I think I looked before but wasnt able to find much Was he drafted? Ive heard he boxed full time while he was enlisted...is this true? Anyone know what his original MOS or duty station were?
Since his Service was in an Olympic Year....highly possible he was "boxing" full-time in the Marines. In those days, you had the Military Service Champs, facing the Golden Gloves/AAU champs in a massive box-off to go to the Olympics.
Here is something saying he "enlisted". http://marines.togetherweserved.com....WebApp?cmd=SBVTimeLine&type=Person&ID=369737
I had heard he had discipline issues. This seems to support it : Spinks made it to the 10th grade before dropping out of school and joining the Marine Corps. For the undisciplined 20-year-old, adjusting to military code was a tough transition. He frequently fought with his drill sergeants and his boot camp experience lasted an unprecedented six months. Eventually, Spinks made peace with his new life, got out of boot camp and joined the All-Marine boxing team. By 1976, he was arguably the best amateur boxer in the world, wining all but seven of his fights and registering 133 knockouts over a three-year period. http://www.biography.com/people/leon-spinks-9490811#childhood-and-amateur-boxing-career
Good info Nighttrain. Spinks went to the top.....and unfortunately headed right back the bottom. Wish he could have turned out better in his life.
Given where he came from it is understandable. He had to be a force to survive it probably. I remember hearing the story about Angelo Dundee seeing Leon stumbling out of a limo throwing bottles ready to fight some guys at 2am and then seeing him doing roadwork a few hours later and knowing Ali might have his hands full. It says a lot about Michael as well.
Leon was a tough *******. One thing that goes forgotten about him now is that I don't think he was ever counted out.
I don't think American men born in 1953 were ever conscripted. The 1952 men were the last ones to be drafted, according to wikipedia. With the end of active U.S. ground participation in Vietnam, December 1972 saw the last men conscripted, who were born in 1952[64] and who reported for duty in June 1973. On February 2, 1972, a drawing was held to determine draft priority numbers for men born in 1953, but in early 1973 it was announced by Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird that no further draft orders would be issued.[65][66] In March 1973, 1974, and 1975, the Selective Service assigned draft priority numbers for all men born in 1954, 1955, and 1956, in case the draft was extended, but it never was. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conscription_in_the_United_States#End_of_conscription
I just wonder if loosing to Ali in the rematch, mentally shot Leon, even though there were signs before that he wasn't all that dedicated and mentally strong. Considering his name is one of the first to come up when discussing weakest lineal champions period, not just heavyweights, this win probably gets undersold on Ali's resume considering what Leon had achieved up until the point of the rematch.
