American heavyweight boxer from St. Louis who shocked the world by defeating Muhammad Ali in his 8th professional fight in 1978 — becoming the least experienced fighter to win the heavyweight title — before losing the rematch seven months later.
Represents the archetype of the single brilliant upset — the person who on one extraordinary night defeats the greatest champion in the world — and the difficulty of sustaining that peak performance against the inevitable rematch, making his career an extreme case study in the difference between peak performance and sustained dominance.
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