St. Louis’ rich boxing history has been well-documented, and one of those memorable moments occurred during this week of February in 1978.
A young Leon Spinks, competing in just his eighth professional fight, met the man many believe to be the greatest boxer of all time in Muhammad Ali – and the bout was one for the ages.
Spinks, who won the light heavyweight gold medal at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, was a 10-to-1 underdog against the two-time heavyweight champion Ali.
The heavyweight champ didn’t train hard for the fight, never considering Spinks a real threat, and that decision would cost him. Ali felt that a kid with only seven professional fights under his belt didn’t have the experience to hang with a seasoned pro. His strategy was to wear down Spinks early and finish him off in the middle rounds when he began to tire.
However, it was Ali that ran out of steam. The fight went the distance, and Spinks won a split decision, making him the only man to take a title from Ali in the ring – his other losses were either non-title bouts or fights where Ali was the challenger.
The fight has been called one of the greatest boxing upsets in history, and Ring magazine named the bout its Fight of the Year for 1978. Spinks graced the cover of the February 19, 1978 Sports Illustrated and his boxing future looked bright.
The two met again in a rematch exactly seven months later on September 15, 1978, in the Superdome in New Orleans, however, this time the result would be different. Ali fought a tactical fight, clutching and grabbing whenever Spinks tried to assert himself, while picking Spinks apart with left jabs and occasional rights.
Ali was actually a better fighter during the first contest with Spinks in which he lost. Boxing experts were alarmed at how much Ali’s skills had deteriorated in just seven months. He moved slower in the ring and his punches lacked the power they once had.
But Ali fought a smart fight, changing tactics as he had so many times before – who can forget the “Rope-A-Dope” strategy he used to defeat George Foreman. The holding technique frustrated Spinks throughout the bout and the fight went the distance.
Ali won a unanimous 15-round decision to become boxing’s first three-time heavyweight champion. As for Spinks, the loss began what was a quick decline in a once-promising career.
