RIP:Leon Spinks dead at 67

[Nemo2]

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/leon-spinks-jr-obit-dead-67-cancer-prostate-1.5904514

"Spinks never meant any harm to anyone. You couldn't help but love him even though you shook your head at how he acted."

 

[Car-Guy]

I do remember him, but Ali was still the boxing GOAT.


RIP

 

[Koogie]

I do remember him, but Ali was still the boxing GOAT. RIP

Ali the greatest in all of boxing? Nope. Arguably not even in the heavyweight division.


Leon (and his brother) were something to see. Rather more of a disaster outside the ring though at the time.

RIP

 

[Car-Guy]

Ali the greatest in all of boxing? Nope. Arguably not even in the heavyweight division.
RIP

Well we can agree to disagree I guess. In his prime, he was the GOAT, IMO.

 

[street]

I was reading someplace that pro boxers making millions and that they end up with nothing in later years.

RIP!

 

[Car-Guy]

I was reading someplace that pro boxers making millions and that they end up with nothing in later years.

RIP!

I wonder if the same can be said for their managers and promoters? Of course their are exceptions (George Foreman) but he sells grills and home appliance warranties too

 

[Stormy Kromer]

The 76 summer Olympics were the best. The Spinks boys were terrific.

 

[cbo111]

I was reading someplace that pro boxers making millions and that they end up with nothing in later years.

RIP!

Mike Tyson, case in point. And yet with all his troubles he has managed to reinvent himself several times.

 

[Nemo2]

Ali the greatest in all of boxing? Nope. Arguably not even in the heavyweight division.

I recall Joe Louis and Floyd Patterson.....sheesh, I'm old.

 

[Koogie]

I was reading someplace that pro boxers making millions and that they end up with nothing in later years.

RIP!

Two words: Don King

The damage he did and the fortunes he ripped off from his fighters...disgusting.
Can't believe that conman is still alive.

 

[Koogie]

I recall Joe Louis and Floyd Patterson.....sheesh, I'm old.

Both good choices. It all depends on the metrics you use to judge I suppose. The term "GOAT" is overused and kind of useless anyway.

I am a lifelong boxing fan, did a little of it when I was a kid and used to be quite interested in the history of the sport (one of my maternal grandfathers claimed to have fought Jack Dempsey at the start of his career apparently).

Boxing used to the king of sports. Heavyweight title bouts were bigger than the World Series or that little Bowl thing they started in 1967...

Sad to see what it has become. Due in no small part to charlatans like King.

 

[Car-Guy]

Sad to see what it has become. Due in no small part to charlatans like King.

I knew if you kept posting/commenting, I'd find something I'd agree with you on....

 

[Koogie]

I knew if you kept posting/commenting, I'd find something I'd agree with you on....

"I exist to serve"


Oops.. sorry. Married man reflex.

hahahaha

 

[jollystomper]

Until recently managers and agents always tended to do better than the athletes themselves, especially when it came to boxing.

I always viewed Leon as someone who got fame too quickly, with few people to guide him and more to exploit him. All the accounts outside the ring indicated that, despite his problems and arrests, he was very nice to people. He also had the tragedy of losing a son to violence.

One of Richard's Pryor's funniest bits was about Leon Spinks. It was released as a single, and I used to play it during my DJ days. In the early 80s I saw Leon a comedy club, one of the comedians make a few jokes at his expense but he just laughed and took it in stride.

RIP.

 

[easysurfer]

RIP - Leon Spinks. 67 is not old at all to die.

As for boxing, his career went from two extremes 1) shook up the world beating Ali (or more like Ali didn't train well) to 2) getting knocked out by Tyson in 91 seconds.

I used to follow boxing but now really have little interest in seeing two men going into a ring trying to clobber and knock each other out.

 

[jollystomper]

RIP - Leon Spinks. 67 is not old at all to die.

As for boxing, his career went from two extremes 1) shook up the world beating Ali (or more like Ali didn't train well) to 2) getting knocked out by Tyson in 91 seconds.

Actually it was Leon's brother, Michael Spinks, who Mike Tyson knocked out in 91 seconds. Tyson never fought Leon Spinks.

 

[easysurfer]

Actually it was Leon's brother, Michael Spinks, who Mike Tyson knocked out in 91 seconds. Tyson never fought Leon Spinks.

You're right. Thanks for the correction. In that case, not the two extremes for Leon Spinks .

 

[Montecfo]

Can't help but recall the movie Barfly when Mickey Roarke's character answers the door, his face, head and shirt bloodied from a beating at the hands of his girlfriend, played by Faye Dunaway. The startled delivery man asks, "Are you Henry Chenaski?"

Roarke (Chenaski) replies , "No, I'm Leon Spinks!

That and his win over the GOAT, Muhammad Ali are my two memories tied to Leon Spinks.

As far as pro boxers being penniless at the end, Larry Holmes, who also beat Ali is an exception. By most accounts he invested his money well. Same with Sugar Ray Leonard and Oscar de la Hoya.

But many pro athletes spend at the income level and have a hard time adjusting when the checks stop coming.

RIP Lean Spinks

 

[Koogie]

It's easier to keep your money in this era. A lot of champion boxers are quite wealthy now and have stayed that way post retirement. There are always exceptions of course.

It started to improve back when I was into the era of the middleweight greats. Hearns is doing okay, Hagler is fairly well off, Leonard is staggeringly rich.

 

[Nemo2]

Sugar Ray Leonard and Oscar de la Hoya.

Two more greats...especially Sugar Ray.

 

[jollystomper]

It's easier to keep your money in this era. A lot of champion boxers are quite wealthy now and have stayed that way post retirement. There are always exceptions of course.

It started to improve back when I was into the era of the middleweight greats. Hearns is doing okay, Hagler is fairly well off, Leonard is staggeringly rich.

Michael Spinks, Leon's brother, is also doing very well. Did not want to rush into pro boxing after winning Olympic gold and had to be convinced to turn pro. Saw how his brother had been exploited and did his best to avoid it. After Tyson knocked him out, decided enough was enough and retired at 32. Has chosen to keep low key but lives well and does a lot of quiet charity/speaking work.

 

[Dtail]

I do remember him, but Ali was still the boxing GOAT.


RIP

I would have loved to see Tyson and Ali both in their prime. Ali was a more strategic fighter, but wondered if he could hold off the intensity of Tyson.
I know what he did with Foreman, but Tyson would have beat Foreman.

 

[Car-Guy]

The fighters at the top of their game are really amazing, regardless of who was the best. In my younger days I was into boxing and would often stop by the local gym in downtown Houston to watch the fighters train... The local favorite was a heavyweight named Dave Zyglewicz. He was amazing from my perspective and I couldn't see how anyone could hurt this guy.


He fought Joe Frazier for the Heavyweight Championship of the world in 1969 (I think it was in 69)... I was actually in attendance at that fight...


You can watch the entire fight in the video below... Trust me, it's pretty short.

 

[Dtail]

The fighters at the top of their game are really amazing, regardless of who was the best. In my younger days I was into boxing and would often stop by the local gym in downtown Houston to watch the fighters train... The local favorite was a heavyweight named Dave Zyglewicz. He was amazing from my perspective and I couldn't see how anyone could hurt this guy.


He fought Joe Frazier for the Heavyweight Championship of the world in 1969 (I think it was in 69)... I was actually in attendance at that fight...

Interesting fight. He looked more like a club fighter against Frazier.

 

[Car-Guy]

Interesting fight. He looked more like a club fighter against Frazier.

Taught me a lesson that things are not always as they seem... I think we all knew Smokin Joe would win, but wow, that was quick.


Luckily there were a number of preliminary fights before the Frazier fight. Otherwise that would be a really short fight night.