At the time Spinks won the title, he had had only seven professional fights. He beat a young ex-Marine named Leon Spinks, who had shocked the sports world by beating Ali in February of the same year by split decision. This is a mixed distinction, as, while it may indicate tenacity and longevity to win a title three times, it also means Ali had the misfortune of losing the title three times. On September 15, 1978, forty-three years ago on this day, Muhammad Ali, at the age of thirty-six, became the first heavyweight champion to win the title three times.
Professor Gerald Early with Leon Spinks at Field of Dreams, a sports and celebrity gift shop at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, January 2014.
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