Former heavyweight champ Spinks battling prostate cancer, says wife

Former heavyweight boxing champion Leon Spinks, who was hospitalised last month in a serious condition, is suffering from prostate cancer, his wife Brenda said on Thursday.

Spinks, 66, an Olympic Gold medallist in 1976 best known for a memorable upset victory over Muhammad Ali two years later in a world heavyweight title fight, was battling for his life in a Las Vegas hospital last month.

“It’s going to be a long road and a lot of work,” Brenda said in a statement to USA Today. “But we are bound and determined for the champ to make a comeback.”

The report says the cancer has spread to Spinks’ bladder. Brenda said that he has returned home and will undergo cancer treatment on an outpatient basis. – Agencies