Leon Spinks’s punch marked the beginning of the decline of boxing icon Muhammad Ali, after which Spinks himself became a tragic figure in the sport. He died on February 5 four years ago.
Muhammad Ali was no longer the greatest when he met Leon Spinks – at least not the greatest of the present.
The “Rumble in the Jungle” against George Foreman and his classics against Joe Frazier had been a while ago on this February 15, 1978. But he was still the world champion and the sport’s popular figurehead.
And he had only been beaten twice, by Frazier and Ken Norton. And against both of them, he won not just one, but two rematches. The legend of the phenomenon was intact. But it was not to last.
The underdog Spinks – who died four years ago today – inflicted a defeat on him that was not yet the end of Ali. But it was clearly the beginning of the end.
Leon Spinks shocked Muhammad Ali in 1978
The 36-year-old Ali was visibly out of form and far from the glory days of yesteryear when Spinks, a native of St. Louis who had previously only had seven professional fights under his belt, surprised him in Las Vegas, dominated him, defeated him on points and dethroned him as champion.
For the boxing industry, it wasn’t all bad at the time. The fame of “The Greatest” was still so great that the rematch at the Superdome in New Orleans attracted 70,000 spectators and generated record revenues.
The second duel also went the full distance and was clearly won by Ali, who became world champion for the third time – but even as the winner, he was no longer at the level of his earlier days.
Ali ended his career after the fight, and his retirement from retirement resulted in clear defeats against Larry Holmes and Trevor Berbick, as Ali began to show the first symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
Leon and Michael Spinks were the first heavyweight world champion brothers
For the former US Marine Spinks – 1976 Olympic light heavyweight champion – the victory over Ali remained the greatest success of his professional career. He lost his next big fight against future champion Gerrie Coetzee, as well as another title fight against Holmes in 1981.
“Neon Leon” – whose trademark was his missing front teeth – acquired the image of a tragic sports figure due to his chronic failure after his greatest victory.
Leon Spinks ended his boxing career in 1995 after 46 professional fights, of which he won 26 (14 by knockout), lost 17 and drew three. Spinks also made several forays into wrestling. At NJPW in Japan, he fought several matches against show fight legend Antonio Inoki – as did Ali before him – and the Far East league FMW even made him champion in 1992.
Another historical detail: when Leon’s brother Michael Spinks also became champion in 1985, the two became the first brothers to hold the heavyweight world title – beating Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko to the title. Michael Spinks is best remembered, however, for his quick defeat in the mega-fight against Mike Tyson in 1988.
Brother Leon Spinks, who was the winner in another landmark fight, died on February 5, 2021, after suffering from prostate cancer.
The talent of the Spinks family was also evident in the generation after him: Leon’s son Cory Spinks held various world championship belts in different weight classes.
