Thaddeus Spencer Jr. (March 28, 1943 – December 13, 2013) was an American heavyweight boxer.
A native of Portland, Oregon, Spencer made his professional boxing debut in May 1960. After building up a 31–5 record, Spencer was considered one of the top boxers of his time. With wins over contenders Doug Jones, Brian London, George Johnson, Tom McNeeley and Amos Lincoln, he was regarded highly enough to be a part of the eight-man WBA elimination tournament, held after Muhammad Ali had been stripped of the title. Spencer won a 12-round decision over former title-holder Ernie Terrell in August 1967 and was then matched against Jerry Quarry in the semi-finals. Despite entering the bout as a 6–4 favorite, Spencer lost to Quarry by a 12th-round 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. Spencer's son, Todd Spencer, was a football star for U.S.C., and played three seasons in the NFL for the Steelers and the Chargers.
Professional boxing record
ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes46Loss32–13–1 Tony DoyleUD1007/06/1971 Dallas Memorial Auditorium, Dallas, Texas45Loss32–12–1 Ron StanderUD1023/04/1971 Omaha Civic Auditorium, Omaha, Nebraska44Loss32–11–1 Jose Luis GarciaKO2 (10)05/10/1970 Caracas43Loss32–10–1 Tony DoyleUD1028/05/1970 Minneapolis Auditorium, Minneapolis, Minnesota42Draw32–9–1 Charlie RenoPTS1018/03/1970 Seattle Center Arena, Seattle, Washington41Loss32–9 Mac FosterKO1 (10)20/05/1969 Selland Arena, Fresno, California40Loss32–8 Billy WalkerTKO6 (10)12/11/1968 Empire Pool, Wembley, London39Loss32–7 Leotis MartinTKO9 (10)28/05/1968 Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London38Loss32–6 Jerry QuarryTKO12 (12)03/02/1968 Oakland Arena, Oakland, California37Win32–5 Ernie TerrellUD1205/08/1967 Astrodome, Houston, Texas36Win31–5 Amos LincolnTKO8 (10)26/06/1967 Cow Palace, Daly City, California35Win30–5 Doug JonesUD1014/10/1966 Cow Palace, Daly City, California34Loss29–5 Bill McMurrayTKO7 (12)13/09/1966 Sacramento, California33Win29–4 Brian LondonPTS1002/05/1966 Belle Vue Zoological Gardens, Belle Vue, Manchester32Win28–4 Jack BodellRTD2 (10)18/04/1966 Belle Vue Zoological Gardens, Belle Vue, Manchester31Win27–4 Billy DanielsTD6 (10)21/02/1966 Kezar Pavilion, San Francisco, California30Win26–4 Chuck LeslieUD1219/01/1966 Kezar Pavilion, San Francisco, California29Loss25–4 Amos LincolnSD1022/11/1965 Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada28Win25–3 Roger RischerUD1226/04/1965 San Francisco Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, California27Win24–3 Billy DanielsUD1017/03/1965 Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, California26Win23–3 Chuck LeslieUD1022/02/1965 Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, California25Loss22–3 Amos LincolnTKO9 (10)15/12/1964 Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, California24Win22–2 Tom McNeeleyKO5 (10)09/11/1964 Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, California23Win21–2 Ollie WilsonTKO7 (10)13/10/1964 Castaways Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada22Win20–2 George JohnsonKO4 (10)04/08/1964 Castaways Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada21Win19–2 Ray ShielKO5 (8)05/07/1964 Rasunda, Solna Municipality20Loss18–2 Chuck LesliePTS1030/11/1963 Reno, Nevada19Win18–1 Jim FletcherTKO6 (10)12/10/1963 Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, California18Win17–1 Jefferson DavisUD1001/08/1963 Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California17Win16–1 Monroe RatliffTKO9 (10)13/05/1963 Moulin Rouge, Hollywood, California16Win15–1 Alvin TigerTKO5 (10)08/04/1963 Moulin Rouge, Santa Monica, California15Win14–1 Leonard DuganUD1020/10/1962 Portland Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon14Win13–1 Prince BongoaKO7 (8)09/10/1962 San Jose, California13Win12–1 Otis LeePTS610/07/1962 Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, Texas12Win11–1 John RigginsPTS628/05/1962 San Francisco Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, California11Win10–1 Art WrightKO2 (?)14/04/1962 San Jose Civic Auditorium, San Jose, California10Win9–1 Dave FurchPTS1014/11/1961 Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, Santa Cruz, California9Win8–1 Lou BaileyUD1009/09/1961 Portland Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon8Win7–1 Jerry GainesTKO2 (10)11/07/1961 Interstate Fairgrounds, Spokane, Washington7Loss6–1 Shirley PembletonPTS401/07/1961 Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey6Win6–0 John RigginsUD604/05/1961 Spokane Coliseum, Spokane, Washington5Win5–0 Yancy D. SmithKO3 (6)10/04/1961 Cow Palace, Daly City, California4Win4–0 Frankie HaynesPTS1021/03/1961 San Jose, California3Win3–0 Harvey TaylorPTS823/01/1961 Seattle Civic Ice Arena, Seattle, Washington2Win2–0 Theo LolanzoPTS607/09/1960 Sick's Stadium, Seattle, Washington1Win1–0 Frankie RoweTKO3 (4)03/05/1960 Tacoma Armory, Tacoma, Washington
References
External links