nown for was nonexistent. Butch Lewis took note of the "ass-kissers" in Ali's camp while he had Spinks whipped into excellent shape. All looked well until a sparring session that took place about ten days before the Ali-Spinks bout. Roy Williams, the sparring partner, hooked Spinks and caused a painful muscle tear around the rib cage that opened up everytime he lifted his arm a certain way. After fears of a postponement (which would have caused critics to label him as a bum), Spinks received a painkiller for his injury, and the bout went on as scheduled (Tyers,45). According to many who witnessed the actual bout, it was very disappointing. The out-of-shape Ali stayed on the ropes and assumed that Spinks was going to punch himself out (just like Foreman in Zaire.) But instead, Spinks punched nonstop. The painkiller wore off by round eleven, but by this time, the pain meant nothing as the "easy" challenger gained points against the once-unstoppable champ. And although Ali had Spinks backed up in the last round, it was too late. For the first time in his long career, Ali lost his title in the ring (Jet). Despite offers against folks who were even less credible than Spinks (even against the idle Kent Green, the only man to knock out the ex-Cassius Clay in an amateur match), Ali finally decided that it was time to retire. The retirement allowed free time for Ali to travel around the world as a diplomat (Hauser,55). After an embarrassing trip to Africa (which can be discussed in detail in the book Muhammad Ali: His Life And Times), Ali decided to return to the platform that allowed him to be himself and impact people all over the world. Against the wishes of many people who cared about him, Muhammad Ali was ready to come out of retirement to fight again. His mother, Odessa Clay, spoke out publicly about not wanting her son to go back the ring, but even she couldn't change his mind. Holmes had doubts about fighting his mentor, but the contract...
