Where are they now?

Evening all,

Just wondering if any of you guys have any interesting stories on what some former boxers are up to now?

We've obviously had big George with his grill and a number of fighters have stayed in the business. Whether it be as a pundit, commentator, trainer etc.

But how about some of the less publicised stories? Who ended up as a cabbie, who ended up sleeping on the street. That kind of thing. With regards ending up on the streets I hadn't realised Leon Spinks had done at one stage.

Hopefully with the amount of knowledge on the board this could develop in to a decent thread.

Thanks in advance guys.

How when your brother is Michael Spinks and your son is Cory Spinks did he ever end up on the street? Can only assume they're not a particularly close family.

I know that was the most bizarre thing about it! Apparently he was usually in and around Cory's team too so I can only imagine that there had been a falling out at one time or another.

It gets stranger! According to Wikipedia he also made an appearance in ECW (wrestling) and now works at McDonalds?

I doubt he works at Mcdonalds for the money. Probably some other strange reason behind it.

Well it said hes doing some work for the ymca amd some other charities too.

I've read Earnie Shavers works security in a club in England, not sure how true it is but that is one doorman you would not mess with.

victorgarco wrote:I doubt he works at Mcdonalds for the money. Probably some other strange reason behind it.

Why would you doubt he work's at McDonalds for the money? It's been over 35 years since he beat Ali. I'm sure all his money has gone.

Anyways, I did read once that Marlon Starling worked in a restuarant, welcoming the guests and showing them to their tables.

Rocky Lockridge is another one who fell on hard times. The last time I heard anything on him he was homeless.

Atila wrote:

victorgarco wrote:I doubt he works at Mcdonalds for the money. Probably some other strange reason behind it.

Why would you doubt he work's at McDonalds for the money? It's been over 35 years since he beat Ali. I'm sure all his money has gone.

Anyways, I did read once that Marlon Starling worked in a restuarant, welcoming the guests and showing them to their tables.

Rocky Lockridge is another one who fell on hard times. The last time I heard anything on him he was homeless.

Mainly because his son is still a pro boxer and former world champ and his brother was a world champ. Also Wikipedia might say he works for mcdonalds but i dont see any link to prove it.

victorgarco wrote:

Atila wrote:

victorgarco wrote:I doubt he works at Mcdonalds for the money. Probably some other strange reason behind it.

Why would you doubt he work's at McDonalds for the money? It's been over 35 years since he beat Ali. I'm sure all his money has gone.

Anyways, I did read once that Marlon Starling worked in a restuarant, welcoming the guests and showing them to their tables.

Rocky Lockridge is another one who fell on hard times. The last time I heard anything on him he was homeless.

Mainly because his son is still a pro boxer and former world champ and his brother was a world champ. Also Wikipedia might say he works for mcdonalds but i dont see any link to prove it.

Here's a link with a story about Spinks at one time being homeless and working at McDonalds.

http://boxing.about.com/od/history/a/leonspinks.htm

It doesn't surprise me at all to hear that he fell on hard times or that he's broke even though his son and brother were world champs. I read a story once about Leon that claimed he wasn't a good dad to his son Cory and there's always the chance that he and Michael aren't that close anymore or maybe that Leon's too proud to ask for hand-outs.

bellchees wrote:I've read Earnie Shavers works security in a club in England, not sure how true it is but that is one doorman you would not mess with.

Lots of people on here have met him. Is it in the Merseyside area? No one ever has a bad thing to say about him, as well. Just that he is a real gent.

bhb001 wrote:

bellchees wrote:I've read Earnie Shavers works security in a club in England, not sure how true it is but that is one doorman you would not mess with.

Lots of people on here have met him. Is it in the Merseyside area? No one ever has a bad thing to say about him, as well. Just that he is a real gent.

Yep, he has worked a few clubs in Liverpool. I can't remember the names as I was almost certainly drunk and it is a very long time since I went clubbing, but it is true that he works the doors.

He is an absolute gent. One of, if not the, nicest sportsperson I have ever met.

Cory Spinks.......How did he ever end up on the streets?????

Intentional or not that seems to be a pop at the perceived lack of family care in the Spinks family.

We've had to deal in my family with a chronic drug user and in the end she had to leave the family home to live on her own ultimately leading to me going round her home and finding her dead...She even left her kids with my Parents to do her own thing...Cory had all sorts of problems and I'm afraid some people just don't want to be helped no matter how much love you give them!!

Toughest thing I've ever had to do was tell my folks their daughter was dead and all these years it still resonates like it was yesterday..

Money doesn't matter when it comes to addiction we put her through rehabilitation............

Don't pop at the Spinks family.........maybe they tried their best...

Sobering story Truss, must have been very tough for all concerned. As you say though sometimes people cant be helped even if they are family.

The Spinks' (well, the brothers at least) were actually very close; Michael was utterly devoted to Leon. In fact, when 'Neon' upset Ali and suddenly became a household name, Michael put his own career on hold to help his brother manage his affairs - I think he only had one fight in the next couple of years after Leon lifted his title. Michael would doubtless have won the Light-Heavy title a bit earlier if he hadn't been so selfless.

He also helped Leon out financially, but you have to remember than Michael himself had legal issues involving big money with Butch Lewis in his own retirement; he remained a wealthy man, of course, but at the end of the day he's not a charity and it was down to Leon as much as anything else to help himself as well as having others help him. Evidence suggests that Leon blew the hand outs from his brother just as easily as he blew his own fortune.

Mind the windows Tino. wrote:

bhb001 wrote:

bellchees wrote:I've read Earnie Shavers works security in a club in England, not sure how true it is but that is one doorman you would not mess with.

Lots of people on here have met him. Is it in the Merseyside area? No one ever has a bad thing to say about him, as well. Just that he is a real gent.

Yep, he has worked a few clubs in Liverpool. I can't remember the names as I was almost certainly drunk and it is a very long time since I went clubbing, but it is true that he works the doors.

He is an absolute gent. One of, if not the, nicest sportsperson I have ever met.

Yer he was working on Yates in Liverpool when I met him. I was only 16 at the time and I can remember a few of us talking to him outside and he was saying he had fights against Ali, Holmes and all that but I'd never heard of him. I bought his book and my spoke to my dad the next day. I said was speaking to some ex boxer who was a bouncer in town and showed him the book and he was amazed that it was Earnie Shavers who was one of of his favourite boxers when he was growing up.

Next time we went for a drink I took there to show him and my dad most of spoken to him for about half n hours about boxing and his career and he seemed quite pleased, even said that me dad knew more about him then he did

Top bloke and has done a lot of charity work in Liverpool.

Wonder how many guys in the past who didn't know who he was...tried their luck with him.......

Like a few others on here, I've been lucky enough to meet Earnie as well and his nice guy reputation is definitely justified. Along with Frank Bruno, the firmest handshake I've ever encountered!

One of the stranger lifestyle choices made in retirement by a fighter was made by Nino Benvenuti, who jacked in all of his wealth (and he had a lot, as he also had a pretty handy business brain) and possessions to become a volunteer in Mother Teresa's hospice in Calcutta.

A little dicky bird told me that Rendall Munroe is back on the bins

I gather Bobby Vanzie retired and became a minster (of the church).

I used to like watching Vanzie fight, i thought Spinks was either working at a restuarant or driving a school bus so i quite believe he's at McDonalds.

Ken Buchanan's a bit far gone now I believe isn't he? Terrific fighter back in his day.

Vanzie was either brilliant or dreadful and sadly, he was usually dreadful in the contests where a win would have secured him a big fight next time round.

I only seen Vanzie fight a couple of times nearer the end of his career, was still pretty good altough i think i'm getting mixed up with someone called Alexander i think from the same period. Small black guy with a shaved head and had heavy hands, think it was Alexander anyway. Wayne Alexander?

Buchanan likes his drink nowadays, he's not on the streets but i think he was close to it a decade back or so, used to be at all Alex Arthurs fights, doing a bit of commentary etc Not seen him since though was in the paper the other week talking about Burns.

Yeah, Wayne Alexander was a bit of a banger. Vanzie was more of slippery customer who relied on his reflexes and had one of those awkward Herol Graham styles that either looked great or stank the joint out.

I imagine most go into the security business..

Well here's Rocky Lockridge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ee925OTFBCA

I heard in the past few years Iran Barkley was sleeping on trains.

Lennox Lewis invented twitter.

Jack Dempsey died.

Tyson races pigeons.

Chuvalo does charity work raising awareness about drugs use after all the tragedies it caused in his family.

Bobby Chacon who fought in some of the greatest fights in the past is sadly wandering the streets obviously mentally effected in some way. I read that he collects aluminium cans from bins and sells them. Sad as he was a fight fan fav back in the early 80's.

Jake La Motta surprisingly is still going strong in his 90's. A man who fought SRR 6 times and fought in a great era. How tough is this guy.

Why do you have to post that link about Lockridge...?? A simple line would have sufficed..

You're mocking him....I suggest nobody clicks on the link..

We all know drugs ruin lives without taking satisfaction out of spreading a guy's despair to others...

My heart goes out to the guy.....

I always think the same of LaMotta too ONETWO, he must be made of something superhuman to into his 90's with all his faculties still intact, he was a fighter who made a name from being able to take severe punishment. Think he like Chuvalo must have been born with a thicker skull.

Imperial Ghosty wrote:I always think the same of LaMotta too ONETWO, he must be made of something superhuman to into his 90's with all his faculties still intact, he was a fighter who made a name from being able to take severe punishment. Think he like Chuvalo must have been born with a thicker skull.

Yeah agreed sort of like Carman Basillio who recently passed away.

I heard somewhere that Larry Holmes has done well in real estate or property

Holmes practically owns half of his home town of Easton, OneTwo. He was a mega earner in his days in the ring in any case, but has made additional millions from real estate and property development on top of that.

Speaking of the sad declines of the likes of Chacon, Lockridge etc, I'd say that José Napoles is a pretty damn horrible one as well. One of the greatest Welterweights of them all but ended up a flat broke alcoholic who was forced to dance in bars for spare change in retirement.

Spinks was left an allowance by Butch Lewis.....In other words his money was put away so he could get $100,000 dollars a year for living costs for the rest of his life etc...

Excellent work so far gents. Good to hear that not all the stories are bad, though unfortunately a fair few of them seem to be. Ive learned about a fair few boxers that I didnt know of before hand and will be reading more about them as a result.

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:Why do you have to post that link about Lockridge...?? A simple line would have sufficed..

You're mocking him....I suggest nobody clicks on the link..

We all know drugs ruin lives without taking satisfaction out of spreading a guy's despair to others...

My heart goes out to the guy.....

Yeah, you may be correct I shouldn't have posted it. I wasn't mocking him though.


David Haye knocked out Derek Chisora post retirement.

I apologise If I misjudged your intention......Nothing worse than seeing a man with it all....lose it!!

Drugs are an evil thing..

Truss do you know if boxing does anything like football does to try and help struggling ex pros?

Not in America kid.

I suppose its a completely different set up. Most fighters when they are kids wont be woth big enough companies for them to pay for the education of life without boxing and not the same badge system for coaches.

Boxing is often an escape for young people but once they are out the other side the haven't always got a lot of other life skills. Tricky one to resolve

Problem is what do you do???..If rehab won't cure him and you give him money he'll only lose it to drugs!!

It's a tough one spence..

Yeah it is truss. Would be encouraging to think that someone in boxing is looking at ways to prevent happening with others in the future.

As much as a lot of people dislike buncey on here I listened to quite a lot of his podcasts last year (dont judge me :-) there aint many boxing podcasts out there, well there wasnt until our very own 606v2 one came along!). Towards the end of the shows he caught up with several lesser known domestic boxers that had been through the mill. Some of the stories ended badly but some had lots of positives. They were really intersting pieces