Memorable Photo of A jubilant Leon Spinks after beating Muhammad Ali in 1978.
Posted on 02/06/2021 7:42:47 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Leon Spinks – who won Olympic gold and then shocked the boxing world by beating Muhammad Ali to win the heavyweight title in only his eighth pro fight – has died. He was 67.
Spinks, who lived his later years in Las Vegas, died on Friday night, according to a release from a public relations firm. He had contracted prostate and other cancers. His wife, Brenda Glur Spinks, and a few close friends and other family members were by his side when he died.
A much-loved heavyweight with a drinking problem, Spinks beat Ali by decision in a 12-round fight in 1978 to win the title. He was unranked at the time and picked as an opponent because Ali was looking for an easy fight.
He got anything but that, with an unorthodox Spinks swarming over Ali throughout the fight on his way to a stunning win by split decision. The two met seven months later in New Orleans, with Ali taking the decision before a record indoor boxing crowd of 72,000 and a national television audience estimated at 90 million people.
Speaking to the Observer in 2006, Spinks said he thought he won that second fight as well. “But they wanted Ali [to win],” he said. “It’s politics. It ain’t what you know but who you know.”
The promoter Bob Arum said on Saturday: “It was one of the most unbelievable things when Ali agreed to fight him because you look at the fights he had up to then and he was not only not a top contender but shouldn’t have been a contender at all. He was just an opponent but somehow he found a way to win that fight.”
(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...
Oh, right, Creepy Joe and the Ho are in charge now.
How do you contract prostate cancer?
Bah! He wasn’t so tough. He never beat Corn Pop.
Bad genes. Sorry to see Leon check out. I always liked the guy. He seemed happy go lucky.
I’m shocked that Neon Leon lasted as long as he did. That first fight with Ali was a masterpiece.
I remember watching that fight, it was quite a slugfest.
Goodbye, Toofus
Dunno, but I seem to have read years ago that it was a lot more common among celibate monks............
Keeps your wicks wet, says I.
Had him on my airplane once he was dressed in a fur coat and carrying his bowler. Young lady and a male assistant (his publicist?) with him. All sat in first class.
As he passed the cockpit I said “thanks for flying with us today”. He smiled and nodded. (All the time I was thinking about the comedian’s skit where he asks the man’s profession and Spinks answers “I knocks m’fers out”). RIP, my brother. RIP.
I never watched much boxing but I watched that match, because I was living in St. Louis at the time and he was a kid from the Pruitt-Igoe projects who found his ticket out. It was good to see him win. His life afterwards was a mixed bag, but he had an interesting story.
RIP
First thing that came to mind..
Richard Pryor - Leon Spinks (Language)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd46jwcGBmg
If a man lives long enough he will usually contract it.....
Any man, if he lives long enough, will contract prostate cancer.
Or so I’ve been told
Same here
He made Americans proud in the Olympics. He beat three commie’s to get the Gold.
Condolences to family and friends of Leon Spinks.
Er.... contacted maybe? Doubt he drew up a formal agreement with them.
RIP, Champ.
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