Today in sports history

Thirty years ago today (which is to say, my dad's 44th birthday; happy 74th birthday, Owen Mullett), Leon Spinks beat (YouTube link) Muhammad Ali in only Spinks' eighth professional fight, in a 15-round decision in Las Vegas. Thus Spinks became the fastest heavyweight champion in history. Ali was aging and out of shape, and though he didn't know it yet, was in the early stages of Parkinson's disease.

But exactly seven months later, in New Orleans, Ali regained the title, taking advantage of Spinks' complacency and failure to train properly. Spinks never held the title again, though his brother Michael would get it a few years later.