The Michigan Daily-Saturday, September 16, 1978-Page
'I
unanimous over S
He's still the greatest
By UPI and Associted Press
NEW ORLEANS, La. -
Muhammad Ali turned back
the clock and made Leon
Spinks look like an amateur
last night to take a lopsided 15-
round unanimous decision and
become the only three-time
world heavyweight champion
in boxing history.
Ali, dancing and jabbing
better at the age of 36 than he
has in three years, appeared to
in every round except the fifth,
which was taken away from
him be referee Lucien Joubert
for holding Spinks by the neck.
A Mardi Gras-type crowd of over
70,000 in the Louisiana Superdome,
which paid an estimated $6 million to
more than double the previous live gate
record, chanted "Ali, Ali," as it saw
him win possibly the last fight of his
legendary career.
Circling the 25-year-old Spinks, the
former Olympic light heavyweight gold
medalist who was fighting only his
ninth professional bout, Ali flicked jabs
and combinations to_ the head
relentlessly. Nearly every time Spinks
mounted one of his wild charges, Ali
tied him up expertly.
The World Boxing Council did not
recognize the 15-round bout as a cham-
pionship contest, but, it would be dif-
ficult to convince anyone watching on
this night that Ali is not the champion of
the world.
Ali himself had said before the fight
that if he won, he would consider him-
self champion because WBA king Larry
Holmes is a paper champion.
Many people had come to New
Orleans because they thought it might
be Ali's last hurrah. It might be
that-Ali has indicated he would not
fight again even if he wins-but then
again, this incredible athlete might
keep rolling along just like the mighty
Mississippi River.
Immediately after the fight, the once-
again champion said he would have to
think about whether he would fight
again.
Judge Ernest Cojoe and referee
Lucien Juibert each scored it 10 rounds
for Ali, four for Spinks and one even.
Judge Herman Dueitriex called it 11-4
for Ali.
"It's my biggest fight because I'm
older and I realize it's my last fight,"
Ali had said before his 24th
heavyweight championship bout.
It might not be his last fight, and on
this night, Ali did not look 36 years old.
Ali never really let Spinks get star-
ted. And for most of the night, Spinks
looked like a young man making his
ninth pro fight rather than the
heavyweight champion of the year.
which he became by upsetting Ali on a
split 15-round decision in Las Vegas last
Feb. 15.
On that night, Ali tired visibly as
Spinks came on to win the last three
rounds in impressive fashion. But on
this evening, Ali was in shape and in
charge from start to finish, and as the.
fight drew to a close, the only way
Spinks could win was by a knockout.
The 25-year-old from a St. Louis ghet-
to never came close to hurting Ali, a
man who takes a punch as well as any
heavyweight who ever lived.
AP Photo
THE TENSION IS HIGH and the action fast and furious as challenger Muhammed Ali is cornered by WBA champion Li
Spinks in the opening round of last night's 15-round championship fight before 70,000 fans in the Louisiana Superdome.
AP Photo
HISTORY RELIVED itself last night in New Orleans, Louisiana, as Muhammed
Ali once again recaptured the WBA heavyweight championship witha= decisive
15-round victory over champion Leon Spinks, Ali is shown throwing a sharp right
atthe ducking Spinks.
NBA TEAM OPENS CRISLER CAMP:
N.Y.,Tigei
New York 4, Boston 0
NEW YORK (AP)-Ron Guidry
mastered Boston on two hits and Chris
Chambliss and Graig Nettles slammed
successive home runs in a four-run
fourth inning, propelling the rampaging
New York Yankees to a 4-0 victory over
the Red Sox last night in the opener of
their crucial three-game weekend
series.
The triumph, New York's ninth in its
last 10 games and its fifth straight over
Boston, extended the Yankees' lead in
the American League East to '2%
games over the Red Sox. Boston has
lost four in a row and 13 or its last 16
games.
Guidry, who blanked the Red Sox on.
two hits last Saturday in Boston,
yielded only Rick Burleson's third-
inning double and Fred Lynn's seventh-
inning single, raising his record to 22-2.
The lanky left-hander, who struck out
five and walked three, has won his last
seven decisions and nine of his lasst
10-six of them shutouts.
Detroit 1, Cleveland 0
CLEVELAND (AP)-Dave Rozema
pitched a four-hitter and Rusty Staub
hit a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning to
score Ron LeFlore with the only run as
the Detroit Tigers nipped the Cleveland
Indians 1-0 last night.
Rozema, 8-10, beat the Indians with a
complete game for the second time in
rs both win
six days, having stopped the Indians
with a five-hitter on Saturday. He out-
dueled Paul Reuschel, 2-3, who limited
the Tigers to eight hits before giving
way to Sid Monge in the ninth.
LeFlore opened the sixth inning with
an. infield hit, stole second-his 63rd
steal of the season-and went to third
on a sacrifice by Lou Whitaker before
coming home on Staub's long fly to left.
OPEN TONIGHT
'til I A.M.
" Billiards * Pinball
and
* Bowling
WM-4
at the
UNION
;t'
Vitale: Pistons talent-shy
BY ALAN FANGER
Bob Lanier gracefully strutted about
Crisler Arena, his knees showing no
signs of previous battle wounds. Kevin
Porter chatted - with some old
teammates and made acquaintance
with some new ones. He was glad to be
back. And Dick Vitale talked and
smiled, talked and smiled ...
Everyone was smiling. Not that it
was a new custom at Detroit Piston
press days - smiles are the norm for
such events. Only these smiles were
genuine. Especially Vitale's. This was a
man fulfilling a dream - to be a
professional basketball coach.
A cautious optimism permeated the
Crisler confines as the pistons opened
their two-week training camp in
preparation for the 1978-79 season.
"We don't yet have the talent to be a
'championship team," Vitale candidly
commented. "What we need is a
forward who is a good perimeter
shooter, and right now, we don't have
one.
xThe former University of Detroit
head coach, appointed in May to take
the reins of a team which went 38-44 and
missed the playoffs in '77-'78, indicated
a willingness to give up one of the
Pistons' three first-round draft choices
in 1979 in order to obtain a good
shooting forward, provided that he
"gives us more than just a year."
Vitale plans to experiment this year,
particularly on offense. "I'm going to
try Leon (Douglas) in the pivot and
move Bob (Lani'er) over to forward,
because I know he can shoot from that
position," he said, adding that Lanier,
who underwent knee surgery last
spring, would determine himself how
much he is able to play.
Six players have "sewed up" spots on
the team, according to Vitale. They are
Lanier, Douglas, forwards John
Shumate and M. L. Carr, -and guards
Chris Ford and Kevin Porter. Porter
was reacquired last week in a trade
which sent Eric Money to the New
Jersey Nets.
The other five' spots are considered
"open", and Vitale has rebuffed any
favoritism toward former U-D stars
Terry Tyler and John Long. "Yes, I do
have a special feeling for these guys, he
said. "But if they're not good enough to
make it, they'll be cut."
There is a general feeling that
Detroit's realignment to the Central
Division might very well hurt them,
although Vitale thinks a .500 record
sports a good chance at a playoff spot.
"The experts have us fifth behind
Houston, San Antonio, Atlanta, and
Cleveland, but it's far too early to tell
yet what's going to happen."
Now that the 38-year-old New Jersey
native has hit the "big time", he will
have to rectify problems which never
arose while he was at U-D. Like losing
streaks.
"I know there will be times when
we'rekon the West coast, let's say, and
we lose three or four straight. I think I
can handle this sort of thing. If the guys
in the front office don't think so, then
I'll have to find another job."
Can Vitale command the respect of
his players, a difficult task of late,
without having any playing
experience? Vitale coolly responded,
"Does a doctor have to have a heart
attack to be able to perform open heart
surgery?"
The Pistons open their exhibition
schedule on Sunday, Sept. 24, as they
host the Cleveland Cavaliers at Crisler.
Regular season action begins Oct. 13
when Detroit ,makes its Silverdome
debut against the New Jersey Nets.
SCORES and pick up the
Detroit 1, Cleveland 0 day of the game
Oakland 1, Texas 0 (second game, night)
Baltimore 8, Toronto 3
Pittsburgh i, Montreal 1
New York 4, Boston 0
St. Louis 6, Chicago 2
Pittsburgh 6, Montreall1
INTRAMURAL OFFICIALS
" Nike
* Adidas
* Tiger
" Brooks
" New Balance
NEEDED
/11
Learn a Lifetime
Sports Activity
Come to the following clinics
at the
Intramural Sports Bldg.
606 E Hoover
^1
Make Us Your Warm-Up
Headquarters for This Fall
* Adidas
" Winning Ways
4.