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.
Daniel Dubois came back from two knockdowns to deal Fabio Wardley a brutal and bloody first defeat as a professional and take the WBO heavyweight title in a thunderous all-British clash on Saturday.
Referee Howard Foster finally stepped in at the start of the 11th round to signal the end of the fight, with Wardley bleeding heavily from the bridge of the nose and with his right eye almost closed.
Dubois rose twice from the canvas, including being dropped by a right hook in the first 10 seconds of the fight, to pulverise Wardley and become a world heavyweight champion for the second time in his career.
“It was a war. We came through the sticky moments. Thank you, Fabio, for that,” said Dubois, who was previously IBF champion after the belt was vacated by Oleksandr Usyk in 2024, with the Ukrainian winning it back in July 2025.
“What a great fight. What a great battle, man”.
The win was Dubois’s 23rd as a professional in 26 fights, while Wardley now has a 20-1-1 record.
Veteran promoter Frank Warren, who manages both men, said it was the best heavyweight fight he had ever put on and confirmed there was a rematch clause in the contract.
For some viewers, however, it was also an uncomfortable watch that could have been stopped earlier.
The 31-year-old Wardley, who was promoted to WBO champion last November after Usyk vacated the title, was making his first defence and showed immense heart as he took a tremendous beating yet refused to capitulate.
He had his opponent on the floor, a blow Dubois, 28, later dismissed as a ‘flash knockdown’, almost with the opening bell still sounding.
Dubois was back on one knee in round three but came close to a stoppage in the sixth with the reigning champion bleeding heavily and on the ropes.
The Londoner continued to land blow after blow on Wardley, who wobbled but refused to give up.
His corner inspected the facial wounds after the eighth, and doctors and the referee took a look in rounds nine and 10, but still the fight continued, with Wardley increasingly struggling to stay on his feet and fighting on instinct.
“You witnessed something special tonight,” Warren told the BBC. “Two men baring their hearts and souls in the ring gave everything, didn’t leave one bit outside the ring.
“They were getting hit with bombs that would take people out, and they stood it.”
-Reuters
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World heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk has backed Anthony Joshua to defeat Tyson Fury in their long‑anticipated clash later this year and has been helping him with his game plan.
Usyk, who holds the IBF, WBA and WBC belts, has been working with former opponent Joshua in recent months and said he has been impressed by the Briton’s development.
He added that 36-year-old Joshua deserves to beat compatriot and fellow ex-champion Fury, 37, after changing his approach.
“Fury is an unbelievable fighter, and Fury is a very dangerous guy, but I look at how Anthony works and how he has changed,” Usyk told the BBC.
“I like Fury, he is my greedy belly’s best friend, he’s an amazing fighter, but I want Anthony to win – he deserves it.”
Joshua, a former two‑time world heavyweight champion, is scheduled to return to the ring against Kristian Prenga in Riyadh on July 25. The bout will be his first since a car accident last December in which two close friends were killed.
Usyk said his recent work with Joshua has focused on technical and mental preparation.
“We speak about strategy, boxing skills and psychology. We speak about fights, our fights, and I say ‘champ, come on, don’t stop’,” he said.
The Ukrainian is set to defend his world titles against Dutch kickboxer Rico Verhoeven on May 23 in Egypt.
-Reuters
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- Summary
- *Joshua to face Kristian Prenga in Riyadh after car accident hiatus
- *Fight marks start of Joshua’s multi-fight deal in Saudi Arabia, announced by Turki Alalshikh
- *Promoter Hearn says Joshua vs Fury is signed for later in the year
Former world heavyweight boxing champions Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury have signed up for a long-awaited clash later this year, promoter Eddie Hearn said on Monday.
“Signed, sealed, delivered! AJ v Fury is on!,” Hearn posted on Instagram.
The announcement came after confirmation that Joshua will return to the ring against Kristian Prenga in Riyadh on July 25 in the Briton’s first fight since he was in a car accident last December that killed two close friends.
U.S.-based Albanian Prenga, 35, is a former kickboxer with a ring record of 20 wins and one defeat since he turned professional in 2016.
The fight, billed as “The Comeback”, was announced by Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki Alalshikh and will be broadcast live worldwide on DAZN.
Turki also posted on X a message “to my friends in Great Britain – it’s happening. It’s signed” while his Ring Magazine said the fight would happen in Q4 2026 on Netflix.
SIXTH-ROUND KNOCKOUT
Joshua, 36, has a record of 28 wins and four losses with his most recent fight a sixth-round knockout of American Jake Paul on December 19 in Miami.
“It’s no secret I’ve taken some time to consolidate and rebuild to be ready for stepping back into the ring, and today is the next step on that journey,” said Joshua.
“I’m delighted to have agreed a multi-fight deal starting with July 25th in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I’m looking forward to competing and picking up where I left off. The landlord will collect his rent. That is certain.”
Hearn told Sky Sports television he wanted a “tune-up bout” in July before facing Fury potentially in November.
“July and November are the two dates that have been presented to us now and we expect to move forward,” he said. “Fury has just had his tune-up fight with 12 really vital rounds to get him sharp for the next one and I expect us to do the same.”
Fury called for a showdown with Joshua after he outclassed Russia’s Arslanbek Makhmudov on April 11.
“Next, I want to give you the fight you’ve all been waiting for. I want you AJ, Anthony Joshua, let’s give the fight fans what they want, the Battle of Britain,” he said then.
-Reuters
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