MUHAMMAD ALI AVENGES LEON SPINKS DEFEAT, CLAIMS THIRD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

On September 15, 1978, Muhammad Ali scored a convincing 15-round unanimous decision over Leon Spinks to regain Ring and WBA heavyweight titles at the Superdome in New Orleans. Scoring was on a rounds basis and favored the winner 11-4, 10-4-1 and 10-4-1.

Seven months earlier, Spinks scored one of the biggest upsets in boxing history when he outpointed Ali in Las Vegas. Despite being an Olympic champion, the 24-year-old Spinks was just 6-0-1 as a pro and was given next to no chance of victory.

The loss was an embarrassment to Ali, who vowed to become the first three-time heavyweight champion in boxing history.