Former Undisputed Heavyweight Who Defeated Muhammad Ali Dies at 67
- Boxing world mourns as Leon Spinks who defeated Muhammad Ali at 67
- Spinks battled prostate cancer for five years before giving up on February 5
- Brenda and Cory, his wife and son among those around him in his final moments on earth
PAY ATTENTION: Join Briefly News' Telegram channel! Never miss important updates!
Former heavyweight champion Leon Spinks, who became famous for beating the great Muhammad Ali in 1978, has died at the age of 67.
The boxer, who won 26 out of his 46 professional fights, was confirmed dead on Friday, February 5 in the presence of his family members including Brenda his wife, and Cory his son - also a former world champion.
Sources reveal that the late American boxer has been battling prostate cancer for the last five years before eventually passing away earlier this weekend.
Born in July 1952, Spinks won the Olympic gold in Montreal in 1976 - two years before his famous triumph over Ali and became the undisputed heavyweight world champion as a professional.
Source: Getty Images
According to The Mirror, he had only fought just seven times before upsetting Ali after 15 hard-fought rounds. However, seven months later, he lost the rematch to Ali, who won with a convincing unanimous decision.
He lost his next challenge for a world title three years later when he was stopped by Larry Holmes and he was also defeated by Dwight Muhammad Qawi when he dropped down a division later in his career.
Leon's brother Michael also rose to the world champion level, holding the undisputed light heavyweight title from 1983 to 1985 and the lineal heavyweight title from 1985 to 1988.
Briefly.co.za also reported that Patricia De Lille recently headed to Twitter to announce the passing of her husband Edwin De Lille. According to her heartbreaking post, Mr De Lille died on Sunday, 7 February following a long-term illness.
"It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of my husband, Edwin de Lille. He passed away late last night after a long illness. We were married for 49 years and he was a true partner and supporter, always giving me the freedom to pursue my work in serving the country," she sadly captioned the post.
Soon many South Africans took to the comment section to share their condolences as well as messages of support and encouragement with the politician and her family.
Enjoyed reading our story? Download BRIEFLY's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major South African news!
Source: Briefly News
Kelly Lippke (Senior Editor) Kelly Lippke is a copy editor/proofreader who started her career at the Northern-Natal Courier with a BA in Communication Science/Psychology (Unisa, 2007). Kelly has worked for several Caxton publications, including the Highway Mail and Northglen News. Kelly’s unique editing perspective stems from an additional major in Linguistics. Kelly joined Briefly News in 2018 and she has 14 years of experience. Kelly has also passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at kelly.lippke@briefly.co.za.
Marilynn Manuel I am an experienced journalist with a keen interest in helping people tell their stories and writing content that inspires readers. When I’m not in front of my laptop producing viral articles for my publication, I find myself submerged in a fitness routine or trying new wellness smoothies. When I need some down time, I find that devouring a good book is equally as satisfying as reaching my health goals. Above all, I am a mom to a cute baby boy.
