SCR Boxing

With the gap-tooth smile that endeared a nation, fresh off his upset of then heavyweight champion and self proclaimed “greatest of all-time” Muhammad Ali, Leon Spinks quickly rose to national celebrity on boxing’s grandest stage. Today, the same man who was once on the cover of Sports Illustrated pushes a janitor cart down the hall at the Columbus, Nebraska YMCA for a significantly less money than he earned as a top billed fighter. Still, were you to meet Spinks he wouldn’t ask for pity, as he by all reports is a proud man, thankful to be able to put in an honest day’s work, never asking for handouts from anybody and appreciating that there are plenty of people out there who find themselves in much worse situations when they wake up in the morning. Though pity may not be called for or appropriate, a young fighter or any young person freshly coming into money might find it wise to take caution from his tale.Spinks hails from the inner-city of St. Louis, learning to fight as a means of survival, not just in hopes of paying the bills by punching people. While still an amateur boxer, he joined the United States Marine Corps, a contribution Spinks is still proud of to this day. Perhaps stemming from that pride, Spinks cites his victory over Cuban fighter Sixto Soria to capture the 1976 Olympic gold medal (light heavyweight division) as the highlight of his boxing career. Having reached the pinnacle of amateur success, Spinks would soon find similar fortune on the professional level, going on to defeat Ali and run his pro record to 8-0-1. This, however, would be as good as it got for Leon Spinks, losing in a rematch with Ali, and ultimately faltering to a 26-17-3 career record. Not only that, but Spinks would soon lose the millions he had made as a fighter, a lot of which he claims he never even saw, swindled by his own lawyers. Many onlookers speculate his party-centric lifestyle and questionable decision making as a young man couldn’t have helped his financial future. Whether it’s who you trust with your own life assets, the crowd you keep and the way you live, or the more refreshing example of hard work and humility Spinks embodies today, there is certainly a lesson to learn from Leon Spinks. The former champ is known to willingly and graciously impart his unique brand of wisdom to any young man with a question down at the Columbus Family YMCA.