The Fall of the King and the Breaking of the Ring of Power: Spinks Vs Ali I and the Championship Split
By Kevin “The Voice” Kincade
This fight was the only time, to my recollection, that my father and I sat down and purposefully watched a fight together. Dad just wasn’t a boxing fan; but Muhammad Ali was a big hero to me and Dad took interest in this fight, I think because I did. In February of 1978, I had just turned seven years old a few months before and believed Muhammad Ali could do no wrong and could lose to no one. I didn’t understand age and how it affects a fighter, or how ring wars and years of punishment pile up on a man’s back, weighing him down. I didn’t’ understand how important it was to be in the best of physical condition for any match and to underestimate no one. I also didn’t understand one crucial anomaly about boxing and really, anything in life.
At the time, in my juvenile mind, I simply believed that only a select few people were chosen to be “great” and that this was a cardinal rule of life; these were people destined to be heroes: people like Muhammad Ali, Evel Knievel, and John Wayne. I didn’t’ understand, as I found to be true by the end of the fight, that everyone, by definition, is merely human, regardless of reputation and that on any given night, any man who believes in himself enough and tries hard enough, can be great, if only for one night.
The word “great” is precisely what comes to mind when one looks back on the 1976 Olympic Boxing Team and the five young men who brought home gold from Montreal. Anyone who saw the performances of Leo Randolph, Howard Davis Jr., the Spinks brothers, and a young phenom by the name of “Sugar” Ray Leonard that Olympiad, will never forget it. Of the two Spinks brothers, Michael, age 20, defeated the reigning Amateur Middleweight Champion for his gold and his older brother, a 22 year old Marine Corporal named Leon warred with and ultimately overwhelmed Cuban monster puncher and master technician, Sixto Soria in the 178 lb. gold medal match, sending the crowd into chants of “U.S.A!! U.S.A.!!! U.S.A.!!” The scene gave one goosebumps, making the hairs on the back of your arms and neck stand at attention. It was awesome.
Like the other Class of ’76, Leon brought that excitement with him into the pro ranks. In October of 1977, after 5 professional fights, he was 5-0 with 5 knockouts, facing the toughest challenge of his young career in “The Fighting Frenchman”, Scott LeDoux. The 224 lb. Minnesota native was what could be termed, a fringe contender; a tough journeyman fighter. At 22-6, he had proven himself to be a good trial horse heavyweight; just tough enough to give a good showing in a loss, the kind of fighter you’d put your young charge in against, if you wanted him to grow and see if he had what it took.
Scott had only won 3 of his last 8 bouts; but the losses were to good recognizable names like then 27-0-1 John “Dino” Denis, followed by a crushing defeat at the hands of George Foreman, then a loss to 19-1-1 John Boudreaux, sandwiched between two losses to Duane Bobick.
Coming into this fight, there were also whispers of a fight with Ali for the title in the near future, provided Leon didn’t’ get derailed, so popular was he at this time. So, from Spinks’ management’s perspective, LeDoux was the perfect opponent; and what a war the two put on at the Aladdin!
Spinks emerged from the bout with a draw; but it was his first time going 10 Rounds and he showed a lot of stomach in the process. He proved he had good stamina, could take a punch, and had tons of heart. He also displayed relentless aggression, great hand speed, and hunger with a capital “H”. Of course, his pressure fighting style was also attractive and, no doubt, had improved from the amateurs, thanks to the work he’d been doing in Joe Frazier’s gym in Philadelphia. The kid was on his way.
By the time Leon climbed through the ropes at Caesar’s Palace on the Norton-Young undercard in November to face the Italian Heavyweight Champion, 27-0 Alfio Righetti, former Middleweight great and Joe Frazier corner man, George Benton had joined Sam Solomon in Spinks brain-trust; and it showed. Spinks came out smokin’ in the first round and put the fear of God into the undefeated Italian’s heart.
The Italian policeman was a defensive counterpuncher and a clever boxer and should have been far too seasoned for a supposedly green Spinks. He did make it a close fight; but the 5-0-1 St. Louis native showed unusual maturity, unveiling a great jab while continually cutting off the ring and smothering Righetti’s effectiveness with his own aggression. Spinks knew a title shot was waiting for him at the end of the final bell, if he walked away with a win. With Muhammad Ali watching from ringside, he took charge of the affair and sent Righetti home to Italy with his first loss, never to fight overseas again.
And so it was that the 6-0-1, 24 year old Leon Spinks challenged for the Heavyweight Championship of the World, against Muhammad Ali on February 15th, 1978, in front of less than 6,000 people at the Hilton Hotel Ballroom in Las Vegas, live on television being broadcast around the world. The United States Olympic Light Heavyweight Gold Medalist, a title once held by a kid named Cassius Clay oh so many years ago, was to challenge the 36 year old reigning Professional Heavyweight Champion of the world, 55-2 living legend, Muhammad Ali.
Nobody gave Spinks a chance.
He was, officially, a 10-1 underdog; but the idea that this hungry, inexperienced young kid actually stood a chance against Muhammad Ali was beyond preposterous. In his last fight, Ali had once again proven why he called himself “The Greatest” with a heart-pounding, dramatic 15 Round War with monster-puncher, Earnie Shavers, pulling out all the stops in the last round as both men stood all of Madison Square Garden on its feet with their fight to the finish. How was a guy with 7 professional fights going to last beyond 8 Rounds with the Champ?
A far more worthy contender, Ken Norton, had just cemented his contendership not three months past in a stirring tactical war with Jimmy Young. The WBC had mandated that Ali sign to face him within 60 days of his victory, yet Ali was defending the World’s most precious title against a kid. While both Spinks and Ali had agreed to defend against Norton next, the following matchup appeared to be a forgone conclusion with young “Neon Leon” being the sacrificial lamb for Ali-Norton IV as “warm up” bout.
Hence the problem with “certainties”.
Leon Spinks was just as hungry as Muhammad Ali was full. While Leon was fighting to escape the rough neighborhood in St. Louis, Missouri, he called home, Ali was hobnobbing with the rich and famous. While Leon was compiling an amazing amateur record of 178-7 (133 knockouts) on the way to his 1976 Olympic Gold, Muhamad was debating whether or not to retire in-between multimillion dollar paydays. Ali was tired of boxing; but the money and the ego kept him in the game. Spinks, on the other hand, could see the land of milk and honey he’d always dreamed of just beyond the next fight. Ali’s success had become his greatest weakness and on February 15th, a hungry young wolf came to collect.
Entering to the strains of “Land of Hope and Glory”, the same music which wrestler, “Macho Man” Randy Savage would popularize to WWE fans years later, Ali looked the part of the King returning to his kingdom to greet his subjects. He was the star of this show and everybody knew it. After entering the ring and giving Lou Rawls a hug, he casually walked over and shook the hands of everybody in Spinks’ corner, to show them this was nothing personal. He wasn’t the least bit concerned. This was going to be just another sparring session, just an overhyped exhibition with the world’s greatest amateur.
The opening bell sounded and Ali rushed to ring center, as if he meant business, only to throw a few jabs and allow Leon to force him to the ropes and into his shell he went. He was going to Rope-a-Dope this overexcited kid. Spinks gladly took advantage of the opportunity and began wailing away for all his 197 pounds was worth, hitting Ali on the arms, on the ribs, the stomach, ripping uppercuts between Ali’s arms into his mouth and nose, whatever he could hit. When Ali decided to dance for a bit, Leon patiently followed. When Muhammad clinched him, you could see Leon smiling through his gum shield over Ali’s shoulder, a twinkle in his eye. He was just glad to be there.
In between rounds, you could hear Muhammad responding to Angelo Dundee’s concern by saying, “Oh, he’s young. He can’t fight like that for long.” Back into the fray, Ali began again holding and talking, “C’mon, man! C’mon!” Holding him at long range with his left, “You are tired! Yes, you are tired! Come on!” While Ali was talking, Leon was punching; and punching incessantly, like a metronome, hard punches, damaging punches, beating on Ali’s biceps, his ribcage, his kidneys, wherever there was a target. Still, Ali talked.
By the fourth, Ali had apparently decided to show the kid who he was in there with and about two thirds of the way through the round, after mugging playfully with the crowd, he began to let his hands go with some speed and conviction.
It was a similar pattern to the one he’d set in the Shavers fight, minus the bone jarring near-knockout he’d felt in the 2nd. The big difference was the kid kept punching like a machine. Shavers knew to pace himself and not burn himself out; but Shavers was also ten years older than his opponent tonight. Youth and enthusiasm go a long way, which is why you have to stop and get some respect every now and then, which is what Ali attempted to do in Round 4.
What happened was quite the opposite of what was intended. Spinks jumped right back on him and began throwing even more vicious punches. He wanted Ali to throw so he could exchange. The more punches Ali threw, the more Spinks threw back; and busted Ali’s lip in the process. The former marine was not intimidated by the moment or the man in the least.
For the next few rounds, Ali boxed a little, danced a little, played a little, and rope-a-doped some more. He had to have been surprised by the skill Leon showed, for he was no mere brawler, though he absolutely could brawl and loved to mix it up. Leon was ducking Ali’s rights, slipping his lefts or out jabbing him on the way inside, where he then hammered his body and arms mercilessly. Also, the fact that Ali came in at 224 lbs., with a spare tire around his middle, didn’t help.
Over the last three years, Ali had mastered the art of saving his strength and opening up at just the right moment to steal the round or surprise his opponent enough to get him into a vulnerable position. He’d gotten lazy in his training habits and was far from in the best condition he could be in, relying on his ability to summon up just enough at the right time to win the round or get the job done, completely.
He had conned both the fans and the opponents into the illusion that he could “turn it on” anytime he wanted to, belying the truth, that it was all a magic trick, like the illusions he was so found of performing in private. It was a charade which could only be exposed by one fearless enough to push him to his very limits.
Joe Frazier was the last man to do this in 1975 and if not for his badly swelling eyes, he might have just pulled it off. As it was, the Ali who left Manilla would never be the same as subsequent fights proved. While Shavers had him on the brink, he wasn’t active enough, overall, to push him over the edge, though he certainly had the power and certainly came close. Spinks might not have punched as hard as Shavers; but he had more than enough “want to” and fought as a man with nothing to lose, unleashing a never ending assault from Round 1 on.
When the bell sounded for the tenth round, Ali knew it was getting late and time to put the finishing touches on the show. This is where, traditionally, he’d unleash the energy he’d been saving on the man who had expended more for the last thirty minutes. It was time to get serious and put an end to this amateur and give the fans what they wanted. It was time for “the real Muhammad Ali” to emerge from his games and go to work.
Ali had begun to open up toward the end of Round 9, catching Leon with some meaningful stuff. In the tenth, he waited for Spinks to come across the ring and then, suddenly, began unleashing some blistering uppercuts, hooks, and crosses, pinning the challenger to the ropes for a more heated attack, rocking Spinks’ head back and sending the crowd into a bedlam; but the kid didn’t go down. In fact, he could be heard talking to Ali, just as Ali had done to his opponents in the past, amidst their best stuff.
After opening up his reserve, Ali, unlike so many times before, had the look of an exhausted man. The body punishment, the shots to the arms and kidneys, the years of abusing his body outside the ring, 18 years of taking punches all at once, seem to jump on his back. He backed away, throwing sloppy jabs, right leads with no snap. “C’mon man! You that man! C’mon! Bring it!” It was a tried and true trick. If he could anger Spinks into launching himself forward, recklessly, he could catch him coming in. Trickeration, to use a “King-ism”, was the key while he found his third wind, having just spent his second. Leon wasn’t falling for it, though. He’d been schooled well on Ali and kept slipping his rights and pounding the champ some more for the trouble.
By the time the 15th came around, the crowd sensed an upset. Ali had been unable to sustain a rally in rounds 11 through 14, as in the past and Spinks had hammered Ali hard with the right several times in the last round, appearing to hurt the old champion on occasion. The man who used to be as elusive as a handful of gas, seemingly couldn’t get out of the way of a punch, whether it be a jab or a right or an uppercut or anything Spinks threw. And, for his part, the young man, as exhausted as he must have been, was showing the same intensity and ferocity as at the beginning.
Ali may have been old, he may have been out of shape, he may have been tired, exhausted, and dead on his feet; but he was still the Heavyweight Champion of the World. Nobody knew what that meant like he did. Likewise, Leon Spinks may have only had seven professional fights and may have been in uncharted waters, he may have also been spent; but he could see the finish line, he could smell victory and the thing he’d been fighting for all of his life just three minutes away.
To say drama was high, would be the chiefest of understatements. The crowd knew it, the corners knew it, the fighters knew it; and both men came out and let it all hang out because this was that moment when destinies are decided. Ali fought with the pride of a man who knew he was the champion and Spinks with the determination of a man who would not be denied. Each man hammered the other and rallied back, through exhaustive ache and lungs filled with fire. On rubbery legs they stood swinging, neither willing to give an inch until the task was done, until the bell rang one final time or one of them could continue no longer.
Back and forth to the screams of the crowd, they hammered each other, both refusing to fall. Desperately, Ali tried to stop the man who was threatening to take his crown; but for every punch that snapped Leon’s head back, his heart made him throw back two in return. It was a round for the ages.
It ended with Spinks smashing Ali to the jaw, driving the great old champion into the ropes. The bell sounded. Ali patted Spinks on the shoulder in passing and as Leon’s brother Michael and droves of friends and supporters rushed the ring to lift the weary fighter into the air, the man known as “The Greatest” slowly walked back to his corner on unsteady legs, his head held down, shaking it at the reality of what he must have known was coming.
The decision was split, giving those who viewed the fight a moment of unease; but when Chuck Hull said Leon’s name after the third score, the noise which exploded in the Hilton Ball Room nearly drown out the next sentence as the ring to his left erupted in unadulterated celebration.
Leon Spinks, at 7-0-1, 5 KO’s was the new Heavyweight Champion of the World.
He would be the “undisputed champion” for one month and three days, for on March 18th, 1978, the WBC (World Boxing Council) held to their word and stripped Leon for not holding to his. Leon had agreed to defend against Ken Norton, should he defeat Muhammad Ali; but when Ali asked for a rematch, Leon promised him he’d get one. Just as a young Muhammad Ali had been stripped by the WBA (World Boxing Association) for granting a rematch to former World Champion Sonny Liston before facing #1 Contender, Ernie Terrell, now Leon Spinks found himself with half a crown for repeating history.
Unlike the WBA affair in 1965, where Terrell had to face and defeat Eddie Machen to be crowned “champion”, the WBC awarded Norton their recognition as “champion” based, retroactively, on his controversial decision victory over Jimmy Young the previous November.
And so the title, “World Heavyweight Champion”, which had been owned by one single individual at any given time, with a few very limited exceptions, for the last 96 years would soon enter into an era of chaos.
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