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Thad Spencer, former No. 1 heavyweight boxer, dies at 70

Published

11 years ago

December 23, 2013

A former No. 1 contender for the heavyweight championship, Thad Spencer’s boxing career became a cautionary tale that he frequently opened up about to keep others from following a similar path.

Spencer died in his sleep on Dec. 13 in Vallejo, Calif., where he lived with his son for more than six years since beginning to suffer from dementia. He was 70.

Thad Spencer Jr. was born on March 28, 1943, in Tuscaloosa, Ala., the third of 12 children born to Thad Sr. and Marie Spencer. He was 3 months old when his father’s job brought the family to Portland.

Growing up with meager means in the Woodlawn neighborhood of Northeast Portland, Spencer began boxing at the Knott Street Gym, now known as the Matt Dishman Community Center and Pool.

He spent one year at Roosevelt High School and one year at Jefferson High School before dropping out and focusing on his fighting career. At 16, Spencer captured the Pacific Northwest Golden Gloves championship in Seattle and seemed to be on a straight path to compete for the United States at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.

But at only 17, Spencer had two children on the way with two women. His amateur career and Olympic aspirations took a backseat to monetary needs and he made the decision to turn pro.

“In the Olympics, you have the head-gear. You have better trainers and better coaches,” said Kenny Spencer, his younger brother. “He took a lot of hard knocks that he probably would not have taken (otherwise).”

Although Spencer’s professional career began sooner than intended, his talent soon took him to the top of the sport. He amassed a record of 30-5 by the time Muhammad Ali was stripped of his heavyweight championship for his refusal to join the U.S. military after being drafted to serve in Vietnam.

Spencer, ranked as a top contender by the World Boxing Association, was then entered into an elimination tournament to determine the WBA heavyweight champion. In the tournament’s first bout, Spencer defeated former champion Ernie Terrell by unanimous decision at the Houston Astrodome.

Three months later, in November 1967, Spencer graced the cover of Ring Magazine, with the headline above asking, “Can Spencer match Frazier’s KO punch?” in reference to then-top contender and eventual heavyweight champion “Smokin'” Joe Frazier.

But the Terrell victory was to be Spencer’s last. In the lead up to the fight against his next tournament opponent, Jerry Quarry, Spencer was charged with a DUI in Oakland. It was a dire sign that he was not taking his training seriously.

“Thad used to joke about how he’d leave (training) and say he was going for a run,” said Kevin Spencer, his other living brother. “He’d go party, then throw water on himself (before coming back).

“He just thought that his talents would overcome not training, drinking and doing drugs.”

Spencer lost to Quarry via 12th round TKO in Oakland on March 2, 1968, and never won another professional fight. Spencer lost eight of his final nine bouts, with the other result draw.

By 1971, at 28, his career was over. The life of the man who once seemed destined for a title shot with the legendary Ali, took a dark turn. Alcohol and drugs, specifically cocaine, soon consumed him.

“I became a coke head because I thought that was what rich people did,” Spencer said in a 1994 profile in The Oregonian.

In 1975, Spencer was shot five times by an associate and the associate’s girlfriend while at a bar in Portland. He was then passed a gun, which he used to shoot and kill his attacker in self-defense. A month later in Oakland, Spencer was shot in the leg during a shooting in a bar. And later that year, back in Portland with a cast on his leg, he was run over by a car after another altercation. thadspencer-ali.jpgView full sizeThad Spencer, left, never got to fight Muhammad Ali, right, since Ali was stripped of his heavyweight title for his refusal to serve in the U.S. military. Ali attended an event in 1993 for Spencer’s 50th birthday.Photo courtesy of Global Sports Entertainment & Development

But despite Spencer’s miraculous survival through three near-death experiences, it was not until he saw Todd, his oldest son, on television playing fullback at USC in 1982 that he made the decision to get clean.

When a bartender asked if Todd Spencer was his son, Thad denied it. Not long after, commentator O.J. Simpson said of Todd, “You might remember his father, Thad Spencer, who back in the ’60s was a top heavyweight contender,” according to the 1994 piece in The Oregonian.

The embarrassment of that moment persuaded Spencer to quit cocaine and rekindle his relationship with his children. Lance Spencer, Todd’s younger brother, soon came to live his father in Northeast Portland, often going on one- to three-hour walks with him to help him kick his addiction.

“That was how we formed our relationship,” Lance Spencer said. “(My mother) always planted a good seed (about him).

“It was an open flower. It just needed to be watered.”

Although his boxing career ended in addiction, Spencer stayed close to the sport late in life. He started multiple promotion companies, splitting his time between Portland northern California and following big fights wherever they took place. He was an annual guest of honor at Golden Gloves events hosted by the Grand Avenue Boxing Club in Portland.

Thad Spencer, left, never got to fight Muhammad Ali, right, since Ali was stripped of his heavyweight title for his refusal to serve in the U.S. military. Ali attended an event in 1993 for Spencer’s 50th birthday.Photo courtesy of Global Sports Entertainment & Development.

“He enjoyed sharing his knowledge of boxing with young people and trying to help them … not take the same path that he did,” Kevin Spencer said. “Spiritually, he was always in a great place because he always had this dream that something great was going to materialize.”

By the mid-2000s, dementia began to set in and Spencer moved to Vallejo with his son Lance.

“He enjoyed his life and his experiences that he had,” Kenny Spencer said. “I think the only regrets that he probably had were that he got mixed up in some things that were detrimental to him and the people that he loved.”

Thad Spencer is survived by his mother, Marie Spencer; brothers, Kenny and Kevin; sisters Loretta Ganter, Cynthia Lovell, Maudine Smith and Gerry Orr; children Tamara, Todd, Lance, Mister, Taron, Joseph, Carmen Andria Jones; step-children Duran Beasley and Lisa Beasley; 16 grandchildren and one great-grandson.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Word Assembly Church, 9507 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, Calif. Remembrances and well wishes can be sent to McNary-Morgan-Greene & Jackson Mortuary, 3630 Telegraph Ave., Oakland, Calif.

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‘Donald Trump Is Not a God:’ Rep. Bennie Thompson Blasts Trump’s Call to Jail Him

“Donald Trump is not a god,” U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., told The Grio during a recent interview, reacting to Trump’s unsupported claims that the congressman, along with other committee members like vice chair and former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, destroyed evidence throughout the investigation.

Published

2 hours ago

December 18, 2024

Oakland Post

Congressman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss. Courtesy photo.

By Post Staff

U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said he not intimidated by President-elect Donald Trump, who, during an interview on “Meet the Press,” called for the congressman to be jailed for his role as chairman of the special congressional committee investigating Trump’s role in the Jan. 6, 2021, mob attack on the U.S. Capitol.

“Donald Trump is not a god,” Thompson told The Grio during a recent interview, reacting to Trump’s unsupported claims that the congressman, along with other committee members like vice chair and former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, destroyed evidence throughout the investigation.

“He can’t prove it, nor has there been any other proof offered, which tells me that he really doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” said the 76-year-old lawmaker, who maintained that he and the bipartisan Jan. 6 Select Committee – which referred Trump for criminal prosecution – were exercising their constitutional and legislative duties.

“When someone disagrees with you, that doesn’t make it illegal; that doesn’t even make it wrong,” Thompson said, “The greatness of this country is that everyone can have their own opinion about any subject, and so for an incoming president who disagrees with the work of Congress to say ‘because I disagree, I want them jailed,’ is absolutely unbelievable.”

When asked by The Grio if he is concerned about his physical safety amid continued public ridicule from Trump, whose supporters have already proven to be violent, Thompson said, “I think every member of Congress here has to have some degree of concern, because you just never know.”

This story is based on a report from The Grio.

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City of Oakland Celebrates Reopening of Main Library

“Libraries are such critical facilities for all Oaklanders, whether it’s children coming to story-time, adults reading the newspapers or borrowing the latest novels, and people engaging with a range of services and programs that the library hosts,” said Council President and District 2 Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas. “Such library services and programs are only possible when the facility’s electricity, heating, roof, and lighting are fixed and running efficiently. I’m proud to join this re-opening of our Main Public Library.”

Published

3 hours ago

December 18, 2024

Oakland Post

Left to Right- Jamie Turbak, Director of Library Services, LaTonda Simmons, Assistant City Administrator, Nikki Bas, President Oakland City Council, Shen Thao, Mayor of Oakland, Carroll Fife, Oakland City Councilmember District 3, Harold Duffey, Assistant City Administrator, Sean Maher, Projects Coordinator. Photo by Kevin Hicks.

The branch had been closed since May for critical infrastructure upgrades

Special to the Post

The City of Oakland leadership and community partners gathered to celebrate the reopening of the Main Library after completion of critical infrastructure upgrades to enhance the library’s facilities and provide a better experience for patrons.

Renovations include new roof installation, skylight repair, critical electrical system upgrades, new boiler control system installation, auditorium heating and cooling system installation, and improvements to lighting, flooring and ceilings throughout the building.

“This is truly something to celebrate, the reopening of our wonderful Main Library! I congratulate the staff and our partners for this important project to make the Main Library a more comfortable place for everyone for years to come, said Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao. “Thank you to Oakland voters and the California State Library for making these crucial improvements possible.”

“Public libraries are a wonderful resource for our residents, offering a safe space for learning and being,” said District 3 Councilmember Carroll Fife. “It is critical to improve and modernize our libraries so more members of our community can utilize and enjoy them. I’m excited that the necessary renovations to the Main Library have been completed successfully and thank everyone involved, particularly the City team, who helped secured the necessary grant funds for this work.”

“I am proud of the City staff and project partners who kept this important project on schedule and under budget,” said Assistant City Administrator G. Harold Duffey. “The library is an incredibly important resource for our community members, and this project is an investment into the library’s future.”

“December 2nd was a momentous occasion for Oakland Public Library as we proudly reopened the doors of the Main Library following extensive infrastructure repairs,” said Director of Library Services Jamie Turbak. “Closing the Main Library for six months was no easy decision, as it serves as the central hub for our library system and is truly the heart of Oakland. Yet, this renovation was essential, representing more than just physical upgrades—it reflects our ongoing commitment to creating a safe, welcoming space for everyone.”

The City Administrator Jestin Johnson also attended the press conference and signalled his support for the completion of the record-setting completion of the renovations. Gay Plair Cobb, a newly appointed Library Commissioner said the Library represents the soul and brains of our community.

The Oakland Public Library secured funding for these crititcal repairs through a variety of sources. The California State Library’s Building Forward Library Facilities Improvement Program awarded the Main Branch $4.2 million. To comply with the grant terms, the City of Oakland provided matching funds through Measures KK, as approved by the Oakland City Council in October 2023.

The Main Library will host an Open House to celebrate the reopening on February 22, 2025, 10 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

About the Oakland Public Library

The Oakland Public Library is a part of the City of Oakland in California and has been in existence since 1878. Locations include 16 neighborhood branches, a Main Library, a Second Start Adult Literacy Program, the Oakland Tool Lending Library, and the African American Museum and Library at Oakland (AAMLO). The Oakland Public Library empowers all people to explore, connect, and grow. Oaklandlibrary.org

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Biden’s Legacy Secured with Record-Setting Black Judicial Appointments

His record surpasses previous efforts by his predecessors. President Jimmy Carter appointed 37 Black judges, including seven Black women. In stark contrast, Donald Trump’s first term resulted in only two Black women appointed out of 234 lifetime judicial nominations. The White House said Biden’s efforts show a broader commitment to racial equity and justice.

Published

3 hours ago

December 18, 2024

Oakland Post

iStockphoto.

By Stacy M. Brown
WI Senior Writer

President Joe Biden’s commitment to diversifying the federal judiciary has culminated in a historic achievement: appointing 40 Black women to lifetime judgeships, the most of any president in U.S. history.

Biden has appointed 62 Black judges, cementing his presidency as one focused on promoting equity and representation on the federal bench.

The White House said Biden’s efforts show a broader commitment to racial equity and justice.

Meanwhile, Trump has vowed to dismantle key civil rights protections, including the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

“Having the Black woman’s experience on the federal bench is extremely important because there is a different kind of voice that can come from the Black female from the bench,” Delores Jones-Brown, professor emeritus at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, told reporters.

Lena Zwarensteyn of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights told reporters that these district court judges are often the first and sometimes the final arbiters in cases affecting healthcare access, education equity, fair hiring practices, and voting rights.

“Those decisions are often the very final decisions because very few cases actually get heard by the U.S. Supreme Court,” Zwarensteyn explained.

Biden’s nomination of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court further reflects his commitment to judicial diversity. Jackson became the first Black woman to serve on the nation’s highest court.

Patrick McNeil, spokesperson for the Leadership Conference, pointed out that over half of Biden’s Black female judicial appointees have backgrounds as civil rights attorneys and public defenders, experience advocates consider essential for a balanced judiciary.

Meanwhile, Congress remains divided over the expansion of federal judgeships. Legislation to add 66 new judgeships—approved unanimously by the Senate in August—stalled in the GOP-controlled House until after the election. House Republicans proposed distributing the new judgeships over the next decade, giving three administrations a say in appointments. President Biden, however, signaled he would veto the bill if it reached his desk.

Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., argued the delay was a strategic move to benefit Trump’s potential return to office. “Donald Trump has made clear that he intends to expand the power of the presidency and giving him 25 new judges to appoint gives him one more tool at his disposal,” Nadler said.