Saturday's outcome key for boxer's, city's futures

ST. LOUIS -- For Cory Spinks, "Redemption" is more than just an inspirational word printed on the T-shirts of his trainers.

The St. Louis native will make or break his career when he takes on Roman Karmazin for the IBF junior middleweight title on Saturday night.

"He's not only redeeming himself and his career, he's redeeming his fans in St. Louis," said Spinks' trainer and manager, Kevin Cunningham, at a workout this week. "He's in the best shape of his life. He's never been so focused."

Focus was something Spinks (34-3) lacked when he lost to Zab Judah for the undisputed world welterweight title in February 2005 in front of 22,000 hometown fans in the Savvis Center.

The son of former heavyweight champion Leon Spinks was also fighting marital problems when he lost the rematch and the IBF, WBA and WBC titles with a technical knockout. Spinks has since divorced.

Spinks, who has 11 knockouts, also complained that he cut more than 20 pounds for the fight and it zapped his strength and energy.

Spinks avoided any distractions before Saturday's fight by training for 12 weeks in solitude at promoter Don King's camp in Orwell, Ohio, a small town east of Cleveland.

Spinks said he regained his focus on the isolated 2,000-acre ranch.

"My Fourth of July ain't over yet. My fireworks haven't been set off," Spinks said. "You'll see a big difference. This is my turnaround."

The 28-year-old fighter with the moniker "The Next Generation" said he knows the future of his career hangs in the balance with the fight that will be televised on Showtime.

He promised a win Saturday for his St. Louis fans and apologized for the loss last year to Judah. That fight was the first major bout in St. Louis in more than 40 years. If Spinks loses Saturday, some believe it could hurt any chance that big-time fights return to the city for years to come.

While his opponent is not yet a household name, Karmazin won't likely go down easy.

In Karmazin's last fight, the Russian beat Kassim Ouma of Uganda for the IBF junior middleweight title in a 12-round decision.

Karmazin (34-1-1), with 21 knockouts, is equally confident and has said that Spinks made a mistake coming up to fight in the 154-pound weight class. The 6-foot, long-armed boxer is about two inches taller than Spinks but a few years older at 33.

He hasn't lost in four years.

The undercards Saturday night include 19-year-old St. Louis welterweight Devon Alexander, who will fight for a WBC youth title, and Steve Cunningham against Guillermo Jones for the vacant IBF cruiserweight (190-pound) title.