Thaddeus Spencer Jr. (March 28, 1943 – December 13, 2013) was an American
heavyweight
Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling.
Boxing Professional
Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the W ...
boxer.
A native of
Portland, Oregon
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populou ...
, Spencer made his professional boxing debut in May 1960. After building up a 31-5 record, which included wins over contenders
Doug Jones,
Brian London
Brian Sidney Harper (19 June 1934 – 23 June 2021), known professionally as Brian London, was an English professional boxer who competed from 1955 to 1970. He held the British and Commonwealth heavyweight title from 1958 to 1959, and twice ...
and
Amos Lincoln, he was highly regarded enough to be a part of the eight-man
WBA elimination tournament, held after
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, ...
had been stripped of the title. Spencer won a 12 round decision over former title-holder
Ernie Terrell
Ernie is a masculine given name, frequently a short form ( hypocorism) of Ernest, Ernald, Ernesto, or Verner. It may refer to:
People
* Ernie Accorsi (born 1941), American football executive
* Ernie Adams (disambiguation)
* Ernie Afaganis (born ...
in August 1967 and was then matched against
Jerry Quarry
Jerry Quarry (May 15, 1945 – January 3, 1999), nicknamed "Irish" or "The Bellflower Bomber", was an American professional boxer. During the peak of his career from 1968 to 1971, Quarry was rated by ''The Ring'' magazine as the most popular ...
in the semi-finals. Despite entering the bout as a 6/4 favourite, Spencer lost to Quarry by a 12th round
TKO TKO may refer to:
Sports
* Technical knockout, a professional fighting term
* Total Knock Out, a professional wrestling move
Music Artists
* TKO (band), a rock band from Seattle, Washington
* TKO, a pop group led by Katie White
Albums
* ''TKO ...
. Spencer lost his next three fights by knockout, to
Leotis Martin,
Billy Walker and
Mac Foster, and was never a serious title contender again. He continued boxing until 1971, though without winning another bout.
Spencer died in his sleep on December 13, 2013 in
Vallejo, California
Vallejo ( ; ) is a city in Solano County, California and the second largest city in the North Bay region of the Bay Area. Located on the shores of San Pablo Bay, the city had a population of 126,090 at the 2020 census. Vallejo is home to t ...
.
Spencer's son,
Todd Spencer, was a football star for
U.S.C.
In the law of the United States, the Code of Laws of the United States of America (variously abbreviated to Code of Laws of the United States, United States Code, U.S. Code, U.S.C., or USC) is the official compilation and codification of the ...
, and played 3 seasons in the N.F.L. for the Steelers and the Chargers.
Professional boxing record
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spencer, Thad
1943 births
2013 deaths
Boxers from Portland, Oregon
Heavyweight boxers
American male boxers