Petros M. Spanakos, born July 26, 1938, one of seven boys, was raised by his parents, Stella and Michael Spanakos, both Greek immigrants from Mani, in what was the rough Red Hook section of Brooklyn. He took to boxing early, first for protection, then for competition. An electrifying fighter, credited with dozens of knockouts, he was one of the top amateur bantamweights in the country, winning a total of 10 Golden Gloves Championships in various cities, including New York, Chicago, and Las Vegas. In 1959, he earned a bronze medal in the Pan-American Games. He quickly became friends with his roommate at the Games, a young Cassius Clay, later Muhammad Ali.
Petros and his twin brother, Nikos, also a boxer, and a 1960 Olympian, were sometimes dubbed the Greek Twins and their bouts were widely covered in local and national news. This was an inspiration to many Greek-Americans, especially those arriving in the 1950s and 1960s. Earlier this month, The National Herald, the paper of record for the Greek diaspora community, named Petros and his twin brother among the top 20 Greek-American athletes.
For all his athletic achievements, he treasured most his relationship with Stratoniki Spanakos, the love of his life, his beautiful wife of 60 years, who survives him. They had three children and five grandchildren whom he loved prodigiously.
He was awarded a Juris Doctorate from New York Law School and later was a teacher and substance abuse counselor in the New York City public school system for over two decades, helping at risk youth.
He died at home on March 28, 2026. He was 87 years old. Besides Stratoniki, he is survived by his brother-in-law, Vasilios Zundos, his brothers and his sisters-in-law, George and Maria Spanakos and Nikos and Barbara Spanakos, his children, Michel Spanakos, Alexandra Spanakos Calle, and Anthony Spanakos, his son-in-law, Juan Calle, his daughters-in-law, Diana Boyar and Photini Spanakos, and his grandchildren, Brandon and Bailey Howe, and Stratoniki, Petros, and Vasilios Spanakos.