The legendary boxer Leon Spinks is fighting for his life in a Las Vegas hospital, according to TMZ Sports.
Spinks began his career when he was 23 in the light heavyweight division, where he won numerous medals. He won a bronze at the inaugural 1974 World Championships, followed by silver at the 1975 Pan American Games, and gold at the 1976 Summer Olympics.
Spinks is most famous for beating Muhammad Ali in 1978 and winning the undisputed heavyweight championship. However, he was later stripped of the title for fighting Ali in an unapproved rematch 7 months later. He lost to Ali in that fight.
Muhammad Ali and Leon Spinks #Boxing pic.twitter.com/mRJSIgirCd
— The Boxing Bulletin (@BoxingBulletin) December 11, 2019
Other major fights included the one against Larry Holmes in 1981, Bernardo Mercado in 1981, and Dwight Muhammad Qawi in 1986. He was inducted into the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame in 2017. His brother, Michael Spinks, beat Larry Holmes in 1985.
Spinks also served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1973 to 1976.
It is not known why Spinks, 66, is in the hospital. In 2012, he was diagnosed with brain trauma at the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain health. In 2014, he was hospitalized after a piece of bone from a chicken wing caused major damage to his intestines.
His son, Leon Spinks III, and his wife, Brenda Glur Spinks, are asking for everyone's thoughts and prayers on social media.
Son Cory Spinks was also a boxer and won the undisputed welterweight title in 2003. He was also the IBF junion middleweight champion. Another son and boxer, Leon Calvin Spings, was killed at the age of 19 in East St. Louis, which is the elder Spinks hometown.
Spinks has lived in Las Vegas for many years.
