 Spinks vs. Ray Kipping, 1995 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
Nickname | Neon |
| Born | (1953-07-11)July 11, 1953 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | February 5, 2021(2021-02-05) (aged 67) Henderson, Nevada, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) |
| Weight | |
| Boxing career | |
| Reach | 76 in (193 cm) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record[1] | |
| Total fights | 46 |
| Wins | 26 |
| Win by KO | 14 |
| Losses | 17 |
| Draws | 3 |
Medal record | |
Leon Spinks (July 11, 1953 – February 5, 2021) was an Americanprofessional boxer who competed from 1977 to 1995. In only his eighth professional fight, he won theundisputedheavyweight championship in 1978 after defeatingMuhammad Ali in asplit decision, in what is considered one of the biggest upsets in heavyweight boxing history. Spinks was later stripped of theWBC title for facing Ali in an unapproved rematch seven months later, which he lost by aunanimous decision.
Besides being heavyweight champion and his characteristic gap-toothed grin (due to losing two and later all four of his front teeth), Spinks gained notoriety for the disaster which befell his career following his loss to Ali.[2] However, he did challenge once more for the WBC heavyweight title in 1981 (losing toLarry Holmes by TKO in the third round), and theWBAcruiserweight title in 1986 (losing toDwight Muhammad Qawi by TKO in the sixth round).
As anamateur, Spinks won numerous medals in thelight heavyweight division. The first was bronze at the inaugural1974 World Championships, followed by silver at the1975 Pan American Games, and gold at the1976 Summer Olympics; the latter alongside his brotherMichael Spinks, who wonmiddleweight gold. Leon served in theUnited States Marine Corps from 1973 to 1976, rising to the rank of corporal. He was stationed atMarine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina and was on the Marine Corps Boxing Team.[3]
Spinks also had a brief career as aprofessional wrestler from 1986, 1990 to 1993. He mainly worked forFrontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW) and holding theFMW Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship in 1992.[4]
Spinks won three consecutive nationalAAU light heavyweight championships from 1974 to 1976, the first of which came against future championMichael Dokes.[5] He was serving in theMarine Corps at the time.[3]
Spinks won thelight heavyweight gold medal at the1976 Summer Olympics inMontreal.[6][7] He defeatedAbdel Latif Fatihi from Morocco, Soviet-UkrainianAnatoliy Klimanov, East-GermanOttomar Sachse, andJanusz Gortat from Poland en route to the final, where he defeated Cuba'sSixto Soria to win the gold.[8]
Spinks finished his amateur career with a record of 178–7 with 133 knockouts.[9]
Spinks debuted professionally on January 15, 1977, inLas Vegas, Nevada, beating Bob Smith by knockout in five rounds.[10] His next fight was inLiverpool, England, where he beat Peter Freeman by a first-round knockout.[11] Later, he saw an improvement in opposition quality, when he fought Pedro Agosto ofPuerto Rico and knocked him out in round one.[12] He then foughtScott LeDoux to a draw and defeated Italian champion Alfio Righetti in a decision.[13][14]
At the time a lower-ranked contender, he made history on February 15, 1978, by decisively beatingMuhammad Ali on a 15-round split decision, that was in actuality fairly one-sided, in Las Vegas, Nevada.[15] Spinks won the world heavyweight title in his eighth professional fight, the shortest span in history.[16] The aging Ali had expected an easy fight, but he was out-boxed by Spinks, who did not tire throughout the bout and had Ali ready to fall in the last seconds of the fight.[15] It was one of the few occasions when Ali left the ring with a bruised and puffy face.
The victory over Ali was the peak of Spinks's career.[15] He was the only man to take a title from Muhammad Ali in the ring, as Ali's other losses were non-title contests or bouts where Ali was the challenger. Spinks's gap-toothed grin was featured on the cover of the February 19, 1978 issue ofSports Illustrated.[17]
However, Spinks was stripped of his world title by theWBC for refusing to defend it againstKen Norton, instead agreeing to a return bout against Ali to defend hisWBA crown.[15] The title, stripped from Spinks, was then awarded to Norton.[18]
His second match with Ali, at theLouisiana Superdome on September 15, 1978, went badly for Spinks. A now-in-shape Ali—with better, sharper tactics—rarely lost control, winning back his title by a unanimous fifteen-round decision.[15] Ali regained the title, becoming the first three-timelineal heavyweight champion.[19] Spinks was never given a rematch; Ali retired after the fight (although he came out of retirement a few years later to fightLarry Holmes andTrevor Berbick).
Spinks's next fight, his only one in 1979, was atMonte Carlo, where he was knocked out in the first round by future WBA world heavyweight championGerrie Coetzee.[20] In the following fight, Spinks defeated former world title challenger and European title holderAlfredo Evangelista by a knockout in round 5.[21] He then fought to a draw in with Eddie López,[22] scored a knockout over Kevin Isaac in May,[23] and, in October, beat the WBC's top-ranked challenger,Bernardo Mercado, by a knockout in round nine on the undercard ofLarry Holmes vs. Muhammad Ali.[24]
His strong performance against Mercado earned Spinks a title match againstLarry Holmes. In Spinks's only fight in 1981, on June 12 and what would be his last opportunity to win the heavyweight title, he took multiple punches without responding in the third round and the referee stopped the fight.[25]
It was Spinks's last heavyweight bout for years, as he began boxing in thecruiserweight division. He beat contender Ivy Brown by a decision in ten rounds,[26] and gained a decision against former and future title challengerJesse Burnett in twelve rounds.[27]
Spinks was due to face the World Cruiserweight number oneDavid Pearce, but the fight was called off on 24 hours notice after the fighters had both weighed in, due to the BBBoC stance on Pearce fighting abroad in the newly formed Cruiserweight division.[28]
When his brother Michael Spinks defeated Larry Holmes in a controversial upset for the IBF heavyweight championship in 1985, they became the only brothers to have held world heavyweight championships. They kept the distinction until theKlitschko brothers became champions two decades later.[29]
In the 1980s Leon Spinks competed in several boxer vs. wrestler matches inNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), including losing by submission toAntonio Inoki.[30] In 1986 Spinks earned his last championship opportunity, fightingDwight Muhammad Qawi for the WBA cruiserweight championship.[31] Qawi had been defeated by Michael Spinks three years earlier for his WBC light heavyweight championship. However, Leon lost by TKO in the sixth round.[31]
Spinks boxed for another eight years with mixed results. In 1994 he lost a bout by KO to John Carlo, the first time a former heavyweight champion had lost to a boxer making his pro debut (promoter Charles Farrell later admitted to falsifying Carlo's record in order to get the fight sanctioned by theDistrict of Columbia).[32] Spinks retired at age 42, after losing an 8-round decision to Fred Houpe in 1995, who was coming off a seventeen-year hiatus.[33]
On October 9, 1986, Spinks lost to Japanese legendAntonio Inoki in a mixed martial arts fight forNew Japan Pro Wrestling.[34] Spinks made an appearance for theUnited States Wrestling Association on June 25, 1990, where he lost toJerry Lawler by disqualification.
In 1991, Spinks made his debut in Japan forFrontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW) teaming with fellow boxer Rufus Blackborn. He later teamed withDr. Luther in 1992. On March 25, 1992, he defeatedTarzan Goto for theFMW Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship.[35] He would drop the title toAtsushi Onita on May 24, 1992. In 1993, he feuded withTerry Funk and retired from wrestling later that year.[36]
During the 1990s, Spinks worked forFrontier Martial-Arts Wrestling, winning itsworld title in 1992, making him only the second man (afterPrimo Carnera) to hold titles in both boxing andwrestling.[4] In the late 1990s, Spinks was a headliner on year-round, touringautograph shows. In 2005 Spinks was living inColumbus, Nebraska, working as a janitor at a YMCA and at a McDonald's.[37]
In 2009, Spinks was featured as part of the 2009 documentaryFacing Ali, in which notable former opponents of Ali speak about how fighting Ali changed their lives.[38]
Spinks lived later in his life inLas Vegas, Nevada. He told a reporter his life was "comfortable", and that he kept a low profile.[39]
In August 2017, Leon was inducted into theNevada Boxing Hall of Fame along with his brother, Michael.[40]
Spinks was born and raised inSt. Louis.[41]
Leon's son,Cory Spinks, held the undisputedwelterweight title, and was theIBFjunior middleweight champion twice.
In 1990, Leon's other son, Leon Calvin, was shot to death inEast St. Louis as he was driving home from his girlfriend's house.[42] Calvin was an aspiring light heavyweight pro boxer with a record of 2–0, with the two pro bouts occurring only a month before he died.[43] Leon's grandson and Calvin's son, Leon Spinks III, is an aspiring light heavyweight southpaw boxer with a pro record of 11–3–1 with seven knockouts, his last outing being a six-round draw with Robbie Cannon in October 2017.[44]
Spinks perceptibly slurred his words after his active boxing days, and was diagnosed in 2012 with shrinkage in his brain, which doctors said was likely caused by the accumulated punches that he took during his career. In 2011, Spinks and his wife Brenda moved to Las Vegas. Spinks was hospitalized twice in 2014 in a Las Vegas hospital forsurgery due to abdominal problems, from which he recovered.[45]
In 2019, it was revealed that Spinks was diagnosed withadvanced prostate cancer.[46] He died at a hospital inHenderson, Nevada on February 5, 2021, at age 67.[47]
| 46 fights | 26 wins | 17 losses |
|---|---|---|
| By knockout | 14 | 9 |
| By decision | 11 | 8 |
| By disqualification | 1 | 0 |
| Draws | 3 | |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | Loss | 26–17–3 | Fred Houpe | UD | 8 | Dec 4, 1995 | A Little Bit of Texas, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | |
| 45 | Win | 26–16–3 | Ray Kipping | UD | 8 | Jun 19, 1995 | A Little Bit of Texas, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | |
| 44 | Loss | 25–16–3 | John Carlo | KO | 1,1:09 | Oct 22, 1994 | Convention Center,Washington, D.C., U.S. | |
| 43 | Loss | 25–15–3 | Shane Sutcliffe | UD | 8 | Oct 1, 1994 | Civic Arena,Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada | |
| 42 | Win | 25–14–3 | Eddie Curry | DQ | 9 (10) | Jun 22, 1994 | Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S. | Curry disqualified after refusing to answer the bell for round 9, believing the fight was scheduled for 8 rounds |
| 41 | Loss | 24–14–3 | James Wilder | PTS | 10 | Feb 27, 1993 | Davenport, Iowa, U.S. | |
| 40 | Win | 24–13–3 | Kevin Poindexter | KO | 1 (10),2:37 | Dec 11, 1992 | Union Hall, Countryside, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 39 | Loss | 23–13–3 | Kevin Porter | PTS | 10 | Sep 26, 1992 | Lansing, Michigan, U.S. | |
| 38 | Win | 23–12–3 | Jack Jackson | KO | 3 (10),2:52 | Jul 24, 1992 | Union Hall, Countryside, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 37 | Win | 22–12–3 | Rocky Bentley | PTS | 10 | Jun 17, 1992 | World Congress Center,Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | |
| 36 | Win | 21–12–3 | Rick Myers | UD | 10 | Mar 20, 1992 | Clarion Hotel Ballroom, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | |
| 35 | Win | 20–12–3 | Andre Crowder | SD | 10 | Feb 28, 1992 | Union Hall,Countryside, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 34 | Win | 19–12–3 | Lupe Guerra | KO | 3 (10),2:13 | Nov 15, 1991 | Genesis Convention Center,Gary, Indiana, U.S. | |
| 33 | Loss | 18–12–3 | Tony Morrison | TKO | 1 (10),0:33 | May 30, 1988 | Marriott Hotel,Trumbull, Connecticut, U.S. | |
| 32 | Loss | 18–11–3 | Randall Cobb | MD | 10 | Mar 18, 1988 | Municipal Auditorium,Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | |
| 31 | Loss | 18–10–3 | Ladislao Mijangos | SD | 10 | Dec 20, 1987 | Convention Center Arena,San Antonio, Texas, U.S. | |
| 30 | Loss | 18–9–3 | Terry Mims | SD | 10 | Oct 20, 1987 | Swingos,Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. | |
| 29 | Draw | 18–8–3 | Jim Ashard | SD | 10 | Aug 29, 1987 | Lane County Fair grounds,Eugene, Oregon, U.S. | |
| 28 | Loss | 18–8–2 | Angelo Musone | KO | 7 (10) | May 22, 1987 | Iesi, Italy | |
| 27 | Win | 18–7–2 | Jeff Jordan | SD | 12 | Apr 28, 1987 | Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium,Nagoya, Japan | Won vacant WBC Continental Americas heavyweight title |
| 26 | Loss | 17–7–2 | José Ribalta | TKO | 1 (10),2:10 | Jan 17, 1987 | Coconut Grove Convention Center,Miami, Florida, U.S. | |
| 25 | Loss | 17–6–2 | Rocky Sekorski | TKO | 6 (10),1:43 | Aug 2, 1986 | Port Authority,Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, U.S. | |
| 24 | Loss | 17–5–2 | Dwight Muhammad Qawi | TKO | 6 (15),2:56 | Mar 22, 1986 | Lawlor Events Center,Reno, Nevada, U.S. | ForWBA cruiserweight title |
| 23 | Win | 17–4–2 | Kip Kane | TKO | 8 (12),1:37 | Dec 13, 1985 | Felt Forum,New York City, New York, U.S. | Won vacant WBC Continental Americas heavyweight title |
| 22 | Win | 16–4–2 | Tom Franco Thomas | UD | 10 | Jun 29, 1985 | Sonoma County Fairgrounds,Santa Rosa, California, U.S. | |
| 21 | Win | 15–4–2 | Tom Fischer | UD | 10 | May 9, 1985 | Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | |
| 20 | Win | 14–4–2 | Rick Kellar | TKO | 2 (10),2:47 | Apr 9, 1985 | Blaisdell Center Arena,Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. | |
| 19 | Win | 13–4–2 | Lupe Guerra | TKO | 4 (10),0:43 | Feb 21, 1985 | Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | |
| 18 | Loss | 12–4–2 | Carlos de León | RTD | 6 (10),3:00 | Mar 6, 1983 | Broadway by the Bay Theater, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. | |
| 17 | Win | 12–3–2 | Jesse Burnett | UD | 12 | Oct 31, 1982 | Great Gorge Resort,McAfee, New Jersey, U.S. | Won vacantNABF cruiserweight title |
| 16 | Win | 11–3–2 | Ivy Brown | UD | 10 | Feb 24, 1982 | Playboy Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. | |
| 15 | Loss | 10–3–2 | Larry Holmes | TKO | 3 (15),2:34 | Jun 12, 1981 | Joe Louis Arena,Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | For WBC andThe Ring heavyweight titles |
| 14 | Win | 10–2–2 | Bernardo Mercado | TKO | 9 (12),2:52 | Oct 2, 1980 | Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 13 | Win | 9–2–2 | Kevin Isaac | TKO | 8 (10),2:11 | May 3, 1980 | Circle Star Theater,San Carlos, California, U.S. | |
| 12 | Draw | 8–2–2 | Eddie López | SD | 10 | Mar 8, 1980 | The Aladdin, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 11 | Win | 8–2–1 | Alfredo Evangelista | KO | 5 (10),2:43 | Jan 12, 1980 | Resorts International Casino,Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. | |
| 10 | Loss | 7–2–1 | Gerrie Coetzee | TKO | 1 (12),2:03 | Jun 24, 1979 | Le Chapiteau de l'Espace,Fontvieille, Monaco | |
| 9 | Loss | 7–1–1 | Muhammad Ali | UD | 15 | Sep 15, 1978 | Superdome,New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | Lost WBA andThe Ring heavyweight titles |
| 8 | Win | 7–0–1 | Muhammad Ali | SD | 15 | Feb 15, 1978 | Las Vegas Hilton,Winchester, Nevada, U.S. | WonWBA,WBC, andThe Ring heavyweight titles |
| 7 | Win | 6–0–1 | Alfio Righetti | UD | 10 | Nov 18, 1977 | Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 6 | Draw | 5–0–1 | Scott LeDoux | SD | 10 | Oct 22, 1977 | The Aladdin, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Bruce Scott | KO | 3 (8),3:02 | Jun 1, 1977 | Forum,Montreal, Quebec, Canada | |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Pedro Agosto | KO | 1 (8),1:55 | May 7, 1977 | Kiel Auditorium,St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Jerry McIntyre | KO | 1 (6),0:35 | Mar 20, 1977 | Exposition Center,Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Peter Freeman | KO | 1 (6),1:26 | Mar 5, 1977 | Liverpool Stadium,Liverpool, England | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Bob Smith | TKO | 5 (6),0:20 | Jan 15, 1977 | The Aladdin,Paradise, Nevada, U.S. |
| Sporting positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amateur boxing titles | ||||
| Previous: D.C. Barker | U.S. light heavyweight champion 1974–1976 | Next: Larry Strogen | ||
| Regional boxing titles | ||||
| Vacant Title last held by S. T. Gordon | NABF cruiserweight champion October 31, 1982 – May 1984 Vacated | Vacant Title next held by Anthony Davis | ||
| Vacant Title last held by Michael Dokes | WBC Continental Americas heavyweight champion December 13, 1985 – March 1986 Vacated | Vacant Title next held by Adílson Rodrigues | ||
| Vacant Title last held by Adílson Rodrigues | WBC Continental Americas heavyweight champion April 28, 1987 – April 1988 Vacated | Vacant Title next held by Michael Dokes | ||
| World boxing titles | ||||
| Preceded by | WBA heavyweight champion February 15, 1978 –September 15, 1978 | Succeeded by Muhammad Ali | ||
| WBC heavyweight champion February 15, 1978 – March 18, 1978 Stripped | Vacant Title next held by Ken Norton | |||
| The Ring heavyweight champion February 15, 1978 – September 15, 1978 | Succeeded by Muhammad Ali | |||
| Undisputed heavyweight champion February 15, 1978 – March 18, 1978 Titles fragmented | Vacant Title next held by Mike Tyson | |||
| Professional wrestling titles | ||||
| Preceded by | WWA World Martial Arts heavyweight champion March 25, 1992 – May 24, 1992 | Succeeded by | ||
| Awards | ||||
| Previous: Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier | BWAA Fighter of the Year 1976 With:Howard Davis Jr.,Sugar Ray Leonard, Leo Randolph, andMichael Spinks | Next: Ken Norton | ||
| Previous: George Foreman vs. Jimmy Young | The Ring Fight of the Year vs. Muhammad Ali 1978 | Next: Danny Lopez vs. Mike Ayala | ||
| Previous: Jorge Luján KO10Alfonso Zamora | The Ring Upset of the Year SD15 Muhammad Ali 1978 | Next: Vito Antuofermo SD15Marvin Hagler | ||
Links to related articles | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
