Spinks vs. Spinks: Leon Profile 2

Almost immediately, Spinks signed to a rematch with Muhammad Ali. In a 15-round contest, Ali took advantage of his height and leaned on Spinks throughout while landing jabs and right hands, beating Spinks on points to recalim his title and become the first man to win the World Heavyweight Championship thrice.

By this point, Spinks had already received universal recognition for his incredibly fast ascent. But unfortunately, Spinks' fall from grace has overshadowed that. Following his defeat at the hands of Ali, Spinks was knocked out in the first round by Gerry Coetzee. This was the beginning of the end for him. The rest of his career was marked with mediocrity; his final record at retirement was 26 wins, 17 losses, and 3 draws.


While it's difficult to say what might have been had Spinks stayed the course, one thing that we can say for sure is that this man, Leon Spinks, rose faster than any other fighter in history, beating the legendary Ali, and earned more respect in just a few years than most people do in a lifetime. He certainly remains one our favorites here at Athletes and Eras, and who could ever forget that famous toothless grin?

Spinks currently enjoys retirement, staying out of the spotlight, and is involved in numerous charity activities. 

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Spinks vs. Spinks: Leon Profile 1

For many boxers, the road to the championship of the world is a long and brutal struggle. Most boxers already have 20 or more fights when they climb through the ropes across from the champion. Many boxing experts and historians will tell you that those fights are a preparation for the big fight, and we here at Athletes and Eras totally agree. Before you can make a legitimate challenge, you have to earn it. Like we said, it usually takes 20 fights or so. But Leon Spinks, a powerful brawler from St. Louis, Missouri, earned his shot in just seven fights; he won the title in fight number eight.

There was an 11 year age difference between Spinks and Muhammad Ali, and that is clearly seen in the video above. Ali was aging, and it was nearly time for him to go. Spinks, however, at 25 years old, was just beginning.

In 1977, Spinks stormed into the boxing world, winning his first five fights by knockout before drawing with Scott DeLoux. He then defeated Italian champion Alfio Righetti by unanimous decision in 10 rounds. All of a sudden, this young man, whom very few had heard outside of his participation in the 1976 Olympic Games (with his younger brother, Michael). was propelled into the spotlight with a title shot against Ali.

Ali was expecting (and honestly hoping) for an easy fight. He thought what we're sure everyone thought at the time: "Only seven fights and he's fighting Ali? There's no way this kid is ready!" Well, on February 15th, 1978, Spinks proved the whole world wrong, utilizing his power and seemingly limitless supply of energy to outwork Ali. Spinks made boxing history that night; for one, that was one of the few fights where visible damage was done to Ali's face, and two, he ascent remains to this day, the fastest rise to the top in all of boxing history.

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Inoki vs. Machida: Inoki Profile 2

Antonio Inoki was an instant smash sensation from the get-go. He first began working for the Japan Wrestling Association, where he was unfortunately overshadowed by Giant Baba, his fellow wrestling classmate under Rikidozan. From there, he moved on to Tokyo Pro Wrestling in 1966, where he became their biggest star. Unfortunately, Inoki's timing was poor; Tokyo Pro Wrestling folded a year later. Inoki returned to the Japan Wrestling Association, where he became Giant Baba's tag-team partner. They two dominated the tag-team ranks for many years until Inoki was fired from the JWA for trying to plan a takeover.

Following this, Inoki made the best move of his career: he founded New Japan Pro Wrestling, bringing in several thousand fans on a weekly draw. They were only rivaled by America's WWE, and had several cross-promotional matches, resulting in several of Inoki's most historical matches, including this unforgettable image of Inoki fighting the great Hulk Hogan.

But, while Inoki wasn't busy ranking up wins against wrestlers, he was also involved in several historic mixed-skills matches. A mixed-skill match is when a fighter of one discipline fights a fighter of another discipline (i.e. boxer vs. wrestler, karate vs. muay thai, etc.). Inoki fought everyone under the sun: boxers, karate fighters, judo fighters, sumo wrestlers, kung fu fighters, and more. He was very successful in these fights, knocking out the likes of Everett Eddy and severely damaging the legs of Muhammad Ali. This was the very beginning of Mixed Martial Arts, and Inoki is regarded today as a true pioneer of professional fighting. He founded Kansuiryu Karate, and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2010,. the first Japanese person to be inducted. 

Antonio Inoki now spends his days on the managing side of fighting, promoting several MMA events and guiding young fighters on their way to the top. Such fighters include his opponent this Sunday, Lyoto Machida. What's going to happen when these two warriors finally meet up in the ring? We here at Athletes and Eras are so excited, we can't think straight! Don't forget to tune in!

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A Legend gone, but Not Forgotten...

Today, we here at Athletes and Eras would like to take a brief detour from our regular posting to reflect upon the life of legendary boxing heavyweight Joe Frazier, who passed away last night after a battle with liver cancer. From your humble begins in South Carolina to the legendary left hook that floored the great Muhammad Ali and to that big black cowboy hat you loved to wear, we would like to state that we have valued every moment of your life that you have shared with us. Your heart, strength, and dedication to the things you love is an inspiration to all of us; it shows us that if we can fight hard enough, that if we make ourselves indomitable, we will overcome. In summary, you will be greatly missed by all of us whom you have left behind. You will remain in our hearts, thoughts, and prayers. Always. Our only hope for you now is that you have found the peace you deserve, and let it be known that we shall always look at you with nothing less than the greatest of respect and admiration. Goodnight, Smokin' Joe. Rest easy.

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