Was Leon Spinks really the wasted talent that he has been made out to be or was he just in the right place at the right time when he won his Olympic Glod Medal and World Heavyweight Boxing Championship? Would the fact that he was a small Heavyweight have been an issue if he had stayed clean?
How good was Micheal Spinks? Was he an all-time great Light-Heavyweight or a fraud that was exposed by Mike Tyson? Also, does anyone know if the damage he suffered at the hands of Mike Tyson had anything to do with his sudden retirement?
The Spinks brothers
Spinks
IMO Leon Spinks was an outstanding world class amateur. The amateur fights I have of his on video he appears to be a very high pressure, solid punching and strong fighter whom seemed to overwhelm his opponents. Leon whilst wearing the vest beat a lot of good fighters including some top Cubans. As a pro he lacked the dedication and maturity to last long. I do believe he was in the right place at the right time when he beat the shadow of Ali. However if he had lived a cleaner life I think he could have achieved a lot more, but being a small Heavyweight maybe he was more suited to the Cruiserweight division. Sadly we will never know but a do believe he wasted a good talent. Interesting point, on the videos I have of the Spinks brothers amateur fights the commentators seemed to think Leon was the better prospect.
As for the younger brother Michael, also a top amateur, I've always said he was an all time great Light-Heavyweight but only a good but very awrkward Heavyweight.
I imagine that the crushing Tyson defeat convinced Michael, an inteligent man to quit with his health and bank balance in a healthy state. But I did hear he was also having terrible problems with his knees during the Tyson fight that effected his mobility. There was rumours of a comeback in the mid 1990's but I read his knees were too bad to train properly, a blessing in disgiuse mayby?
As for the younger brother Michael, also a top amateur, I've always said he was an all time great Light-Heavyweight but only a good but very awrkward Heavyweight.
I imagine that the crushing Tyson defeat convinced Michael, an inteligent man to quit with his health and bank balance in a healthy state. But I did hear he was also having terrible problems with his knees during the Tyson fight that effected his mobility. There was rumours of a comeback in the mid 1990's but I read his knees were too bad to train properly, a blessing in disgiuse mayby?