Posted on 02/24/2014 9:00:19 PM PST by Mariner
Fifty years ago today, Muhammad Ali “shocked the world” and beat one of the most fearsome fighters ever to put on a pair of boxing gloves, heavyweight champion Sonny Liston.
But what if that storied fight was not what it seemed?
It happened Feb. 25, 1964, at the Miami Beach Convention Center. The film clip and sound bite have now become part of the American story — Liston quitting his stool before the eighth round, a young Cassius Clay, as Ali was known then, bouncing around the ring, waving his hands, yelling to the reporters at ringside who thought he would be killed by the more veteran boxer. “I’m king of the world! I’m king of the world!” Ali proclaimed.
Sports Illustrated named it the fourth-greatest sports moment of the 20th century. The fight also is the foundation of the Muhammad Ali story: the three-year heavyweight championship reign of dominance, followed by his three-year exile as he fought the Vietnam War draft. The Ali-Joe Frazier fights, the upset over George Foreman in Zaire, the reconstruction of Ali from a pariah to a national treasure. All of it begins with a brash Clay “shocking the world.”
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Paul alone was boring, pop schmaltz.
John alone made yoko look better.
Together though, the two were a not a bad team.
Joe Frazier spent 3 weeks in the hospital recovering from a fight with Ali...and Ali spent 10 days from the same fight.
I think he's just messin' with us as no rational person could be of that opinion.
any friend of Jim Healy’s is a friend of mine.
Jack Dempsey would have given Ali a fight. It’s fun to speculate.
My life has been an endless series of major setbacks and disappointments since seeing the Beatles in Concert in 1966.
Yea, but Dempsey was knocked out by J Paul Getty in a gym in LA when Dempsey was starting his career.
Dempsey then told Getty to become a pro-boxer, while Getty asked Dempsey to join him in the oil business.
Funny how things turnout.
Some impulse led me to bet $5.00 on Clay in that fight. Everyone thought I was crazy, including me.
I agree with you about Lennon, but Ali was the real thing. He was also not the first to refuse to serve in the military.
I was only a baby when this fight happened, but I love watching the old films of it.
It sure looks as though Liston took a dive maybe... or rather, that he was just old and tired. -is my opinion. Clay was a YOUNG, healthy lion back then. I think even if it were held in private on the up and up, Clay would’ve beat Liston.
Just because he was obnoxious and a draft dodger doesn’t take away his talent as a fighter. He was amazing to just watch in the ring.
As for the Lennon haters, say what you want. Lennon had quite a few awful years and awful records during the 70’s, but he had more talent in his pinky than today’s ‘stars’ have in their entire lives. Go listen to early Beatle records and remember that these were just 4 local kids who got a band together. They changed the face of music.
I think Clay/Ali changed the face of boxing in the same way.
sermon over. ;-)
It’s OK. I’m used to being the only person on the planet to have certain various viewpoints.
But if it was rigged it was because the thuggish Liston owed gambling debts, not because they had any hooks in Clay who was smart enough to have never become immersed in the underworld of boxing. If Clay/Ali was "owned", he never would have taken such unpopular stands as converting to Islam and avoiding the draft which reduced his earning potential.
Replays of both Clay/Liston fights exist to this day so people can view them and make up their own minds. I can imagine Liston being told to take a dive in the rematch but I think Liston was simply unprepared for the speed, skill and psych job that Clay had prepared for Sonny, particularly in the Miami match.
In my old age I can choose to not recognize whatever I want. I don’t put accolades on any commie or liberal colostomy bag, I don’t care what they do/did.
If you watch that footage carefully, Liston’s feet are lifted off the ground by the force of the punch to his chin. Clay nailed him but good. Maybe the mob thought they fixed it. But noone gets up from that punch.
What difference at this point does it make?
With no apologies to her Heinous, Hillary.
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