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This was Muhammad Ali's first fight since defeating Leon Spinks to regain the WBA heavyweight title on September 15, 1978. Ali announced his retirement in June 1979. On February 14, 1980, Ali told the Associated Press that he was 75 percent sure that he would return to the ring. On March 5, he agreed to fight John Tate, the new WBA heavyweight champion, in a bout tentatively scheduled for June. However, Tate lost the title to Mike Weaver by a 15th-round knockout on March 31. At a press conference on April 16, Ali said he would fight Larry Holmes for the WBC heavyweight title. The announcement came as a surprise, as the press conference was billed as a contract-signing for a bout between Ali and Weaver. Ali said negotiations for a Weaver fight fell apart the previous night when Weaver's promoter, Bob Arum, issued new demands that “were totally unacceptable.“ On April 28, it was officially announced that Ali and Holmes would box on July 11 in Rio de Janeiro at the 165,000-seat Maracana Stadium. Promoters Don Ki
