Muhammad Ali defended his undisputed world heavyweight title against Leon Spinks

Date: February 15, 1978

Venue: Las Vegas Hilton, Las Vegas

Ali stance: orthodox

Spinks stance: orthodox

After losing his first bout with Ken Norton, Muhammad Ali won 14 consecutive fights. He regained the undisputed world title by stopping George Foreman in The Rumble in the Jungle. He also won a war of attrition against Joe Frazier in their trilogy bout. These hard fights were taking their toll on Ali's speed and reflexes. His most recent defence had been a points win over slugger Earnie Shavers. There were rumours Ali was out of shape for this contest and had not trained very hard.

Leon Spinks had an outstanding amateur career that culminated in him becoming light heavyweight champion in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. He turned pro in January 1977, and just over a year later he was challenging for the world title. He had six wins against journeymen and a draw against Scott LeDoux on his record. This looked like Spinks was being rushed into a big fight long before he was ready.

For an in depth look at their respective records, visit:

Muhammad Ali - https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/000180

Leon Spinks - https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/262