Michael Spinks

By the beginning of 1976, the name of Spinks was becoming known in the boxing world. Michael lost a fight to the Soviet champion, Rufat Riskiev, that January, but still made it to the Montreal Olympics as a middleweight. Leon, now in the Marines, competed in Montreal as a light heavyweight. Both won gold, Michael by defeating Riskiev in only three rounds.

After the Olympics, Spinks returned to St. Louis and took a night shift job as a janitor at a Monsanto plant—a decent-paying, steady job which allowed him to provide for his mother—while Leon turned professional and signed a contract with the promoter Butch Lewis. However, Spinks fell asleep on the job one night and was fired, and early in 1977 he signed with Lewis, too. Both Spinks brothers moved to the Philadelphia area, the center of heavyweight boxing in the United States, living with Lewis in Wilmington, Delaware for a time before moving out on their own.

Leon shot to fame first, defeating Muhammad Ali in 1978 to become the world heavyweight champion in what was only Leon's eighth professional fight. However, a mere seven months later Leon faced Ali again and lost, becoming the shortest-reigning heavyweight champion in history. Soon Leon became the punchline of many jokes. He was missing all of his front teeth, and photographs of his wide, toothless grin upon his victory over Ali were widely distributed. He was notorious for his numerous traffic accidents, and he had many problems with his personal life and his finances. In 1986, he was forced to declare bankruptcy. For a time he was even homeless, living in a shelter and working as a day laborer.

Spinks achieved success more slowly, but he proved more durable. Spinks's record was 17-0 before he first challenged for a title, the World Boxing Association light heavyweight crown, on July 18, 1981. He defeated Eddie Mustafa Muhammad to win that title, and successfully defended it five times in the next fourteen months. Then, on March 18, 1983, he defeated Dwight Braxton (also known as Dwight Qawi) to win the World Boxing Council light-heavyweight crown as well.

Spinks's victory over Braxton was exceptional for the personal turmoil he had to overcome to be able to focus in the ring that day. His wife, a dancer named Sandra Massey, was killed in an automobile accident two months before the fight, leaving him to raise their two-year-old daughter, Michelle, alone. Spinks was extremely distraught over his loss, even breaking down and crying when asked about it at a press conference just days before the fight. Then, ten minutes before Spinks was to step into the ring, his sister-in-law brought Michelle backstage to see him. The first thing she said was, "Where's Mommy?," and Spinks fell apart. But he pulled himself back together, went out, and jabbed his way to victory in a fight that went for a full fifteen rounds.

In 1985, Spinks started a new training regimen, beefed up, and prepared to contest for the International Boxing Federation heavyweight title. He succeeded against all odds, beating the 22 pounds heavier, 48-0 Larry Holmes in fifteen rounds on September 21, 1985. Spinks defended the title three times in 1986 and 1987, going another fifteen rounds with Holmes and knocking out two other challengers. Then came Mike Tyson.

Spinks suffered his only loss in a professional fight to Tyson on June 27, 1988. The twenty-one-year-old Tyson was at the top of his form. "When he hit me I lost my temper and forgot my strategy," Spinks told Sports Illustrated reporter John O'Keefe in 1999. Instead of ducking and jabbing, Spinks tried to stand his ground and slug it out, but Tyson was the better slugger. The fight ended with a knockout for Tyson in a mere ninety-one seconds. Spinks tearfully announced his retirement a month later, returned to his home in Delaware, and settled down, out of the spotlight, living off of the wise investments he made with his winnings and concentrating on raising his daughter. Spinks continues to work out at his long-time training location, Joe Frazier's gym in Philadelphia. He also for his old promoter, Butch Lewis, training up-and-coming boxers and speaks to children about following their dreams. His daughter, Michelle, is following in her mother's footsteps and studying to become a dancer.