Photo: Johnmaxmena (talk)John Mena / CC BY 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Leon Spinks was born in St. Louis, Missouri, United States on July 11, 1953. Leon Spinks was listed as a boxer. Death is recorded on February 5, 2021, at the age of 67. Schooling on record includes Vashon High School. Recorded honors include WBC World Heavyweight Champion, WBA World Heavyweight Champion, The Ring World Heavyweight Champion and 2 more.
My Take
Leon Spinks will forever be one of boxing's great what-just-happened moments — a kid from St. Louis who stepped into the ring for only his eighth professional fight and somehow walked out the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world after beating Muhammad Ali in 1978. That result still feels surreal decades later. He was raw, hungry, gap-toothed, and absolutely fearless, and on that one electrifying night in Las Vegas he outworked the greatest of all time. His career never quite reached those heights again, and life after boxing had its rough patches, but none of that dims what he pulled off. He passed away in February 2021, but that one impossible win guaranteed him a permanent place in the sport's mythology.
This take was written by generative AI, one per person, from publicly reported facts (editorial policy). It is a reading of the record, not reporting.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Leon Spinks
- Name (Japanese)
- レオン・スピンクス
- Reading
- れおん・すぴんくす
- Born
- July 11, 1953 – February 5, 2021
- Origin
- St. Louis, Missouri, United States
- Height
- 185 cm
- Occupation
- boxer
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Cancer / Snake
2. Background
- High school
- Vashon High School
Awards & achievements
- WBC World Heavyweight Champion
- WBA World Heavyweight Champion
- The Ring World Heavyweight Champion
- 1976 Sugar Ray Robinson Award
- 1978 The Ring magazine Progress of the Year
3. Links
4. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
Only publicly available facts are listed; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. Base data was compiled from Wikidata from June 2026 onward; ages are recalculated daily and deaths are checked against Wikidata on an ongoing basis. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Leon Spinks born?
Leon Spinks was born on July 11, 1953.
When did Leon Spinks die?
Leon Spinks died on February 5, 2021, aged 67.
Where was Leon Spinks from?
Leon Spinks was from St. Louis, Missouri, United States.
What did Leon Spinks do?
Leon Spinks worked as boxer.
How tall was Leon Spinks?
Leon Spinks was 185 cm tall.
Which high school did Leon Spinks attend?
Leon Spinks attended Vashon High School.
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