Leon Spinks
Leon Spinks | |
|---|---|
| File:Spinks01.jpg | |
| Born | Leon Spinks July 11, 1953 St. Louis, Missouri |
| Nationality | United States |
| Other names | "Neon" Leon |
| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) | Heavyweight |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 46 |
| Wins | 26 |
| Wins by KO | 14 |
| Losses | 17 |
| Draws | 3 |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men’s Boxing | ||
Representing  United States
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| Olympic Games | ||
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1976 Montreal | Light Heavyweight |
| World Amateur Championships | ||
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1974 Havana | Light Heavyweight |
Leon Spinks (born July 11, 1953 in St. Louis, Missouri) is a former American boxer. He had an overall record of 26 wins, 17 losses and 3 draws as a professional, with 14 knockout wins. While still an amateur, he also became a member of the United States Marine Corps. Spinks went from being Heavyweight Champion Of The World (when he defeated Muhammad Ali by a 15-round split decision, on February 15, 1978) to being homeless in little more than a decade.[1]
He won the gold medal in the light heavyweight division during the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, alongside brother Michael Spinks, who also won a gold medal in those games. Two years earlier, at the inaugural 1974 World Amateur Boxing Championships in Havana, Cuba, he captured the gold medal. His Olympic teammates included Sugar Ray Leonard, Leo Randolph and Howard Davis Jr.
Professional career
He debuted professionally on January 15, 1977 in Las Vegas, beating Bob Smith by a knockout in five rounds. His next fight, his debut abroad, was in Liverpool, England where he beat Scotty Child by a knockout in the first round. A couple of fights later, he saw a slight improvement in opposition quality, when he fought Pedro Agosto of Puerto Rico and knocked him out in the first. He then drew with Scott LeDoux and beat Italian champion Alfio Riguetti by a decision.
Spinks then ranked number one among the world's heavyweight challengers. He made history on February 15, 1978, when he beat Muhammad Ali in a 15-round decision in Las Vegas. Spinks thus won the world heavyweight title in only his eighth fight, the fastest ascent in history. Ali, who had not been the same since his last fight with Joe Frazier, expected an easy fight, but he was out-hustled by Spinks, who did not seem to tire throughout the bout. The victory over Ali was the peak of Spinks' career. With this victory, Spinks became the only man to ever take a title belt from Muhammad Ali in the ring, since Ali's other losses were contests in which no official world title belt that he was in possession of was on the line. Spinks' iconic gap-toothed grin was featured on the cover of the February 19, 1978 issue of Sports Illustrated. He never again fought as efficiently.
Spinks was known to be a party animal with a large entourage during his reign as heavyweight champion. A young Mr. T served as one of his bodyguards during that time.
Spinks was stripped of his world title by the WBC for refusing to defend it against Ken Norton. Spinks instead agreed to fight a return bout against Ali for the WBA crown. The WBC subsequently stripped Spinks of the title and awarded it to Norton, retroactively designating his defeat of Jimmy Young in 1977 a title fight. Because of the WBC's action, Spinks was the last undisputed heavyweight champion until the emergence of Mike Tyson.
His second fight with Ali was different from the first; Ali, despite declining ability, was able to defeat the much younger Spinks. Spinks lost the title to Ali in New Orleans at the Louisiana Superdome on September 15, 1978 by a unanimous fifteen-round decision. By regaining the title, Ali became the first three-time heavyweight champion.
In his next fight, his only bout in 1979, he went to Monte Carlo, where he was knocked out in the first round by future WBA world heavyweight champion Gerrie Coetzee. In 1980, Spinks beat former world title challenger Alfredo Evangelista by a knockout in five rounds, boxed to a draw in ten with Eddie López, and beat the WBC's top-ranked challenger, Bernardo Mercado, by a knockout in nine. The Mercado fight took place on the night that Ali challenged WBC World champion Larry Holmes in an attempt to become the first boxer to win the world heavyweight title four times.
After the win over Mercado, Spinks earned a title bout against Holmes. In what was Spinks' only fight in 1981 and his last championship opportunity at heavyweight, he was defeated by a knockout in the third round in Detroit on June 12. It was also Spinks' last heavyweight bout for several years, as he moved down in weight and began boxing in the cruiserweight division. He beat fringe contender Ivy Brown by a decision in ten rounds, and former and future title challenger Jesse Burnett by decision in twelve rounds.
When his brother defeated Holmes for the IBF heavyweight championship in 1985, Leon became half of the first pair of brothers to have held world heavyweight championships. Michael and Leon kept the distinction as the only pair until the Klitschko brothers joined them over a decade later.
Spinks competed in several boxer vs. wrestler matches in New Japan Pro Wrestling in the 1980s, including losing by submission to Antonio Inoki. In 1986 Spinks earned his last championship opportunity, as he took on Dwight Muhammad Qawi for the WBA cruiserweight championship. It was the second time that a fighter fought both Spinks brothers, as Qawi had been defeated by Michael Spinks three years earlier for his WBC light heavyweight championship. Unlike Michael, Leon was unable to defeat Qawi and lost by TKO in the sixth round. During the fight, Qawi taunted Spinks as he beat him mercilessly in a corner.
Spinks boxed for eight more years, with mixed results. In 1994 he lost a bout by KO to John Carlo, noteworthy for being the first time a former heavyweight champion had ever lost to a boxer making his pro debut. This humiliation was increased by the fact that Spinks lost by KO and was unable to land a single punch. He retired at the age of 42 after losing by decision in eight to Fred Houpe in 1995, who was coming off a seventeen-year layoff.
Professional boxing record
Amateur career
- 1974, 1975, and 1976 National AAU Light Heavyweight champion
- Defeated future champion Michael Dokes for first AAU title in 1974
Olympic results
- Defeated Abellatif Fatihi (Morocco) KO 1
- Defeated Anatoly Klimanov (Soviet Union) 5-0
- Defeated Ottomar Sachse (East Germany) 5-0
- Defeated Janusz Gortat (Poland) 5-0
- Defeated Sixto Soria (Cuba) RSC 3
After boxing
During the 1990s, Spinks worked for Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling, winning its world title in 1992. In the late 1990s, Spinks was a headliner on year-round, touring autograph shows.
As of 2005 Spinks lived in Columbus, Nebraska, worked at a local YMCA and, and volunteered at an after-school program for youth. He told a reporter his life is "comfortable", and that he keeps a low profile.[3] Spinks still currently resides in Columbus.
Personal life
His son, Cory Spinks, held the undisputed welterweight title and was the International Boxing Federation Junior Middleweight champion in 2006 - 2008.
In popular culture
Lupe Fiasco references Spinks in the song "Dumb It Down" using the lyrics 'Something really stinks, but I Sphinx like Leon'
See also
References
- ^ Riches to rags The Boston Globe, December 21, 2005
- ^ "Leon Spinks' career boxing record". BoxRec. Retrieved July 27, 2008.
- ^ Steve Sipple, "Ex-champ Leon Spinks cleans up in Columbus," Lincoln Journal Star, April 4, 2005
External links
1920–1936: 160–175 lb (72.6–79.4 kg) · 1948: 73–80 kg · 1952–2012: 75–81 kg · 2016–2020: 76–81 kg | |
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- 1953 births
- Living people
- African American boxers
- Boxers from Missouri
- Heavyweights
- Olympic boxers of the United States
- Boxers at the 1976 Summer Olympics
- Olympic gold medalists for the United States
- People from Missouri
- People from St. Louis, Missouri
- United States Marines
- WBA Champions
- WBC Champions
- Winners of the United States Championship for amateur boxers