VIDEO: Top Rank Posts Muhammad Ali vs. Leon Spinks 2 in its Entirety for Black History Month
By Evan Wolff
Muhammad Ali remains one of the enduring figures not just in sports, but in all of culture and history in the 20th century. Ali would show up, despite all those that craved his demise, and took care of business fight after fight, either in the fighting ring or in the public arena at the forefront to the civil rights charge or the anti-Vietnam War movement. Unfortunately, due to the time period he fought in, many of his fights are not easily accessible for us to appreciate today. However, Top Rank promotions has given fight fans a gift in honor of Black History Month. The company uploaded Ali's rematch against Leon Spinks -- in which the 36-year-old Ali became the first fighter ever to become world heavyweight champ for a third time -- to its YouTube channel.
It's an incredible thing to watch Ali at this point in his career. He clearly wasn't the same fighter he used to be. Not by a long shot. He didn't have the same hand speed, and didn't have the best footwork. Yet, he still was one of the smartest fighters to ever put on boxing gloves, and it showed even in this bout.
He picked his spots, and worked the judges to begin the final title reign of his career.
This was a fight in which Ali may have been doubted as much as ever. But when you're The Greatest, the pure class shines through.