorga in title bout
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Spinks (right) finished ahead on two judges's cards with the other even
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ATLANTIC CITY, U.S. (CNN) -- A quarter of a century after his father shocked the boxing world by beating Muhammad Ali, Cory Spinks upset warm favorite Ricardo Mayorga to win the undisputed world welterweight title in Atlantic City.
Spinks, son of Leon, frustrated Mayorga from the opening bell and benefited from two point deductions against his opponent to take a majority decision.
On the same bill Bernard Hopkins outclassed William Joppy in his 17th middleweight title defense.
Spinks was ahead on two judges' cards and level on the other, enough for him to add the WBA and WBC crowns to his IBF title.
When the verdict was announced he erupted in jubilation and hugged his father and uncle, the former heavyweight champion Michael Spinks.
Mayorga's two penalty point deductions deprived him of a draw and he said: "I thought the referee wasn't on my side. He didn't have to take those points away from me."
It is the first time that one fighter has held all three major 147-pound titles since Lloyd Honeyghan gave up his WBA championship in 1986 in a protest against apartheid.
Hopkins failed to win a $50,000 bet with Joppy that he would knock him out but he gave him a substantial beating in a totally one-sided contest.
Unanimous decision
John Ruiz put himself in line for another heavyweight title when he won a unanimous decision over another former holder, Hasim Rahman, in a 12-rounder which left the paying spectators dissatisfied.
The crowd booed both men for much of the plodding contest and jeered loudly at the conclusion.
Ruiz landed more punches but hung onto his opponent after almost every flurry of action.
American challenger Travis Simms captured the WBC super-welterweight title by knocking out Mexican Alejandro Garcia in the fifth round.
Zab Judah knocked out Colombia's Jaime Rangel in 72 seconds to keep the WBO junior-welterweight crown and Guyana's unbeaten Wayne Braithwaite needed only 15 seconds more to dispose of Panamanian Luis Pineda in the WBC cruiser championship bout.
Nicaraguan Luis Perez earned a unanimous decision over Venezuela's Felix Machado to retain the IBF junior bantam prize and IBF light flyweight champion Victor Burgos of Mexico drew with WBA title holder Rosendo Alvarez, enabling both men to keep their crowns.
