Leon Spinks the late 1990s, Spinks was a headliner on year-round, touring autograph shows. In 2009 Spinks was featured as part of the 2009 documentary "Facing Ali", in which notable former opponents of Ali speak about how fighting Ali changed their lives. As of 2017, Spinks lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. He told a reporter his life is "comfortable", and that he keeps a low profile. In August 2017, Leon was inducted into the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame along with his brother, Michael. Leon's son, Cory Spinks, held the undisputed welterweight title, and was the IBF junior middleweight champion twice. In
Mike Tyson vs. Michael Spinks and then successfully defended his title against Steffen Tangstad. Instead of defending his IBF title against top contender Tony Tucker, Spinks elected to take a more lucrative fight with former contender Gerry Cooney, who had fought three times in five years, in June 1987. The IBF responded by stripping Spinks of the title, but he was still in possession of the lineal and "Ring" titles and was considered by many to still be the rightful champion. Mike Tyson turned professional in 1985 and won his first 19 fights by knockout, quickly garnering media attention and establishing an "aura of invincibility".