WE OWE A DEBT OF GRATITUDE TO THE MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE made this book possible, most notably Leon and Michael Spinks. Throughout their lives they repeatedly stood up against outsized opponents, both in and out of the ring. And for that, their story needed to be told.
During the two years spent researching and writing this book, we made repeated efforts to interview both Spinks brothers. We caught up with Leon at the Hall of Fame in the summer of 2011. Unfortunately, after a short interview, he proved to be an unreliable witness to his own story. Perhaps it was the many drinks that well-intentioned fans passed his way, or the memory issues that have begun to plague him. It may have been both.
We contacted Michael through his attorney, Vincent Sarubbi, who’d kept Michael out of circulation until his lawsuit against the estate of Butch Lewis was resolved. The long wait finally ended in late November 2012, at which point Mr. Sarubbi, perhaps protecting his client, attached several unrealistic demands (including a sizable interview fee) to a meeting with Michael. In the interest of maintaining objectivity, we declined.
Thanks go to a long list of interview subjects who gave their time and insight to the project, particularly Leon’s surviving children, Darrell and Cory, who spoke as openly about the low times as the high ones.
Jerry Izenberg certainly had better things to do than spend hours on the phone with us. Yet he was always ready to chat, answer a question, share an anecdote, or give advice. For that, we owe him one. We hope he calls and collects.
This book is credited to two authors, but it is very much the work of three people. Our uncredited secret weapon was Justin Davidson—a thorough researcher, probing interviewer, and diligent fact-checker. Remember the name. He’ll be writing his own books someday, and they’ll be good ones.
Speaking of book releases, a special thank-you goes to our editor, Keith Wallman, and our agent, Elizabeth Evans. They did more than champion the story. They believed we were the ones to tell it.