Leon Spinks, an American professional boxer, had a net worth of $400,000 at the time of his death. Leon made at least $5 million during his career, which is now worth substantially more after inflation.
Unfortunately, his finances were not adequately managed, and he faced financial difficulties later in life. He was eventually compelled to work as a janitor at a YMCA in Nebraska.
Who was Leon Spinks?
Leon Spinks was born July 11, 1953, in St. Louis, Missouri. He has a younger brother, Michael Spinks, who is also a great professional boxer.
Leon Spinks competed from 1977 to 1995. He famously won the undisputed heavyweight belt in 1978, defeating boxing superstar Muhammad Ali. He was one of Ali’s just five career defeats. Leon was the only person who had ever defeated Ali in a title fight.
Spinks previously won numerous titles and medals as an amateur boxer in the light heavyweight division, and he also briefly competed as a professional wrestler. Prior to turning professional, he won a bronze medal at the 1974 World Amateur Championships in Havana and a gold medal at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal.
How old was Leon Spinks?
He was 67 years old when he died.
What was Leon Spinks’s net worth?
He was estimated to be worth $400 Thousand.
What was Leon Spinks’s career?
Spinks was an amateur boxer who won three consecutive national AAU light heavyweight championships from 1974 to 1976. During the same period, he represented the United States in international competitions.
Spinks earned bronze in the 1974 IBA Men’s World Boxing Championships and silver at the 1975 Pan American Games. He went on to win a gold medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, alongside his brother Michael, who won gold in the middleweight division. Spinks ended his amateur career with a 178-7 record.
Spinks made his professional boxing debut in early 1977 in Las Vegas, defeating Bob Smith by knockout. In his next bout, in England, he defeated Peter Freeman by knockout in the first round. Spinks defeated Jerry McIntyre, Pedro Agosto, and Bruce Scott before drawing with Scott LeDoux in October 1977.
In his final fight of the year, he defeated Alfio Righetti by unanimous decision. Spinks rose to new heights of prominence in February 1978, defeating the legendary Muhammad Ali in a split decision after 15 rounds. He went on to win the WBA, WBC, and The Ring heavyweight titles, becoming the first and only man to dethrone Ali in the ring.
However, Spinks’ victory was short-lived. After being stripped of his WBC title for refusing to defend it against Ken Norton, he faced Ali again and lost his WBA belt as well. Spinks’ next encounter took place in 1979 when he lost to Gerrie Coetzee in the first round.
He rebounded in early 1980 with a knockout victory over Alfredo Evangelista. This was followed by a tie with Eddie López in March. Spinks won his final two fights of the year, against Kevin Isaac and Bernardo Mercado, both by TKO.
Spinks lost his only fight in 1981 to Larry Holmes via TKO. He performed better the next year in the cruiserweight class, defeating Ivy Brown and earning the vacant NABF cruiserweight title by defeating Jesse Burnett. Spinks fought only once in 1983, losing to Carlos de León.
When he returned to the ring in 1985, he went on an incredible winning streak, defeating Lupe Guerra, Rick Kellar, Tom Fischer, Tom Franco Thomas, and Kip Kane. Spinks had his final championship shot in 1986 when he faced Dwight Muhammad Qawi for the WBA cruiserweight title, which he lost via TKO. Spinks’ professional boxing career continued until 1995, with mixed results.
After losing most of his fights from 1986 to 1988, he had a strong run in the early 1990s, defeating Lupe Guerra, Rick Myers, and Jack Jackson, among others. However, his performance dipped again in the last two years of his career, with the low point being a loss to John Carlo in his professional debut. After losing to Fred Houpe in late 1995, Spinks retired.
Source: www.ghgossip.com
