Leon Spinks


























































Leon Spinks

Leon Spinks 1.jpg
Spinks vs. Ray Kipping, 1995

Statistics
Nickname(s) Neon
Weight(s)


  • Cruiserweight

  • Heavyweight


Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Reach 76 in (193 cm)
Nationality American
Born
(1953-07-11) July 11, 1953 (age 65)
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Stance Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights 46
Wins 26
Wins by KO 14
Losses 17
Draws 3

Leon Spinks (born July 11, 1953) 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 (due to losing two and later all four of his front teeth), Spinks gained notoriety for the disaster which befell his career following the loss to Ali.[1] However, he did challenge once more for the WBC heavyweight title in 1981 (losing to Larry Holmes by TKO in the third round), and the WBA cruiserweight title in 1986 (losing to Dwight Muhammad Qawi by TKO in the sixth round).


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 would also serve on active duty 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 (FMW) and holding the FMW Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship in 1992.[2]




Contents






  • 1 Amateur career


    • 1.1 1976 Olympic results




  • 2 Professional career


    • 2.1 Spinks vs. Ali


    • 2.2 Rematch


    • 2.3 Career development


    • 2.4 Spinks vs. Holmes


    • 2.5 Move to cruiserweight




  • 3 Life after boxing


  • 4 Personal life and health


  • 5 Professional boxing record


  • 6 See also


  • 7 References


  • 8 Further reading


  • 9 External links





Amateur career



  • 1974, 1975, and 1976 National AAU light heavyweight champion

  • Defeated future champion Michael Dokes for first AAU title in 1974



1976 Olympic results


Leon Spinks competed as a light heavyweight at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. Here is his record from that tournament:



  • Round of 32: Defeated Abellatif Fatihi (Morocco) KO 1

  • Round of 16: Defeated Anatoly Klimanov (Soviet Union) by decision, 5-0

  • Quarterfinal: Defeated Ottomar Sachse (East Germany) by decision, 5-0

  • Semifinal: Defeated Janusz Gortat (Poland) by decision, 5-0

  • Final: Defeated Sixto Soria (Cuba) referee stopped contest in the third round (won gold medal)



Professional career


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



Now 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.


Spinks' victory over Ali was the peak of his 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.[3] Spinks was never given a rematch; Ali retired after the fight (although he came out of retirement a few years later to fight Larry Holmes and Trevor Berbick).



Career development




Spinks defeats Ray Kipping June 19, 1995, St. Louis




Spinks during his final victory held at the "Little bit of Texas" in St.Louis


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 (NJPW), 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 (promoter Charles Farrell later admitted to falsifying Carlo's record in order to get the fight sanctioned by the District of Columbia).[4] 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 the only man to hold titles in both boxing and wrestling.[5] 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.[6]


In August 2017, Leon was inducted into the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame along with his brother, Michael.



Personal life and health


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.[7] 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.[8] 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.[9]


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.[10]



Professional boxing record
































Professional record summary


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

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
Jose 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

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.

For WBA 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

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 vacant NABF 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, The Ring, and lineal 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

Steel Pier, 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, The Ring, and lineal heavyweight titles
8
Win
7–0–1

Muhammad Ali

SD
15

Feb 15, 1978

Las Vegas Hilton, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.

Won WBA, WBC, The Ring, and lineal 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.



See also







  • List of heavyweight boxing champions

  • List of lineal boxing world champions

  • List of WBC world champions

  • Notable boxing families




References





  1. ^ "Riches to rags" The Boston Globe, December 21, 2005


  2. ^ Pro Wrestling Illustrated, March 1993 issue, p.27.


  3. ^ "Leon Spinks". Cyber Boxing Zone. Retrieved 20 November 2016..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}


  4. ^ "The Fix Is In". Snap Judgment. NPR. June 13, 2014. Retrieved July 3, 2015.


  5. ^ Pro Wrestling Illustrated, March 1993 issue, p.27.


  6. ^ Steve Sipple, "Ex-champ Leon Spinks cleans up in Columbus". Lincoln Journal Star, April 4, 2005.


  7. ^ "Leon Spinks's Son Is Fatally Shot". New York Times. Associated Press. July 23, 1990. Retrieved August 21, 2017.


  8. ^ "BoxRec: Leon Calvin". boxrec.com. Retrieved 2018-02-08.


  9. ^ "BoxRec: Leon Spinks III". boxrec.com. Retrieved 2018-02-08.


  10. ^ "Former champion Leon Spinks hospitalized". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2018-02-08.




Further reading



  • Florio, John; Shapiro, Ouisie (2013). One Punch from the Promised Land: Leon Spinks, Michael Spinks, and the Myth of the Heavyweight Title. Lyons Press. p. 279. ISBN 978-0-7627-8300-7.


External links



  • Amateur boxing record


  • Professional boxing record for Leon Spinks from BoxRec






































































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
Muhammad Ali

WBA heavyweight champion
February 15, 1978 – September 15, 1978
Succeeded by
Muhammad Ali

WBC heavyweight champion
February 15, 1978 – March 18, 1978
Stripped
Succeeded by
Ken Norton
awarded title


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

Lineal heavyweight champion
February 15, 1978 – September 15, 1978
Succeeded by
Muhammad Ali
Professional wrestling titles
Preceded by
Tarzan Goto

WWA World Martial Arts
heavyweight champion

March 25, 1992 – May 24, 1992
Succeeded by
Atsushi Onita
Awards
Previous:
Muhammad Ali
and
Joe Frazier


BWAA Fighter of the Year
1976
With: Howard Davis Jr., Sugar Ray Leonard,
Leo Randolph, and Michael 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
KO10 Alfonso Zamora


The Ring Upset of the Year
SD15 Muhammad Ali

1978
Next:
Vito Antuofermo
SD15 Marvin Hagler












Popular posts from this blog

Y

Mount Tamalpais

Indian Forest Service