Leon Spinks (1953-2021), the champion who defeated Kasius Klein in 1978!

The hero of a single night who won against the indisputable Muhamet Ali, then followed a life characterized by confusion and misfortune.

The heavyweight champion in v. 1978 and winner of the gold medal at the Montreal Olympics (1976), however, he did not manage to hold the title for long, no more than 7 months. He also later lost his son and all his property.

When champions die, there are usually metaphors like, “Giant”, “A colossus”, “make history” etc.

The story of Spinks, however, deserves an effort, not only for his qualities as a boxer, but for the essence of this sport that makes dreams come true with the right hand and destroys them with the left. And that’s why the most accurate allegory to compare Spinks is that of Icarius, only with a small difference because Spinks fell from the height after the second daring flight. After the first, he managed to put the crown of the world champion on his head, challenging the great of the world ring, Kasius Klein, even though he only held that title for 7 months, from February 15 to September 15, 1978, the date which returned him Spinks with his feet on the ground, fight for the ground.

From that dark night of September 15th, only complications would come to him, which he had been able to avoid until then; women, drugs, the police who stop him for cocaine trafficking…….

There will be another case of challenge to regain the title, the one against Holmes in 1981, but it ended in a technical KO in the 3rd round.

Four years later, however, he was comforted by the victory of his brother Michael over Holmes, the true champion of the Spinks family, who in turn lost only one last match against “iron” Mike Tyson (1988).

In addition to the losses in sports, he also had to watch the loss of his son, who was killed for settling accounts between the gangs. He ends up abandoned by everyone and in extreme poverty. The date of February 5, 2021 also marks his departure from this life after a serious illness.

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Sports Vision + / The Champion`s Hour in activity since 2013