Leon Spinks, former World Boxing Heavyweight champion, dies of prostate cancer at 67

Leon Spinks, a heavyweight who became undisputed champion when he defeated Muhammad Ali over 15 rounds in 1978, died on Friday at 67 after a long battle with prostate cancer.

Along with his brother, Michael, Spinks was a gold medal winner on the 1976 US Olympic boxing team that is regarded as one of the great teams in boxing history.

Spinks later lost the title to Ali in a rematch in New Orleans, a bout televised live which attracted 93 million viewers.

Spinks never again reached such heights after defeating Ali. After his loss to Ali, he had two other world title opportunities. He was stopped by Larry Holmes in the third round on June 12, 1981, in a bid for the WBC heavyweight title. He made a run for the cruiserweight belt, but was stopped on March 22, 1986, by Dwight Muhammad Qawi.

Spinks, who wound up 26-17-3 as a professional following a brilliant amateur career that culminated at the Montreal Olympics in 1976 with a gold medal victory over Cuban Sixto Soria to win the light heavyweight division. He was 178-7 with 133 knockouts as an amateur.

For much of his life after winning the title, he struggled financially.

His brother, Michael, who is regarded as one of the greatest light heavyweights in boxing history, followed him as heavyweight champion when he upset Holmes in Las Vegas on September 21, 1985.

Leon Spinks was inducted into the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame in 2017 along with his younger brother. By that point, he struggled to walk and his wife, Brenda, pushed him in a wheelchair.

But despite his physical ailments, Spinks remained good-natured and smiled broadly whenever recognized by fans and media.

Leon Spinks is survived by his wife, Brenda; his son, Cory; and his brother, Michael. Another son who also boxed, Leon Calvin, was murdered in East St. Louis, Missouri, in 2017.