Only having 8 professional fights would be too early for a title fight. I can imagine if his tesm would have waited two more years and accumalted at least 20 more fights also with top contenders then he may have had a more steady career.
Spinks didn't deserve that shot and Ali shouldn't have had a boxing license, he was completely done at that point and Spinks was a noob
Obviously not. R. I. P. Hero!!!! Rest in peace Leon. You've earned it. "Sometimes A Guy Just Has Too Swoop" the Wrecking Ball & the Bible
Rest in Peace Champ! He deserved to win the title but I just think he had the potential to be much more if managed correctly
If there’s any mismanagement — and this presumes Leon was manageable (not everyone is) — it comes after he lost the Ali rematch IMO. Point being, you’re in the professional boxing business you don’t turn down a shot at the biggest prize in the game — that’s literally what you’re in it for. There are no guarantees that if you wait two years (or six months or whatever) you’re going to get a shot. Old saying: it’s better to regret something you have done than it is something you had a chance to do and didn’t take that chance. He was ready when that shot came which he proved by beating Ali (which so many others could not do). Leon showed a real sense of honor in granting Ali the rematch rather than take on Norton — his reasoning: Ali gave me a shot, I owe it to him to give him a chance to win it back. After that, it looks like a bad decision to put him in with Gerrie Coetzee in a tournament to crown a new champ, but at that time Coetzee’s resume wasn’t what we came to know him as — his lone big win was over fellow South African Kallie Knoetze (tough guy but not all that as it showed when he tried to step up) in a fight where Gerrie mostly ran, and he wasn’t knocking guys out left and right ... in fact, the book on him was that he wasn’t a puncher. Spinks didn’t really show the dedication or focus for long stretches in his career, and I don’t see how waiting two years to hope he’s in position to fight for a title would have changed that. RIP champ.
Wasn't rushed because he won. Ali and his team miscalculated and thought he would defeat the green Spinks . It should've been an easy win for Ali. But Ali wasn't close to being in the best shape possible for that late stage of his career, and was beginning to show the early signs of the disease that would eventually cause his death. Of course Ali would defeat Spinks in the second fight, he was in better shape for it , while Spinks life had gone off the rails, and this time , he wasn't properly prepared for it. Spinks was at the right place at the right time for his moment of glory. A few years earlier and Ali , Frazier, or Foreman and a few others would've ruined him. A year or so later its Larry Holmes, and we saw the results of his fight with him. Spinks had his moment to shine, he did, that's all that matters, regardless of Ali's situation. Rest in peace champ.
It was rushed. Leon had only been a pro for 13 months. Muhammad Ali was looking for an easy opponent before he fought Norton a fourth time. They put Leon in with Alfio Righetti to see who would get the fight. Righetti was one of the guys on the list to fight Ali when Evangelista got the shot. Evangelista was another guy, like Spinks, who got a shot at the title really early on. Evangelista had only been a pro for a year and a half and was coming off a loss. Leon beat Righetti, with Ali causing a fuss at ringside, so he won the lottery ticket. Like you said, if he had a more conventional start, he'd have probably finished with a better record. By 1980, Leon was starting to hit his stride in beating Bernard Mercado, who was the WBC #1 contender. Maybe they could've steered him toward Weaver. Leon would've been a better opponent than Quick Tillis was against Weaver. But, without the Ali fight, Leon probably just fights and loses to Holmes like he did in 1981, and that's about it. At least he had his night with Ali. That was a brilliant performance. The sheer volume of shots Leon threw over 15 rounds was amazing. And Ali seriously tried to stop him at the end. He thought Leon would fade. Everyone did. But he didn't. As Butch Lewis famously said, Ali was actually worse for the rematch. Leon had just been partying for months on end and actually escaped training camp and disappeared for a time. They found him in a cabin near his training camp drunk and stoned. Lewis said by the end he just wanted to get Leon to the Superdome for the rematch, because they thought he'd disappear and go party and wouldn't even make it to the fight. It was the height of the disco, coke, party era of the 70s. And Leon loved that stuff. He kind of got out of control. He was perfectly capable of winning the title physically, just wasn't prepared psychologically. Just way too much too soon.
With proper management and training, Leon Spinks could have been as successful as his brother Michael, who became a great champion at light heavyweight. My personal belief was that he was rushed, so that then champion Muhammad Ali would not have to honor the challenge of WBC no.1 mandatory challenger Ken Norton fresh off of his victory over Jimmy Young on Nov 5 1977, by virtue of a split 15 round decision. Ali was starting to fade badly at that point, and was ripe for the taking.
A man must be true to his own spirit. Leon never hurt anyone but himself. But boy, one night on Feb. 15, 1978, he lit up the world! The next day his name was bigger WORLDWIDE than American athlete Tom Brady could be if he won 10 Super Bowls. THANK YOU LEON FOR EVERYTHING!!!!! I will wear a shirt tomorrow w a pic of Leon after he beat Ali. And of course the "LEON" SI cover already is hanging in my own boxing room. See you on the other side Champion!
Little bit from both sides insofar as yes it was somewhat rushed from leons side but then again when opportunity knocks ya gotta take it, and Alis side seeing it as a sellable 'gimme' (which they ALL do). Cant blame either really as Ali was coming off a hard win over earnie and the strong possibility of norton 4 or possibly holmes in his next fight, whilst leon , the olympic champ, was getting his pot of gold and was young enough to come again
Yes it was rushed but Leon had to take it,, from Ali's perspective this was a cherry pick gone wrong. Ali was pretty far gone at this point
Quite true, Muhammad Ali was being rocked over and over again by Earnie Shavers on Sept 29 1977, in a televised title bout broadcast on NBC. Ali won by unanimous decision to retain his title, but it showed that Ali was ready to be taken.
He was an Olympic gold medalist ...and guys like Vasyl Lomachenko have changed the way we look at amateur boxers ...maybe you can be ready for a title shot after 7 fights
Not to shed too much disrespect on Leons passing but ALOT of people talked so much about his short comings till he was gone, let this be a reflection of human tragedy love them now and weep truer tears later my friends.
That is so true, we as human beings do tend to take people for granted. What you said is sadly so. I think sometimes we need to reflect on ourselves. I do appreciate what you have said.
