Muhammad Ali was stunned as a fighter with a record of 6-0-1 outboxed him to secure a comprehensive victory.
At the peak of his powers, ‘The Greatest’ was a truly phenomenal practitioner of the sweet science, blessed with mesmerising footwork and a remarkable boxing IQ.
However, he was much more than just a competitor inside the ring, with his trash talk compelling fight fans and annoying his opponents. Ali once irritated Joe Frazier so much they ended up brawling in the middle of a TV interview.
However, towards the end of his career, he didn’t have quite as much swagger, with one boxer beating him just over a year into his professional career.
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Muhammad Ali lost to Leon Spinks
On February 15, 1978, Muhammad Ali went to war with Leon Spinks, inside the Las Vegas Hilton in Winchester, Nevada, USA.
Going into the bout, the legend was expected to win with ease, with his opponent having had very little experience outside of the amateur game.
However, when they set foot inside the ring together, the reality was anything but.
Spinks started beautifully, outboxing his opponent who struggled to deal with his slick style.
Throughout his time in boxing, Ali had developed a reputation for being extremely hard to hit, but his rival took no notice, landing heavy blows that caused noticeable bruising on the icon’s face.
As the fight progressed, Spinks only got better, rocking Ali and almost finishing him toward the end of the bout.
‘Neon Leon’ was awarded a split decision victory, with many confused how any judge could’ve given it to Ali.
The underdog walked away with the WBA, WBC and Ring Magazine titles.
However, the American wasn’t able to replicate his performance in the rematch, with a revitalized Ali dancing his way to a win on the cards.
Muhammad Ali lost his last ever fight to a boxing legend, Mike Tyson, would eventually knock out
Ali’s redemption against Spinks was the last time he’d taste victory inside the squared circle.
In his following contest, he lost to Larry Holmes, before going into the final fight of his career against another boxing legend.
Alas, he wasn’t able to get the job done that night either.
Incredibly, Mike Tyson avenged Ali’s loss to that icon by landing a brutal knockout blow.