Ernie Terrell vs Thad Spencer

Thad Spencer gained the most important victory of his career when he outpointed former WBA heavyweight champion Ernie Terrell over 12 rounds at the Astrodome in Houston on 5 August 1967. Spencer, conceding 13 pounds and seven inches in height, dropped Terrell in the second round and remained the quicker, more active boxer through most of the contest. Referee Jimmy Webb scored it 118–110, judge Ernie Taylor also returned 118–110, and Chris Jordan had Spencer ahead by 116–110. The Associated Press card favoured Spencer 117–111. The bout formed part of the WBA’s eight-man tournament to determine a successor to Muhammad Ali, who had been stripped of the championship after refusing induction into the United States Army. A crowd of 13,946 attended the double-header, which also included Jimmy Ellis’s ninth-round stoppage of Leotis Martin.

Terrell entered as the WBA’s fourth-ranked contender and an 8–5 favourite. He had held the association’s version of the heavyweight title from 1965 until losing a punishing 15-round decision to Ali at the same arena six months earlier. At 6ft 6in, with an 82-inch reach, Terrell ordinarily used his jab, height and holding strength to make opponents work from an uncomfortable distance. Spencer, ranked fifth, stood 5ft 11in and weighed 202 pounds against Terrell’s 215. He had earned his tournament place through victories over Amos Lincoln, Doug Jones and Billy Daniels and was known for fast hands and quick movement rather than unusual punching power.

Spencer refused to remain at the end of Terrell’s jab. From the opening round he moved rapidly in both directions, stepped inside before the taller man could fully extend his left hand and punched in quick combinations. Terrell attempted to establish his customary rhythm, but his movements were slow and deliberate beside Spencer’s. The smaller boxer struck to the body before bringing hooks and rights to the head, then moved away before Terrell could hold him or answer cleanly. Terrell’s long jab reached the target occasionally, but he was too often made to turn and reset.

The first decisive incident came in the second round. Spencer closed the distance sharply and sent Terrell to the canvas with a fast combination. The former champion rose and completed the round, but the knockdown confirmed that Spencer could reach him despite the considerable difference in size. It also strengthened the younger man’s confidence. Rather than retreat after his success, Spencer continued to move in behind bursts of punches, attacking from angles and denying Terrell the stationary target he required. Terrell remained dangerous with the jab and right hand, yet he could not sustain an attack or force Spencer to remain at close quarters.

Terrell produced a stronger passage in the fifth round and appeared to send Spencer down during an exchange. Webb ruled that the fall had resulted from a shove and refused to administer a count. The decision deprived Terrell of his best opportunity to alter the course of the contest, although Spencer did not appear badly hurt and resumed his mobile attack. Through the middle rounds, Spencer continued to beat Terrell to the punch. His combinations were not always heavy, but they were delivered in greater number and usually ended before the former champion could organise a reply. Terrell increasingly attempted to lean upon Spencer or hold him when the smaller man entered, but those tactics did little to improve his position on the scorecards.

The later rounds became untidy as Terrell tried to slow the contest through physical work. Spencer remained the more active fighter, moving around the taller man and scoring with hooks and overhand rights. Terrell’s frustration was evident in the tenth, when Webb penalised him two points for low blows. The deductions widened an advantage which was already substantial. Spencer did not become careless after the penalties. He continued to move, attacked in short bursts and avoided remaining directly in front of Terrell after punching. The former champion pressed when he could, but his work lacked the speed and continuity required to recover the lost rounds.

Spencer finished the contest without permitting a late recovery. At the final bell there was no uncertainty about the winner. Terrell had possessed the greater size and championship experience, but Spencer had controlled the pace, scored the only recognised knockdown and landed the more frequent combinations. The wide official totals accurately reflected a contest in which Terrell was rarely able to impose his preferred method. His defeat was his second successive loss at the Astrodome and removed him from the tournament at the opening stage.

The victory raised Spencer to the head of the WBA rankings and briefly made him one of the leading candidates to take the vacant championship. His speed and confidence against Terrell caused several observers to favour him for the tournament. He met Jerry Quarry in the semi-final the following February but was stopped near the end of the twelfth round after being comprehensively outboxed. Against Terrell, however, Spencer had produced the finest performance of his career, overcoming a large physical disadvantage through superior movement, hand speed and sustained activity.

This is a time in heavyweight history that fascinates me, largely due to Cassius Clay/ Muhammad Ali. Whilst Ali and Frazier overshadowed the division, there were a lot of very good heavyweights with their own stories that fought in some good fights.

Ernie Terrell was the former WBA champion, a 6ft 6in heavyweight who had beaten Eddie Machen, George Chuvalo and Doug Jones before losing badly to Muhammad Ali. Thad Spencer was seven inches shorter, 13 pounds lighter and expected to struggle with Terrell’s jab, reach and holding. Instead, he made the big man look slow and cumbersome.

Spencer understood that standing outside was suicide. He used his quick feet to cross the distance, punched in fast bursts and moved before Terrell could lean on him. In the second round, a sharp combination dropped the former champion and removed any doubt about whether Spencer belonged at that level. Terrell appeared to put Spencer down in the fifth, but the referee ruled it a shove. Even had it counted, I do not think it would have changed the result.

Terrell never established his jab properly because Spencer kept changing the angle and beating him to the punch. As frustration set in, Terrell became rougher and was docked two points for low blows in the tenth. The official scores of 118–110 twice and 116–110 were wide, but fair.

For me, this was Spencer’s finest night. He did not merely outwork a taller man; he solved the style completely. His speed, timing and confidence made a former champion look ordinary. The pity is that he never built on it. He entered the tournament’s next stage as a fashionable choice to win the title, only for Jerry Quarry to expose his poor preparation and stop him. Against Terrell, though, Spencer was excellent.