Boxing legend Leon Spinks dies at 67
Leon Spinks, an undersized heavyweight who became undisputed champion when he outworked Muhammad Ali over 15 rounds in 1978, died Friday at 67 after a lengthy battle with prostate cancer.
Along with his brother, Michael, Spinks was a gold medal winner on the 1976 U.S. Olympic boxing team that is regarded as one of the great teams in boxing history.
His son, Cory, a slick defender who became the undisputed welterweight champion in 2003, was born on Feb. 20, 1978, five days after his father scored one of boxing’s biggest upsets by defeating Ali. Leon and Cory Spinks are believed to be the only father-son combination to each have held the lineal championship in their weight class.
Spinks lost the title to Ali in a rematch in New Orleans, a bout televised live in prime time on ABC which attracted 93 million viewers.
Spinks never again reached such heights after conquering Ali. After his loss to Ali, he had two other world title opportunities. He was stopped by Larry Holmes in the third round on June 12, 1981, in a bid for the WBC heavyweight title. He made a run for the cruiserweight belt, but was stopped on March 22, 1986, by Dwight Muhammad Qawi.
Spinks, who wound up 26-17-3 as a professional following a brilliant amateur career that culminated at the Montreal Olympics in 1976 with a gold medal victory over Cuban Sixto Soria to win the light heavyweight division. He was 178-7 with 133 knockouts as an amateur.
He was known for his reckless spending habits in the immediate aftermath of his victory over Ali, and wound up struggling financially for much of his life.
Spinks, who also briefly worked as a professional wrestler, was an affable, colorful guy who for years was a ringside fixture at major fights. He always drew a roar and would often good-naturedly shadow box with Ali when they were introduced to the crowd at fights and brought into the ring to wave to the fans.
For much of his life after winning the title, he struggled financially.
His brother, Michael, who is regarded as one of the greatest light heavyweights in boxing history, followed him as heavyweight champion when he upset Holmes in Las Vegas on Sept. 21, 1985.
Leon Spinks was inducted into the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame in 2017 along with his younger brother. By that point, he struggled to walk and his wife, Brenda, pushed him in a wheelchair.
But despite his physical ailments, Spinks remained good-natured and smiled broadly whenever recognized by fans and media.
Leon Spinks is survived by his wife, Brenda; his son, Cory; and his brother, Michael. Another son who also boxed, Leon Calvin, was murdered in East St. Louis, Missouri, in 2017.
https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/boxing-l...001655175.html
Re: Boxing legend Leon Spinks dies at 67
Very sad indeed after a long battle with cancer RIP Champ.
Re: Boxing legend Leon Spinks dies at 67
RIP Leon. An all round good guy, nobody ever had a bad word to say about him.
A brilliant and talented amateur. Too small to really be a heavyweight if truth be told. An addictive personality which haunted his later years.
The perfect storm with the Ali fight ..... an ageing and disinterested Ali, who had shirked his training for this fight, was betting on scuffling and spoiling his way to a decision against the professional novice.
Leon was too green and inexperienced to even see, let alone fall for, the traps that Ali set for him. His perpetual motion and energy screwed up Ali’s timing and he won on workrate fair and square.
One of the great upsets.
Re: Boxing legend Leon Spinks dies at 67
R.l.P., as any death is a sad occasion.
But "boxing legend"??
Damn... that bar just got lowered. :-\:-X
Re: Boxing legend Leon Spinks dies at 67
A fair fighter is as far as I'll go. R.I.P. Champ.
Re: Boxing legend Leon Spinks dies at 67
https://media2.giphy.com/media/x70p0...&rid=giphy.gif
@Master Spinks is a legend ? Cmon man. His teeth were legend I'll give you that.
https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8tR2...15185586.0.jpg
Then he went from extreme to the other and robbed the teeth of Sea Biscuit and Secretariat
https://thehill.com/sites/default/fi...?itok=IS5BsDN9
Let's be honest he dined out on beating Ali for all his career and life. That's just strictly judging him on his boxing career. Not him the man but RIP
Re: Boxing legend Leon Spinks dies at 67
If you’re a boxer, what better qualification is there for dining out for the rest if your life than beating Muhammad Ali?
Cooper did it just for knocking him down for three seconds!
Re: Boxing legend Leon Spinks dies at 67
Spinks really did come across like a genuine easy going big man. He walked right into the weight of not only the sport on his shoulders but the world spotlight itself by upsetting Ali. Gracious and humble. No man deserves to go out like that, broken physically and financially and fighting his last round vs cancer. But I bet he went grinning with family by side. Rest easy now Champion.
Re: Boxing legend Leon Spinks dies at 67
Knew about 13 months ago when his family announced he didn't have long to live due to colon cancer and then couldn't find any updates over the past 13 months on his condition.
Just saw the news a few minutes ago and had not seen this thread.
Leon Spinks was an inspiration as part of the 1976 US Olympic team in Montreal. I remember watching him win the gold medal live on TV. He was such an inspiration with a colorful character and humble personality. Seeing him win the gold medal in 1976 along with his other team members like Sugar Ray Leonard and Howard Davis and his brother Michael was truly an inspiration to me at that time as a 12-year-old.
In only his 8th professional fight he defeated a well past his prime Muhammad Ali, by fighting valiantly and bravely and doggedly over the entire 15 rounds, and when he won the heavyweight title that night, my entire eighth grade class at my middle school went wild because Ali was not that popular anymore since most of us thought he was getting gift decisions since 1975 or 1976.
Leon Spinks holds an interesting statistic in that HE IS THE ONLY FIGHTER TO TAKE THE TITLE OFF OF ALI IN THE RING.
He struggled with drugs and alcohol off and on throughout his career but gamely fought back each time to go through rehab.
A truck driver friend of mine who was driving through North Platte Nebraska in 2005 saw Leon Spinks working at a McDonald's and got his autograph.
He is a story of the highs and lows that human beings can hit in a very short period of time. He pulled himself out of the ghettos of St Louis took up boxing and joined the US Olympic team and won a gold medal and in an interview that he gave in 2010 he claimed that winning the gold medal was more special to him than beating Muhammad Ali for the heavyweight championship of the world.
God bless him and his family and the exciting moments he gave us in the boxing ring putting his life on the line like all boxers do. I have nothing bad to say about him whatsoever and I want to thank him.
Re: Boxing legend Leon Spinks dies at 67
Re: Boxing legend Leon Spinks dies at 67
I was touched after the 2nd Hall of fame I attended, he saw me while signing an autograph and smiled showing those big ass teeth. He remembered me! But he did tell me I liked to talk a lot of (s*#t);D . Asked Was I Ali's illegitimate lovechild! I will hold with me the memories of us drinking together at Grazis Pub.
He is one of the many I got a chance to take photos with, but I learned if you put pictures here it can be used by others.
Man, I was overjoyed learning how much I could make him laugh! Same with Ken Norton. Last time I saw him he had a walker, but when we sat together with his wife, like Leon he couldn't speak clearly, but boy they both could laugh hard!
Peace be upon Brother Leon.
Re: Boxing legend Leon Spinks dies at 67
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Denilson3.0
I understand your perspective, so I now concur; pour a sip for the brothers who are no longer here.
https://youtu.be/5EZrOJLMyNk
Re: Boxing legend Leon Spinks dies at 67
Can't remember which concert but comedian Richard Pryor once said:
"2nd Fight Ali didn't really beat Spinks. He just beat Leon off of him!":lolhaha::lolololol:
-Richard Pryor.
