BOXER

Leon Spinks

1953 - 2021

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Leon Spinks (July 11, 1953 – February 5, 2021) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1977 to 1995. In only his eighth professional fight, he won the undisputed heavyweight championship in 1978 after defeating Muhammad Ali in a split decision, in what is considered one of the biggest upsets in boxing history. Spinks was later stripped of the WBC title for facing Ali in an unapproved rematch seven months later, which he lost by a unanimous decision. Besides being heavyweight champion and his characteristic gap-toothed grin (due to losing two and later all four of his front teeth), Spinks gained notoriety for the disaster which befell his career following his loss to Ali. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Leon Spinks is the 48th most popular boxer (down from 40th in 2019), the 4,686th most popular biography from United States (down from 3,660th in 2019) and the 27th most popular American Boxer.

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Among BOXERS

Among boxers, Leon Spinks ranks 48 out of 496. Before him are Oscar Bonavena, Henry Armstrong, José Torres, Oleksandr Usyk, Emile Griffith, and Kim Duk-koo. After him are Gennady Golovkin, Earnie Shavers, Éder Jofre, Ezzard Charles, John L. Sullivan, and Tommy Morrison.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1953, Leon Spinks ranks 194. Before him are Colm Meaney, Ivica Šurjak, Klaus Wowereit, Dieter Zetsche, Ahmad Sa'adat, and René Houseman. After him are Steve Jackson, Yolande Moreau, Serginho Chulapa, Billy Sheehan, René Vandereycken, and Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah. Among people deceased in 2021, Leon Spinks ranks 249. Before him are Yukhym Zvyahilsky, Joey Jordison, Shunsuke Kikuchi, Koichi Sugiyama, Ursula Happe, and Yitzhak Arad. After him are José Freire Falcão, John Miles, Carlos Correia, Louis Andriessen, Judith Reisman, and Freimut Börngen.

Others Born in 1953

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In United States

Among people born in United States, Leon Spinks ranks 4,686 out of 20,380. Before him are Nancy J. Currie-Gregg (1958), Clyde Cowan (1919), Raphael Warnock (1969), Walter Koenig (1936), Larry Tesler (1945), and William Graham Sumner (1840). After him are P. J. Kennedy (1858), Ron Rifkin (1939), Bernie Mac (1957), Dan McKee (1951), Smokey Robinson (1940), and Joe Johnston (1950).

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Among BOXERS In United States

Among boxers born in United States, Leon Spinks ranks 27. Before him are Sugar Ray Leonard (1956), Riddick Bowe (1967), Jack Johnson (1878), Roy Jones Jr. (1969), Max Baer (1909), and Henry Armstrong (1912). After him are Earnie Shavers (1944), Ezzard Charles (1921), John L. Sullivan (1858), Tommy Morrison (1969), Rocky Graziano (1919), and Oliver Kirk (1884).

American born Boxers

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