Breaking news
Leon Spinks – undisputed former heavyweight boxing champion – who defeated Muhammad Ali in 1978 … died after a 5-year battle with cancer.
TMZ Sports confirmed that Spinks passed away on Friday night at age 67 … surrounded by his wife Brenda and several other close friends and family.
Leon’s health was in decline recently … the former boxing champion fought bravely prostate cancer for 5 years.
Spinks was the winner of one of the biggest surprises in sports history … when he shocked the world by defeating Ali in a split decision victory over 15 rounds in Las Vegas in February 1978.
By defeating Ali, Spinks – the new heavyweight champion – became the only fighter to take the belt from The Greatest.
The fight with Ali was the most memorable moment in Leon’s career … but definitely not the only highlight.
In 1976, Spinks won a gold medal as a light heavyweight at the Summer Olympics in Montreal.
Spinks – born in St. Louis in 1953 – developed a passion for boxing while in the United States Navy.
Boxing was deeply ingrained in the Spinks family … Leon was the boxer’s older brother Michael Spinks – a former world champion in weight class 2 and an Olympic gold medalist (the two brothers won gold in 76).
Leon was inducted into the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame in 2017.
REST IN PEACE