Leon Spinks


Leon Spinks is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1977 to 1995. In only his eighth professional fight, he won the undisputed heavyweight championship in 1978 after defeating Muhammad Ali in a split decision, in what was considered one of the biggest upsets in boxing history. Spinks was later stripped of the WBC title for facing Ali in an unapproved rematch seven months later, which he lost by unanimous decision.
Besides being heavyweight champion and his characteristic gap-toothed grin, Spinks gained notoriety for the disaster which befell his career following the loss to Ali. However, he did challenge once more for the WBC heavyweight title in 1981, and the WBA cruiserweight title in 1986.
As an amateur, Spinks won numerous medals in the light heavyweight division. The first was bronze at the inaugural 1974 World Championships, followed by silver at the 1975 Pan American Games, and gold at the 1976 Summer Olympics; the latter alongside his brother Michael Spinks, who won middleweight gold. Leon served in the United States Marine Corps from 1973 to 1976.
Spinks also had a brief career as a professional wrestler in the 1990s, working for Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling and holding the FMW Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship in 1992.

Amateur career

XXI Summer Olympics, Montreal, Canada, July 1976:
Spinks debuted professionally on January 15, 1977 in Las Vegas, Nevada, beating Bob Smith by knockout in five rounds. His next fight was in Liverpool, England, where he beat Peter Freeman by a first-round knockout. Later, he saw an improvement in opposition quality, when he fought Pedro Agosto of Puerto Rico and knocked him out in round one. He then fought Scott LeDoux to a draw and defeated Italian champion Alfio Righetti by a decision.

Spinks vs. Ali

At the time a lower-ranked contender, he made history on February 15, 1978, by beating Muhammad Ali on a 15-round split decision in Las Vegas, Nevada. Spinks won the world heavyweight title in his eighth professional fight, the shortest time in history. The aging Ali had expected an easy fight, but he was out-boxed by Spinks, who did not tire throughout the bout. 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' career. 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' gap-toothed grin was featured on the cover of the February 19, 1978 issue of Sports Illustrated.
However, Spinks was stripped of his world title by the WBC for refusing to defend it against Ken Norton, instead agreeing to a return bout against Ali to defend his WBA crown. The title, stripped from Spinks, was then awarded to Norton.

Rematch

His second match with Ali, at the Louisiana 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. Ali regained the title, becoming the first three-time lineal heavyweight champion. Spinks was never given a rematch; Ali retired after the fight.

Career development

Spinks's next fight, his only one in 1979, was at Monte Carlo, where he was knocked out in the first round by future WBA world heavyweight champion Gerrie Coetzee. In the following fight, Spinks defeated former world title challenger and European title holder Alfredo Evangelista by a knockout in round 5. He fought to a draw in with Eddie López, in May 1980 he scored a knockout over Kevin Isaac, and in October beat the WBC's top-ranked challenger, Bernardo Mercado, by a knockout in round nine, this fight was on the undercard of Muhammad Ali vs. Larry Holmes.

Spinks vs. Holmes

His strong performance against Mercado earned Spinks a title match against Larry Holmes. In Spinks' only fight in 1981, and what would be his last opportunity to win the heavyweight title, he had a clear loss by a TKO in the third round at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan on June 12.

Move to cruiserweight

It was Spinks' last heavyweight bout for years, as he began boxing in the cruiserweight division. He beat contender Ivy Brown by a decision in ten rounds, and gained a decision against former and future title challenger Jesse Burnett in twelve rounds.
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 the Klitschko brothers became champions two decades later.
In the 1980s Leon Spinks competed in several boxer vs. wrestler matches in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, including losing by submission to Antonio Inoki. In 1986 Spinks earned his last championship opportunity, fighting Dwight Muhammad Qawi for the WBA cruiserweight championship. Qawi had been defeated by Michael Spinks three years earlier for his WBC light heavyweight championship. However, Leon Spinks lost by TKO in the sixth round. During the fight, Qawi taunted Spinks as he beat him mercilessly in a corner.
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. Spinks retired at age 42, after losing an 8-round decision to Fred Houpe in 1995, who was coming off a seventeen-year hiatus.

Life after boxing

During the 1990s, Spinks worked for Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling, winning its world title in 1992, making him only the second man to hold titles in both boxing and wrestling. In the late 1990s, Spinks was a headliner on year-round, touring autograph shows.
In 2009 Spinks was featured as part of the 2009 documentary Facing Ali, in which notable former opponents of Ali speak about how fighting Ali changed their lives.
As of 2017, Spinks lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. He told a reporter his life is "comfortable", and that he keeps a low profile.
In August 2017, Leon was inducted into the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame along with his brother, Michael.

Personal life and health

Spinks was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri.
Leon's son, Cory Spinks, held the undisputed welterweight title, and was the IBF junior middleweight champion twice.
In 1990, Leon's other son, Leon Calvin, was shot to death in East St. Louis as he was driving home from his girlfriend's house. 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. 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.
Leon has slurred his words since his active boxing days, and was diagnosed in 2012 with shrinkage in his brain, which doctors said was likely caused by punches he took during his career. Spinks and his wife Brenda moved to Las Vegas in 2011. Spinks was hospitalized twice in 2014 in a Las Vegas hospital for surgery due to abdominal problems, from which he recovered.
In 2019 it was revealed that Leon Spinks is fighting advanced prostate cancer.

Professional boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
46Loss26–17–3Fred HoupeUD8Dec 4, 1995A Little Bit of Texas, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
45Win26–16–3Ray KippingUD8Jun 19, 1995A Little Bit of Texas, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
44Loss25–16–3John CarloKO1, 1:09Oct 22, 1994Convention Center, Washington, D.C., U.S.
43Loss25–15–3Shane SutcliffeUD8Oct 1, 1994Civic Arena, Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada
42Win25–14–3Eddie Curry9 Jun 22, 1994Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.Curry disqualified after refusing to answer the bell for round 9, believing the fight was scheduled for 8 rounds
41Loss24–14–3James WilderPTS10Feb 27, 1993Davenport, Iowa, U.S.
40Win24–13–3Kevin PoindexterKO1, 2:37Dec 11, 1992Union Hall, Countryside, Illinois, U.S.
39Loss23–13–3Kevin PorterPTS10Sep 26, 1992Lansing, Michigan, U.S.
38Win23–12–3Jack JacksonKO3, 2:52Jul 24, 1992Union Hall, Countryside, Illinois, U.S.
37Win22–12–3Rocky Bentley10Jun 17, 1992World Congress Center, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
36Win21–12–3Rick MyersUD10Mar 20, 1992Clarion Hotel Ballroom, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
35Win20–12–3Andre CrowderSD10Feb 28, 1992Union Hall, Countryside, Illinois, U.S.
34Win19–12–3Lupe GuerraKO3, 2:13Nov 15, 1991Genesis Convention Center, Gary, Indiana, U.S.
33Loss18–12–3Tony MorrisonTKO1, 0:33May 30, 1988Marriott Hotel, Trumbull, Connecticut, U.S.
32Loss18–11–3Randall Cobb10Mar 18, 1988Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
31Loss18–10–3Ladislao MijangosSD10Dec 20, 1987San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
30Loss18–9–3Terry MimsSD10Oct 20, 1987Swingos, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
29Draw18–8–3Jim AshardSD10Aug 29, 1987Lane County Fair grounds, Eugene, Oregon, U.S.
28Loss18–8–2Angelo MusoneKO7 May 22, 1987Iesi, Italy
27Win18–7–2Jeff JordanSD12Apr 28, 1987Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium, Nagoya, JapanWon vacant WBC Continental Americas heavyweight title
26Loss17–7–2José RibaltaTKO1, 2:10Jan 17, 1987Coconut Grove Convention Center, Miami, Florida, U.S.
25Loss17–6–2Rocky SekorskiTKO6, 1:43Aug 2, 1986Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, U.S.
24Loss17–5–2Dwight Muhammad QawiTKO6, 2:56Mar 22, 1986Lawlor Events Center, Reno, Nevada, U.S.For WBA cruiserweight title
23Win17–4–2Kip KaneTKO8, 1:37Dec 13, 1985Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.Won vacant WBC Continental Americas heavyweight title
22Win16–4–2Tom Franco ThomasUD10Jun 29, 1985Sonoma County Fairgrounds, Santa Rosa, California, U.S.
21Win15–4–2Tom FischerUD10May 9, 1985Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
20Win14–4–2Rick KellarTKO2, 2:47Apr 9, 1985Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
19Win13–4–2Lupe GuerraTKO4, 0:43Feb 21, 1985Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
18Loss12–4–2Carlos de León6, 3:00Mar 6, 1983Broadway by the Bay Theater, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
17Win12–3–2Jesse BurnettUD12Oct 31, 1982Great Gorge Resort, McAfee, New Jersey, U.S.Won vacant NABF cruiserweight title
16Win11–3–2Ivy BrownUD10Feb 24, 1982Playboy Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
15Loss10–3–2Larry HolmesTKO3, 2:34Jun 12, 1981Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.For WBC, The Ring, and lineal heavyweight titles
14Win10–2–2Bernardo MercadoTKO9, 2:52Oct 2, 1980Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
13Win9–2–2Kevin IsaacTKO8, 2:11May 3, 1980Circle Star Theater, San Carlos, California, U.S.
12Draw8–2–2Eddie LópezSD10Mar 8, 1980The Aladdin, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
11Win8–2–1Alfredo EvangelistaKO5, 2:43Jan 12, 1980Steel Pier, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
10Loss7–2–1Gerrie CoetzeeTKO1, 2:03Jun 24, 1979Le Chapiteau de l'Espace, Fontvieille, Monaco
9Loss7–1–1Muhammad AliUD15Sep 15, 1978Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.Lost WBA, The Ring, and lineal heavyweight titles
8Win7–0–1Muhammad Ali15Feb 15, 1978Las Vegas Hilton, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.Won WBA, WBC, The Ring, and lineal heavyweight titles
7Win6–0–1Alfio Righetti10Nov 18, 1977Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
6Draw5–0–1Scott LeDoux10Oct 22, 1977The Aladdin, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
5Win5–0Bruce ScottKO3, 3:02Jun 1, 1977Forum, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
4Win4–0Pedro AgostoKO1, 1:55May 7, 1977Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
3Win3–0Jerry McIntyreKO1, 0:35Mar 20, 1977Exposition Center, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
2Win2–0Peter Freeman1, 1:26Mar 5, 1977Liverpool Stadium, Liverpool, England
1Win1–0Bob Smith5, 0:20Jan 15, 1977The Aladdin, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.