02/07/2021 10:54
Clarín.com
sports
Updated 02/07/2021 10:54
Leon Spinks, the boxer who
shocked the world by beating Muhammad Ali for the world heavyweight title in 1978
, has died at the age of 67, "Firm PR", the public relations firm that represented him, reported on Sunday.
Spinks had suffered from
prostate cancer and other tumors
for five years.
He passed away with his wife, Brenda Glur Spinks, by his side.
The fighter, a former Marine who won a gold medal in light heavyweight at the 1976 Olympics, had fought
only eight fights in his professional career
when he stepped into the ring against Ali on February 15, 1978 in Las Vegas.
Leon Spinks, in the fight with the Cuban Sixto Soria in which he won the gold medal in Montreal 76. (AFP)
Spinks had never gone past 10 rounds and faced the champion, then 36 years old and in the twilight of his legendary career.
At 12 years younger, Spinks provided Ali with harsh punishment in the final stretch of the 15-round bout
.
The split decision went to Spinks, who showed his famous wide-toothed grin after becoming the only fighter to take a title from Ali.
Suddenly, Spinks became the heavyweight champion of the world.
And he proclaimed his memorable phrase:
"I am not the greatest. Only the last
.
"
After that milestone, everything went down.
First, he was stripped of the World Boxing Council (WBC) title for refusing to defend it against top contender Ken Norton.
Instead, he chose a rematch against Ali, who regained the World Boxing Association (WBA) title in a unanimous decision, seven months after his first fight, in what would be
the last victory of his career
.
Leon Spinks in Hollywood in 2006. (Reuter)
Spinks would fight once again for the heavyweight title, in June 1981, with a TKO loss to Larry Holmes and with the WBC belt at stake.
He then dropped to the cruiserweight division, but lost his only title shot to Dwight Muhammad Qawi in a sixth round TKO in 1986.
Spinks retired at age 42 after losing a unanimous decision to Fred Houpe in 1995 and ended his career with a 26-17-3 record (14 KOs).
After also participating in wrestling and mixed martial arts later on, Spinks had to face
financial and medical problems
.
After moving to Las Vegas, Spinks married Brenda in 2011. The two were seen often in boxing-related activities, including Spinks' induction into the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame in 2017.
In 2014, Spinks suffered intestinal damage and was hospitalized after swallowing a piece of chicken bone and underwent multiple surgeries.
His health problems were compounded in 2019 by having to receive treatment for prostate cancer.
Spinks was the brother of former Hall of Fame heavyweight and light heavyweight champion Michael Spinks and the father of former world welterweight champion Cory Spinks.
