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Leon Spinks, a former Marine who went on to become a gold medalist Olympic boxer and beat Muhammad Ali in a title fight, has died. He was 67 years old.
Spinks had been battling several types of cancers, including prostate cancer, for years, according to a spokesperson.
“Rest in peace, Leon Spinks,” World Boxing Council president Mauricio Sulaiman tweeted on Saturday evening. “Olympic medalist, Pan Am medalist, and of course, WBC heavyweight champion.”
LEON SPINKS HOSPITALIZED AS A WOMAN ASKS FOR PRAYERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Spinks defeated defending champion Ali in 1978 in his eighth professional fight, shocking the boxing world and winning the World Heavyweight Championship after a split decision in Las Vegas, Nevada. It remains one of the biggest upheavals in boxing history.
2/14/1978-Las Vegas, NV: Muhammad Ali (left) and Leon Spinks during ring action at the Las Vegas Hilton Pavilion. Spinks marked one of boxing’s biggest upsets when he won the World Heavyweight Championship with a 15-round split decision over Ali. Profile shot of the two boxers facing each other.
“Ali thought I was a wimp, and I had to prove to him that I wasn’t,” Spinks said in 2014. “I knew I could beat him after watching his fights.”
In a rematch later that year, Ali reclaimed the belt from New Orleans.
He won Olympic gold in Montreal in 1976. His younger brother Michael won a gold medal in a separate weight class the same year.
Spinks had a second title in 1981 against Larry Holmes, but failed in the third round. Michael Spinks then claimed the Holmes belt in 1985, losing it to Mike Tyson three years later in his last fight.
Leon Spinks ended his career with a 26-17-3 record, including 14 KO wins.
He was inducted into the National Boxing Hall of Fame in 2016.
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Spinks has struggled with several health issues over the past decade. He was diagnosed with brain shrinkage in 2012, a condition that doctors say stemmed from the blows he received in the ring, and in 2014 he was hospitalized with abdominal problems.
Ryan Gaydos and Morgan Phillips of Fox News and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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