Henderson, Nevada – Former heavyweight boxing world champion Leon Spinks has died at the age of 67.

Fox News and ESPN were among the outlets that cited Spinks' management as confirming his death on Saturday.

Spinks had been fighting several types of cancer for the last few years. His wife Brenda Glur Spinks was by his side when he passed.

Originally from St. Louis, Spinks served as a Marine from 1973 to 1976.

Athletes Shohei Ohtani undergoes surgery after World Series injury

In 1976, he won the light heavyweight Olympic gold medal in Montreal.

Just 13 months into his pro-boxing career, Spinks drew attention with his surprise victory against Muhammad Ali, who was boxing world champion at the time. The match has been called one of the biggest upsets in the history of the sport.

Ali regained the title in the same year in a rematch.

Spinks ended his boxing career in 1995. He was inducted into the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame in 2017.