SONAHR: March 30, 2014 – When one thinks of famous heavyweight boxing brothers, the first name to come to mind is Klitschko. Vitali and Wladimir are the first brothers to simultaneously hold portions of the world heavyweight championship, though Vitali gave up his WBC title late last year to go into politics in his native Ukraine. The Klitschkos? accomplishments have overshadowed those of another pair of siblings whose heyday occurred decades ago: Leon and Michael Spinks.
A new book by John Florio and Ouisie Shapiro ? One Punch from the Promised Land ? reminds us of the impact the Spinks brothers made on the boxing scene during the 1970s and ?80s, starting from the time they won gold medals for the United States at the 1976 Summer Olympic Games. They went on to become the first siblings to win the world heavyweight championship ? Leon in 1978, and Michael in 1985.
The Spinks brothers made boxing history in other ways as well. Leon still holds the record for having the fewest professional fights (seven) before winning the heavyweight title. Michael was the first reigning light-heavyweight king to capture at least a portion of the heavyweight crown. Yet those feats tend to be minimized by other circumstances. Leon only held the title for half-a-year, then went into a steady decline in and out of the ring. The last image of Michael in the squared circle shows him flat on his back at the end of a 91-second demolition at the hands of Mike Tyson.
Leon and Michael deserve to be remembered for much more than those setbacks. With One Punch from the Promised Land, authors Florio and Shapiro paint a complete picture of a pair of brothers who fought their way out of the perilous streets of St. Louis, only to lose their way in the treacherous jungle of professional boxing, where duplicitous promoters roam like predators at the top of the food chain.
The broad outlines of the Spinks?s saga are well-known, if not largely forgotten by today?s fight fans. ?Neon? Leon?s meteoric rise and fall in 1978 are seen as a footnote in the career of the man he defeated, and then lost to: Muhammad Ali. And Michael?s devastating knockout defeat was the crowning moment of Tyson?s career. Yet as the authors of the book show, the Spinks brothers? lives amount to more than that.
Drawing on interviews with the Spinks?s friends and relatives from their St. Louis days, Florio and Shapiro show how differently the brothers developed in their difficult surroundings. Leon grew up impulsive; Michael introspective. Leon loved to fight; Michael didn?t, even though he was good at it. Leon was a party animal; Michael preferred peace and quiet.
These differences in personality were reflected in the brothers? boxing styles and careers. Leon hated to train, and often disappeared from camp only days before a scheduled fight. Michael trained rigorously, but often fought cautiously, even though he was able to score knockout wins. Michael?s personal life was ? and is ? almost exemplary. Leon?s was ? and is ? a shambles. Michael never fought again after he lost to Tyson. Leon kept on fighting until he was knocked out by a guy who was making his professional debut.
Indeed, this book shows in painful detail the full extent of Leon?s downfall. The only reason he didn?t blow through as much money and cocaine as Mike Tyson did is that Leon didn?t have as much money and cocaine as Tyson did. By the way, Tyson is quoted in the book as saying: ?I always liked Leon ?cause Leon was a street guy.?
Michael has endured his own share of tragedies. The mother of his daughter was killed in a car accident. And his beloved manager, Butch Lewis, turned out to be a rip-off artist ? a fact Michael did not discover until, after Lewis?s sudden death, Michael found that the ring earnings Lewis was supposedly ?handling? for him had disappeared.
With help from his true friends, Michael was able to overcome that disaster. Leon, too, has achieved a measure of peace in his chaotic life. Michael has the means to help Leon financially, but he knows that whether it was $5 or $5 million, any cash Michael gave to Leon would slip right through Leon?s fingers.
Boxing brought the Spinks brothers off the ghetto streets. Michael was able to stay out of trouble and off the streets; Leon could not avoid trouble ? or the streets. One Punch from the Promised Land demonstrates how the golden opportunities available in the ring shone brightly for one brother and turned to tarnish for the other.
This volume gives both brothers the level of recognition they have long deserved. Not only is it well-written; it is also free from the typos and factual errors that plague so many boxing and other books these days. I give it my highest recommendation.
Charles R. Saunders is the author of several books including Sweat and Soul: The Saga of Black Boxers in the Maritimes from the Halifax Forum to Caesars Palace, as well as the Imaro series of fantasy/adventure novels. Considered by many to be one of the leading authorities on boxing in Canada, he is the current Vice-President of Boxing for the Society of North American Sports Historians and Researchers. His award-winning novel, Damballa, which centers around a fictional heavyweight title bout, is available at Amazon.com.
