Leon Spinks, a former Marine who became an Olympic gold medal boxer and once defeated Muhammad Ali in a title fight, died. He was 67 years old.
Spinks has been battling several types of cancer, including prostate cancer, for years, according to a spokesman.
“Rest in peace, Leon Spinks,” tweeted World Boxing Council President Mauricio Sulaiman on Saturday night. “Olympic medalist, Pan American medalist and, of course, WBC heavyweight champion.
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Spinks defeated current champion Ali in 1978 in just his eighth professional fight, shocking the boxing world and taking the heavyweight world championship after a split decision in Las Vegas, Nevada. It remains one of the biggest surprises in boxing history.
02/14/78-Las Vegas, NV: Muhammad Ali (left) and Leon Spinks during the ring action at the Las Vegas Hilton Pavilion. Spinks scored one of boxing’s biggest surprises when he won the world heavyweight championship with a decision divided into 15 rounds over Ali. Profile photo of the two boxers facing off.
“Ali thought I was a coward and I had to prove to him that I wasn’t,” said Spinks in 2014. “I knew I could beat him after watching his fights.”
In a rematch later that year, Ali regained the belt in New Orleans.
He won Olympic gold in Montreal in 1976. His younger brother, Michael, won a gold medal in another weight category in the same year.
Spinks had a second chance at the title in 1981 against Larry Holmes, but failed in the third round. Michael Spinks later won the Holmes belt in 1985, losing it to Mike Tyson three years later in his final fight.
Leon Spinks ended his career with a record of 26-17-3, including 14 knockout victories.
He was introduced to the National Boxing Hall of Fame in 2016.
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Spinks has battled several health problems in the past decade. He was diagnosed with cerebral shrinkage in 2012, a condition that doctors said was due to the beatings he took in the ring, and in 2014 he was hospitalized for abdominal problems.
Ryan Gaydos and Morgan Phillips of Fox News and the Associated Press contributed to this report.