Leon Spinks, Jr. ~ Monday, February 8, 2021

Spinks had a largely unstable life after retiring from the ring. He said he had lost the money he earned, and he traveled around the country, seeking what jobs he could find. At age 52, he made a stop in Columbus, Neb., where he worked as a Y.M.C.A. custodian and unloaded McDonald’s trucks.

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“My dad had gone around and told people I would never be anything,” Sports Illustrated quoted him as saying. “It hurt me. I’ve never forgotten it. I made up my mind that I was going to be somebody in this world. That whatever price I had to pay, I was going to succeed at something.”

~ Leon Spinks, Jr.

NYTimes: Leon Spinks, Boxer Who Took Ali’s Crown and Lost It, Dies at 67

Leon Spinks, Boxer Who Took Ali’s Crown and Lost It, Dies at 67 https://nyti.ms/3cN0Ehm