Leon Spinks vs. Muhammad Ali II Leon Spinks vs. Muhammad Ali II Leon Spinks vs. Muhammad Ali II, was a professional boxing match contested on September 15, 1978 in New Orleans for the WBA and Lineal Heavyweight Championships. The fight was estimated to have been watched by a record 2billion viewers worldwide, in some 80 nations. After his shock win over Ali to become Heavyweight champion, Leon Spinks was stripped of the WBC belt for not facing its number one ranked contender Ken Norton, instead he agreed to a rematch with Ali. Ali entered the rematch as a 2½ to 1 favorite. ABC televised the fight
Scipio Spinks shuttled between Class AAA and the major league club for the next few seasons. The hard-throwing Spinks had control problems but also struck out an average of one batter per inning in the American Association. In April 1972, Spinks was traded to the Cardinals for Jerry Reuss. He started the season with the major league club and pitched well. By midseason, he was third in the National League in strikeouts, behind only Steve Carlton and Tom Seaver. Spinks finished with a 2.67 ERA. Spinks was exceptionally fast for a pitcher, and for that reason the Cardinals frequently used him as