Boxing
FORMER WORLD BOXING HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION, LEON SPINKS DOWN WITH CANCER
Leon Spinks, the heavyweight boxer who famously shocked Muhammad Ali in 1978, is battling prostate cancer that has spread to his bladder.
His wife has confirmed the news about the 66-year-old, who was first diagnosed in May.
‘It’s going to be a long road and a lot of work,’ Brenda Spinks said in a statement to USA TODAY Sports. ‘But we are bound and determined for the Champ to make a comeback!’
According to the US publication, Spinks is now back at his family home in Nevada after being discharged from hospital in Las Vegas in New Year’s Eve.
Back in December, she revealed on Facebook that Spinks was struggling with his health.
”Dear Friends,’ she wrote. ‘I know it’s been awhile. However, you know how I Believe in the Power of Prayer. It’s been a tough year for us. Leon has endured a lot of medical problems. I’m reaching out to ask you to kindly pray for my Beautiful Husband Leon [so that] he may overcome the obstacles that have crossed his path.’
A member of the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame, Spinks is best remembered for upsetting Muhammad Ali in 1978 to win the heavyweight title on a points decision.
Ali won their rematch later that year, marking his final victory in the ring. Speaking to The Guardian in 2005, Spinks rejected claims that too much partying following his initial victory contributed to his defeat in the rematch.
He was even arrested between fights for possession of cocaine that was found in his hat.
‘That wasn’t me, somebody who was wearing that hat put it in there,’ Spinks said. I don’t know if it was a friend or whomever. A lot of people tried my hat on.
‘I wasn’t out of shape for the fight. Yes, I put on some weight, but you can see that I was in shape. How can you be out of shape?
‘I went 30 rounds with the man … I think I won the second fight as well. But they wanted Ali (to win).
‘It’s politics. It ain’t what you know but who you know.’
Throughout his career, Spinks won 26 fights out of 46 and also won Olympic gold in the 1976 Montreal Games. He lost 17 and drew three.
Prior to becoming heavyweight champion, Spinks served in the U.S. Marines for three years.
In 2006, it emerged that Spinks was working as a janitor in Nebraska for $5.15 (£3.93) an hour at a local convenience store and a McDonald’s.
‘I unload the delivery trucks when they come in and get 50 per cent off on Big Macs,’ he told the Sunday Times.
Spinks has struggled with poor health in recent years. He was previously hospitalized in 2014 after chicken bones caused significant damage to his intestines, according to TMZ. He subsequently endured numerous surgeries.
His brother Michael was also a professional boxer who was beaten by Mike Tyson in the first round of their fight in 1988 and his son, Cory, was welterweight champion from 2003 until 2005.
Another of his sons, Leon Calvin, was killed in 1990 in a drive by shooting.
Oleksandr Usyk will put his WBC heavyweight title belt on the line against Dutch kickboxer Rico Verhoeven on May 23 at Egypt’s Pyramids of Giza, Ring Magazine announced on Friday.
The Ukrainian three-times undisputed champion holds the IBF, WBA and WBC titles after vacating the WBO belt.
The 39-year-old has not boxed since beating Britain’s Daniel Dubois at London’s Wembley Stadium last July.
“I respect his (Verhoeven’s) journey – he’s truly the ‘King of Kickboxing’. But this is boxing – a different game, with its own rules and its own kings,” said Usyk, who has a 24-0 record.
“I’m ready and looking forward to meeting him in the ring. It’s going to be a unique experience for both of us, and I know the fans are excited too. A big night is coming.”
The ‘Glory in Giza’ fight will be streamed live on DAZN.
“I spent 12 years as the undisputed heavyweight kickboxing champion and accomplished everything I set out to accomplish,” Verhoeven, 36, told The Ring.
“But staying at the top for that long didn’t take away from the hunger; it strengthened it. Usyk is the undisputed champion in boxing. That’s the kind of challenge that motivated me. Undisputed versus undisputed.”
Verhoeven has sparred in the past with former champion Tyson Fury and had one professional bout in 2014, which he won by a knockout.
-Reuters
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Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao will face off in a professional rematch at the Sphere in Las Vegas in September, with the bout streaming globally on Netflix, the fighters and promoters announced on Monday.
The fight marks Mayweather’s return from retirement and will be the first professional boxing match held at the Sphere.
Mayweather, who holds a perfect 50-0 record with 27 knockouts, defeated Pacquiao in their 2015 encounter dubbed the “Fight of the Century.”
That bout generated a record 4.6 million pay-per-view buys and a $72 million live gate at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
“I already fought and beat Manny once. This time will be the same result,” Mayweather said in a statement.
Pacquiao, whose record stands at 62-8-3 with 39 knockouts, expressed confidence he would hand Mayweather his first professional loss.
“I want Floyd to live with the one loss on his professional record and always remember who gave it to him,” the Filipino fighter said.
The rematch will stream to Netflix’s more than 325 million subscribers worldwide, continuing the platform’s push into live boxing.
The streaming platform has recently broadcast several high-profile fights, including Jake Paul versus Mike Tyson, which the company said drew 108 million live global viewers
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Former multi-weight world boxing champion Floyd Mayweather will come out of retirement this year for his first official fight in nearly a decade, his new promotion CSI Sports/Fight Sports said on Friday, though his opponent has yet to be decided.
Before his official return, Mayweather is set for an exhibition bout with fellow boxing great Mike Tyson, with the date and venue still to be announced.
“I still have what it takes to set more records in the sport of boxing – from my upcoming Mike Tyson event to my next professional fight afterwards – no one will generate a bigger gate, have a larger global broadcast audience and generate more money with each event – than my events,” Mayweather, 48, said in a statement on his new promotion’s website.
It will mark the American’s fourth comeback from retirement, following previous exits in 2007, 2015 and 2017 — the last after beating Conor McGregor to extend his record to 50-0. He has, however, fought several exhibitions since.
Across a three-decade career, Mayweather defeated many of his era’s top fighters and headlined the three highest‑grossing bouts in history, against Manny Pacquiao, McGregor and Canelo Alvarez.
-Reuters
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