On This Day: September 15th - Muhammad Ali vs. Leon Spinks

Heavyweight Boxer Muhammad Ali wins the heavyweight Boxing Title on this day 1978 in New Orleans by beating Leon Spinks. A full house at the Louisiana Superdome watched as Ali won his third Heavyweight Boxing Title of his career. Ali beat Spinks in a 15 round decision in one of the most famous and most watched Boxing matches in history. Ali whom was the underdog in the fight was forced to push himself to the limit in order to beat the much younger and healthier Leon Spinks. Earlier in the year, Spinks had beat Ali in Las Vegas which made their rivalry even stronger. It wouldn't be the first time Ali won a Title as an underdog. He beat boxer Sonny Liston in six rounds for his first heavyweight title and was projected to lose that match as well.

Muhammad Ali was born with name Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. but changed his name to Muhammad Ali after converting to the Islam religion. Ali gained stardom and popularity after he won a gold medal at the 1960 Olympic games held in Rome. Later in his career he would prove himself to be one of the best boxer in the world. After winning his third Heavyweight Title by beating Leon Spinks, Ali retired for a couple of years before making a short come back. In 1981, Muhammad Ali retired from the sport of Boxing for good. Ali tokened the famous line "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee". His career was a successful, controversial and historical one.

"Ali defeats Spinks to win world heavyweight championship." 2008. The History Channel website. 15 Sep 2008, 04:04 http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do?action=Article&id=60046.