Leon Spinks Shocked the World 45 Years Ago

[elmersalsa]

On a Friday night of February 15, 1978 in Las Vegas, NV, Leon Spinks, the former Olympic Gold Medalist with only 7 fights dethroned the great Muhammad Ali for the World Heavyweight Championship.

It is one of the biggest upsets ever. Ali was a 15-1 favorite.

Your thoughts.

[HomicideHenry]

Ali had, in reality, been on a decline since 1975. Prior to settling on Spinks he made an attempt to get a bout with a man who had knocked him out in the amateurs, but it was made clear that the man could not face Muhammad Ali unless he defeated somebody in the top 10. So that idea was scrapped.

Then he tried to do a stunt with Teofilio Stevenson in which there would be five three round bouts and whoever won the majority of the bouts would be considered the winner. This ultimately never came to fruition so it was abandoned.

Then for a brief time a light heavyweight by the name of Rossman was being looked at as being the opponent. But again the problem was that the man never fought a single solitary heavyweight.

So much of 1977-1978 Muhammad Ali engaged in exhibition fights, probably the most notable being in an exhibition with the 17-year-old Michael Dokes who would later become WBA heavyweight champion. But the organization's pressed and he needed somebody to fight and he thought he found it when Leon Spinks had a draw with Scott LeDoux.



I might be wrong with the timeline of events but I think at that point team Muhammad Ali reached out to him and it was expressed that if Spinks could beat somebody in the top 10 he would get the shot at Muhammad Ali. So Spinks took on the Italian heavyweight champion Alfio Righetti who was rated number 10 out of 10 and he managed to win a decision over him. The fight was on.

However because of Muhammad Ali's ego he could not believe that a man with only seven fights as a professional could ever beat him despite the man having a gold medal at the Olympics. He barely did any training and he came in kind of heavy and he rested on his laurels doing the rope-a-dope thinking that the man would tire himself out but it didn't happen. Therefore Muhammad Ali deservedly lost a unanimous decision.

It must be noted that once Leon Spinks was the champion he attempted to actually get a fight with Teofilio Stevenson, and they were going to have President Jimmy Carter and Fidel Castro sit in the front row. The event was going to be promoted by Bob Arum, but ultimately the Cuban refused.

Furthermore Leon Spinks was under obligation to defend the belt against Ken Norton and he refused to do so and he was stripped of the WBC title. To this day Ken Norton is the only heavyweight champion to have been awarded a belt without fighting anybody for it. And of course we know the rest of the story that he spent more time partying and getting high and drunk than he did training while Muhammad Ali for the last time took things seriously and managed to edge out of victory over his reckless and inexperienced opponent.

[elmersalsa]

There's rumours that the great Muhammad Ali lost the fight on purpose so that he could be a third time world heavyweight champion. At the time, it was never done.

Is that true of those rumours? Or are they false?

[goose 5]

No way the bout was on a Friday-I remember not watching it because I had to be up early the next morning.

[tiny_acres]

No way the bout was on a Friday-I remember not watching it because I had to be up early the next morning.

February 15th 1978 was a Wednesday. Why on a Wednesday?

[goose 5]

Loads of big fights were on weeknights years ago. The 3 Ali-Frazier bouts, Ali-Foreman, Leonard-Duran 2 and 3; both Leonard-Hearns bouts; Leonard-Hagler; just to name a few I remember. .

[Syntax Error]

I know it sounds bonkers, but the worst thing to happen to Leon is beating Ali.

Ok, he got to tell his grandchildren that he was the HW champion of the world and that he beat Ali, but at what price?

He was never ready for the sacrifices needed and it completely ruined his boxing career.

Saying that, you can't take it away from him.

For seven months in 1978, he was King of the world and it's obvious he acted like it too.

[Syntax Error]

There's rumours that the great Muhammad Ali lost the fight on purpose so that he could be a third time world heavyweight champion. At the time, it was never done.

Is that true of those rumours? Or are they false?

There are many ludicrous conspiracy theories about Ali and some of his fights.

I would urge anyone who believes this one to watch the last round of the first Spinks fight; Ali did not look like a man trying to lose his title; he was really pouring it on and trying to put Spinks away.

[goose 5]

No Doubt-round 15 blows that theory out of the water.

[elmersalsa]

Looking back at the fight again, it was a hell of a contest. Leon Spinks fought his ass off.

The Greatest started fighting after the 9th round. The first 8 rounds, he didn't take the fight seriously and that cost him.

The fight was closer than I thought now that I scored it again. Spinks in my view won the last 3 rounds for a 145-142 deserving score.

[elmersalsa]

The fight was The Ring Magazine Fight and Upset of the Year for 1978.

[gilgamesh]

The fight was The Ring Magazine Fight and Upset of the Year for 1978.

Upset of the Year I can see. I'm sure the Ring Mag was being generous giving it "Fight of the Year"

After all Saad Muhammad was active during this time.

[franciscojavier]

I read a very good biography of the Spinks brothers around a year and a half ago(I believe the title was “One Punch From The Promised Land”), and something it gets into is how during that very brief time when Leon Spinks was dedicated to the sport, possibly his biggest asset was his stamina. He had a seemingly endless gas tank during the first Ali fight and his lack of stamina in the rematch and subsequent fights was one of the most noticeable signs of his decline.

Nobody talks about that version of Leon the way people talk about Tokyo Douglas(in terms of hypothetical matchups) because his win over Ali wasn’t anywhere near as explosive obviously, but I think a fully dedicated and well managed Leon Spinks becomes at least a top 20/30 all-time heavyweight. Very few heavyweights have that sort of swarming style that you see more in lower weight classes.

[margaret thatcher]

nah leon just wasnt that good, he'd already failed to beat scott ledoux before beating ali too, something anyone of top 20/30 caliber should do. was still a young man without a lot of wear and tear when cotzee flattened him, etc

[elmersalsa]

Maybe Leon Spinks' management team knew that he wasn't going to be any good. So they gambled in challenging an old champion in decline and as it looks, the gamble paid off.

One incredible stat of Leon's career as an amateur, he won 178 fights and loss only 7, and he knocked out 133 opponents! Wow!

He was mighty good as an amateur

[Syntax Error]

Maybe Leon Spinks' management team knew that he wasn't going to be any good. So they gambled in challenging an old champion in decline and as it looks, the gamble paid off.

One incredible stat of Leon's career as an amateur, he won 178 fights and loss only 7, and he knocked out 133 opponents! Wow!

He was mighty good as an amateur

Leon wasn't a bad fighter at all.

He probably would have benefited from there being a Cruiserweight division when he started out and with the right dedication, he might have made more of a name for himself.

Saying that, he made a pretty big name for himself by being the only fighter in history to relieve Ali of the heavyweight championship, even if that magnificent feat derailed his career somewhat.

[elmersalsa]

Maybe Leon Spinks' management team knew that he wasn't going to be any good. So they gambled in challenging an old champion in decline and as it looks, the gamble paid off.

One incredible stat of Leon's career as an amateur, he won 178 fights and loss only 7, and he knocked out 133 opponents! Wow!

He was mighty good as an amateur

Leon wasn't a bad fighter at all.

He probably would have benefited from there being a Cruiserweight division when he started out and with the right dedication, he might have made more of a name for himself.

Saying that, he made a pretty big name for himself by being the only fighter in history to relieve Ali of the heavyweight championship, even if that magnificent feat derailed his career somewhat.

Yes, Leon Spinks was pretty good. His management team didn't think that way it seems. Maybe it was the right time to challenge the great Muhammad Ali. Maybe they thought that to get the championship quickly. This reminds me David Reid. He had to go for all in for the title at super welterweight. If not, the chance of being champion would have been very slim.

[Billy Tully]

He was rushed into the Ali bout because he was a self destructive headcase who wouldn't train or live the life and had never ending personal problems of his own making outside the ring.

The first Ali fight was the only time his team got him to knuckle down and partake in a full camp.

He was just a moron unfortunately and his younger brother succeeded by not following his example.

[elmersalsa]

He was rushed into the Ali bout because he was a self destructive headcase who wouldn't train or live the life and had never ending personal problems of his own making outside the ring.

The first Ali fight was the only time his team got him to knuckle down and partake in a full camp.

He was just a moron unfortunately and his younger brother succeeded by not following his example.

I couldn't agree more.

[jaouad]

Wished this fight never happend. People still use it to discredit Ali.

[pound per pound]

No way the bout was on a Friday-I remember not watching it because I had to be up early the next morning.

February 15th 1978 was a Wednesday. Why on a Wednesday?

Because Tuesday was out of the question.