Tenacious Spinks takes Ali’s title in colossal upset

Press, 17 February 1978, Page 24

Tenacious Spinks takes Ali’s title in colossal upset

NZPA Las Vegas, Nevadr Leon Spinks, turning tiger in the final rounds, scored a shocking upset yesterday with a split-decision victory over Muhammad Ali to become the heavy-weight boxing champion of the world, the Associated Press reported

Spinks, a 24-year-old for-; mer member of the United 1 States Marine corps withj just seven previous profes- ’ sional fights, refused to runj out of fight. In an exciting fifteenth round he landed a left-right to the head at the i bell that sent Ali stumbling! back to his comer. His face’ was a mask of >arn and! weariness. At the final bell, Spinks’! cornermen jumped mto the; ring and began celebrating.. As it turned out, the celebration was not premat-ire. . Art Lurie, the first scorer! announced, had it 143-142’ for Ali. But the other two' judges voted for Spinks — ■ Howard Buck 144-141 tnd' Lou Tabat 145-140. There was no question' that Ali was a beaten man. at the end. The 36-year-o)d champion, conserving his strength a~d picking his spots with tieadj punches, seemed to be ni command after 10 rounds, j But Spinks would not be de-l nied boxing’s most shocking! upset since Ali won the title from Sonny Liston in seven, rounds in 1964. In the hirteentb round.J Spinks scored with a left-i right to the head and. as Alil •dsibly tired, the challenger! landed several other good lefts. In the fourteenth, Alt, his; left eye swelling, tried >o| stem the tide with hisi famous iab. But Spinks Kept: coming, and hurt Ali with i vicious left hook midway ml the round. He followed iti with a risl**=teft and an up-1 percut in a flurry just be-1 fore the bell. Spinks clearly outpunchedl the champion in that ex-1 change. As the fifteenth round opened, the Spinks followers] in a crowd of 5300 at the I Hilton Pavilion were tand-l ing and cheering and therel were some worried looks in the Ali 'omer. The comer had reason to be worried.

> All fought the fifteenth ! round in furious fashion. But .this time it was the fury of la 36-year-old man and it i paled alongside the fury of a 124-year-old who had nothing 'to lose and everything to gain.

And he gained it ail. Ini ithat thrilling fifteenth, both, I fighters ’ook turns rocking ’ ione another with right • hands and hooks. Ali got in three good hooks and a right | early in the round, but! Spinks kept up the pressure! and although he almost fell I

(from apparent exhaustion,] 'he outpunched Ali in the; , final 30 seconds and hurt him, {with a thunderous book just! at the bell. • United Press International! reported immediately after[ •the fight that the exhausted' Ali refused to confirm the .bout would be his last.

“I did my best,” Ali said. "] lon’t snow if I’ll fight again. I’d like to maybe 'have a rematch.” , "1 trained hard,” said! I Spinks, minutes after the I ’ decision was announced. “II i dedicated myself to training, jl had a great opportunity; and I thank God — God’s the main man. We knew what we had to do to be the ‘man on top. i “Yeah. 1’1) fight him -tgain [but I haven’t decided when ;yet.” The Associated Press re-1 ported the gap-toothed! Spinks was such an under-; idog that the Nevada book-; imakers would not make a betting line, but the "smart- ; monev” guys were wrong I this time. I At a press conference >n {Tuesday at which Ali ended | two months of public silence, he said: “The only I i thing that makes this a big I fight is his ag«- and my 'age.” I Of course, he was right — ;l as he has been so many .{times in the past. I Spinks, who weighed only >11974 lbs to Ali’s 224}lbs and j gave away four inches in ■{reach and years of ex'perience, maintained tn the

[days leading up to the fight j that none* of this bothered I him.

{ “I’m in condition,” he said. “I can go the whole 15 i smokin’ — not like Joe FraIzier but like Leon Spinks.”

; "Smokin’ like Leon Spinks made the St Louis {native the new and most { professionally inexperienced heavy-weight champion in history. Only one man ever i fought for the title with {fewer professional fights, i That was Pete Radmacher, I who was stopped in six i rounds by Floyd Patterson {in 1957 in wh_t was Radmai cher’s professional debut. I Not only does the defeat

h..ve to hurt Ali’s gre; pride, a pride built by 2 heavy-weight championshi bouts and the ability t overcome adversity in an out of the ring, it also badl dented his bankbook. Ali has been talking abou wanting SUSI2M to figh’ Ken Norton in a tith rematch. Norton, who was at ringside yesterday, nov has to look elsewhere for s title bid. But he could be it line for a shot at Spinks before Ali gets one, because the World Boxrag Council and World Boxing Association do not recognise re-turn-bout clauses in contracts.