Muhammad Ali vs. Leon Spinks Muhammad Ali vs. Leon Spinks Muhammad Ali vs. Leon Spinks was the World Boxing Council professional boxing match contested on February 15, 1978 in Las Vegas, Nevada for the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship. After his unanimous decision victory against Earnie Shavers, Muhammad Ali decided to face 1976 Olympic Gold medalist Leon Spinks, knowing that he'd have to face Ken Norton for the fourth time or lose his WBC belt, after the No 1 ranked Norton beat No 2 ranked Jimmy Young in a title eliminator in November 1977. The 10–1 underdog Spinks ended up winning two of the scorecards 145–140 and
Leon Spinks vs. Muhammad Ali II holding. The Associated Press scored the fight 12-3 for Ali, while the three judges had the bout 11-4, 10-4 and 10-4 all in favor of Ali giving him a Unanimous decision win. Ali regained the WBA heavyweight title and avenged his split decision loss to Spinks from seven months prior. He also became the first man to win the World Heavyweight Championship three times. In June 1979, Ali sent an official letter of retirement to the WBA. Promoter Bob Arum said he paid Ali $300,000 to announce his retirement because Ali's reluctance had delayed the scheduling of a fight between