Today in History: Muhammad Ali wins world heavyweight title
Less than a year later Ali announced his retirement only to come back for a year two years later.
On this day in 1978, boxer Muhammad Ali defeated Leon Spinks at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans to win the world heavyweight boxing title for the third time in his career, the first fighter ever to do so.
Born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr in Louisville, Kentucky, on 14 January 1942, the future world champ changed his name to Muhammad Ali in 1964 after converting to Islam. He earned a gold medal at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome and made his professional boxing debut against Tunney Husaker in October 1960, winning the bout in six rounds.
On 25 February 1964, Ali defeated the heavily favoured Sonny Liston in six rounds to become heavyweight champ, after which he famously declared, “I am the greatest!”.
During the Vietnam War, Ali refused to be inducted into the US armed forces and in 1967 was convicted of draft evasion and banned from boxing for three years. He stayed out of prison as his case was appealed, and returned to the ring in October 1970, knocking out Jerry Quarry in Atlanta in the third round. On 8 March 1971, Ali fought Joe Frazier in the ‘Fight of the Century’ and lost after 15 rounds, the first loss of his professional boxing career. In June 1971, the US Supreme Court overturned Ali’s conviction for evading the draft.
At a January 1974 rematch at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, Ali defeated Frazier in 12 rounds. In October of that same year, an underdog Ali bested George Foreman and reclaimed his heavyweight champion belt at the heavily hyped ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ in Kinshasa, Zaire, with a knockout in the eighth round.
On 15 February 1978, in Las Vegas, an ageing Ali lost the title to Leon Spinks in a 15-round split decision. For Spinks, who was born in 1953 and won a gold medal in boxing at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, the fight was just the eighth of his professional career. However, seven months later, on 15 September, Ali won back the title in a unanimous 15-round decision.
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