--- product_id: 5303155 title: "One Punch from the Promised Land: Leon Spinks, Michael Spinks, And The Myth Of The Heavyweight Title" brand: "john florioouisie shapiro" price: "£31.67" currency: GBP in_stock: true reviews_count: 10 url: https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/5303155-one-punch-from-the-promised-land-leon-spinks-michael-spinks store_origin: GB region: United Kingdom --- # One Punch from the Promised Land: Leon Spinks, Michael Spinks, And The Myth Of The Heavyweight Title **Brand:** john florioouisie shapiro **Price:** £31.67 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** One Punch from the Promised Land: Leon Spinks, Michael Spinks, And The Myth Of The Heavyweight Title by john florioouisie shapiro - **How much does it cost?** £31.67 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.uk](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/5303155-one-punch-from-the-promised-land-leon-spinks-michael-spinks) ## Best For - john florioouisie shapiro enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted john florioouisie shapiro brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description One Punch from the Promised Land: Leon Spinks, Michael Spinks, And The Myth Of The Heavyweight Title ## Images ![One Punch from the Promised Land: Leon Spinks, Michael Spinks, And The Myth Of The Heavyweight Title - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81JGw-iugnL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars A book with fifteen-round stamina that carries all of its power into the late rounds. *by C***Y on Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2014* A while back, I purchased a book called "Rocky Lives: Heavyweight Upsets of the 90s" which was chronologically ordered by year (starting in 1990 and ending in 1999) and detailed some of the most shocking underdog victories of that era. One of the shock wins listed for '94 was John Carlo's TKO1 victory over former world heavyweight champ Leon Spinks. Insight was provided into just what a devastating downward spiral Leon went on during the twilight of his career, but I wanted to learn more about the Carlo bout (seeing as how it was not only the only stoppage loss of his second ['91-'95] comeback, but it came against a fighter with no pro experience [despite a fabricated record of 11-2 created by Carlo's handlers in order to get the fight sanctioned]). Searching for it on Google led to my discovery of the existence of THIS book, parts of which could be read for free on Google Books. After reading portions of the section which went into detail on his second comeback, I was hugely impressed with just how much effort went into making it as enlightening as possible. Selecting and reading other sections at random only increased the extent to which I was impressed with the quality of Mr. Florio and Mrs. Shapiro's storytelling styles--they paid just as much attention and put just as much love into everything leading up to that point. Indeed, less than a week after previewing several of the book's pages on Google Books, I purchased it from this very website. Needless to say, this is probably one of the most informative/insightful/interesting books I've ever read in my life, and one that I would recommend not only to boxing enthusiasts but to anyone who enjoys high-quality writing in general. I had always found the Spinks brothers intriguing figures in the annals of boxing history but could never find a whole lot about them. This book represents the greatest effort I've ever seen anyone make towards telling the story of their respective careers as accurately and figuratively as possible, and it helped my respect for Leon and Michael to increase a thousandfold compared to the level at which it was prior to reading it. Though many great heavyweight champions managed to escape poverty and punch their way out of rags into immense riches, Leon and Michael were perhaps history's greatest long-shots (apart from James "Buster" Douglas and Hasim Rahman) to get their names in the family tree whose branches supported the champs that they looked up to, which makes their career accomplishments all the more incredible. It's an injustice to both men that they are remembered more immediately and frequently for their losses than their victories. A 91-second knockout loss to Mike Tyson has caused many people to forget that Michael was not only the first light-heavyweight champion to leave the division as an unbeaten champ (with huge wins over Marvin Johnson [KO4], Eddie Mustafa Muhammad [UD15], and Dwight Muhammad Qawi [UD15] to boot)--though Michael Moorer would later join him as the second in 1991, he was merely the WBO champ (at a time when the WBO was not recognized as one of the major world governing bodies) whereas Spinks held the lineal championship at the time of his leave--but also the first to successfully dethrone the undisputed world heavyweight champion (though Tony Tubbs held the WBA belt and Pinklon Thomas was recognized as champion by the WBC, Holmes had universal recognition as the legitimate champion which stemmed back to a brutal ten-round drubbing in October 1980 of Muhammad Ali, a terrible beating which stripped Ali of his only remaining claim to the HW crown). Likewise, poor training habits, overindulgence in the 'good' life, and an abundance of humiliating losses near the end of his career to journeymen who seemed over-matched on paper tend to cause people to forget that there was a time when Leon was regarded as one of the better heavyweights in the world, and rightly so (though his win over Ali is the most commonly cited example for obvious reasons, overlooked wins over Alfio Righetti, Alfredo Evangelista, and Bernardo Mercado also serve as testaments to Leon's immense natural talent). It would be difficult, if not next to impossible, to make anyone forget about how it took Mike Tyson less than two minutes to change the '0' in Michael's 31-0 record to a '1' or how a TKO6 loss to Rocky Sekorski (the first time Leon had ever been beaten by an opponent that was not a current or former world champion) sent Leon on the fast track to journeyman status, a demotion that the fallen champ never recovered from. However, it's my sincere hope that those who read this book will start to remember the Spinks brothers not for the heartbreaking moments of their respective careers but for how they believed in themselves when very few people gave them even a remote chance of winning, shocked the world by emerging victorious over two of the greatest heavyweight champions of all time, and made all the critics eat their words. Not bad for a couple of kids from Pruitt-Igoe! ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars REALLY Fantastic Book *by V***Y on Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2024* 5-star rating, easily! The topic itself was fascinating and the writing was just masterful - clear, detailed, fly-on-the-wall style. One of the most satisfying books I’ve read in years. RECOMMENDED. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.0 out of 5 stars The Brother's Spinks from Hard Knocks to the Top of the Mountain. *by P***N on Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2018* A fascinating behind the scenes look at what it was like growing up in inner city St. Louis and the obstacles that both brother's overcame to make it to the pinnacle of their chosen sport. Despite their success the brother's took markedly different paths to get there. Leon is described as a TRAIN WRECK who squandered his raw talent and ability, yet despite that shocked the world by defeating his IDOL Muhammad Ali. Michael was more disciplined and worked hard to achieve all he did. All in all a compelling story. I always enjoyed watching both brother's fight and particularly recall their Olympic achievements. If you like Boxing history from the 70's & 80's you'll enjoy this book. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/5303155-one-punch-from-the-promised-land-leon-spinks-michael-spinks](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/5303155-one-punch-from-the-promised-land-leon-spinks-michael-spinks) --- *Product available on Desertcart United Kingdom* *Store origin: GB* *Last updated: 2026-05-16*