"It's going to be a long road ahead, but he's strong and he's starting to recover," Brenda Spinks told The Associated Press.

The Former heavyweight champion Leon Spinks is in a Las Vegas hospital after a second operation for abdominal problems.

The 61-year-old boxer had the second surgery in recent days after complications from the first emergency surgery, his wife said. He became a household name by beating Muhammad Ali in 1978.

Earlier, singer Tony Orlando, a good friend of his, sent out a message in a social networking site asking people to pray for Spinks' health. Orlando wrote that Spinks was "facing the greatest fight of his life."

Brenda Spinks admitted she doesn't know how long her husband will be hospitalized, but that she's optimistic about his recovery.

"There were complications after his first surgery, but everything has been fixed," she said.

Just a throwback, Leon's career rise like a meteoric one - he got a shot at Ali and the heavyweight title on Feb. 15, 1978, after just seven pro fights.

"Ali thought I was a wimp and I had to prove to him I wasn't," Spinks said recently. "I knew I could beat him after watching his fights."

Michael Spinks upset Holmes for the heavyweight title in 1985 and fought Mike Tyson in a title showdown three years later. Tyson knocked him out 91 seconds into the fight, and he retired.

Spinks, who has suddenly slurred his words since his active boxing days, was diagnosed back in 2012 with findings of shrinkage in his brain that is likely caused by the punches he took during his career according to the doctor.

"My brain has got to let me know I'm doing all right and I've got to do things to help my brain now," Spinks said after the diagnosis.

(Source: Yahoo Sports)