Ali's Knockout Punch: How a Photograph Stunned the Boxing World
Chapter One STILL THE CHAMP Muhammad Ali stood in the middle of the boxing ring and stared at Sonny Liston Many called Liston the big bear but to Ali he was usually the the big ugly bear Ali was known for boasting about his skills and sometimes insulting his opponents which had earned him the nickname the Louisville Lip a reference to his hometown in Kentucky But Ali seemed to take special pleasure in taunting Liston At 6 feet 3 inches 190 centimeters Ali was taller than the big bear though Liston outweighed him by about 10 pounds 4 5 kilograms But Liston’s reach was much longer measuring 84 inches 213 cm from fingertip to fingertip with his arms stretched out to the side He could stay back from his opponent and still hit his target Ali’s reach was 6 inches 15 cm shorter Liston also had a thick chest and thighs and a powerful left-handed punch And he could take a hard punch In one of his bouts years before Liston fought several rounds after Marty Marshall broke his jaw Marshall said later that Liston didn’t even blink Marshall won that fight in 1954 long before Liston became the heavyweight boxing champion of the world But Liston went almost 10 years without another loss until a fighter named Cassius Clay beat him in February 1964 and took away his championship Now more than a year later Liston stood in the ring again for the first time since that fight trying to win back his crown Only now Cassius Clay was known as Muhammad Ali and he was determined to keep the
championship he had taken from Liston A young Cassius Clay dodged a blow by Sonny Liston during their bout in February 1964 In his first bout with Liston Clay had been just 22 years old and had not fought anyone with as much slugging power as Liston Clay had only boxed 19 times as a professional though he had won each of those fights Still many former boxing stars and sportswriters were not impressed When Clay signed a contract to fight Liston former undefeated heavyweight champ Rocky Marciano said Clay may have the basic tools but he’s at least a year away from full maturity both physically and as a strategist Marciano said it wasn’t until his 36th fight that boxing experts thought I knew what I was doing Then I was like Clay is now the talk of the town
Despite his youth and relative lack of experience Clay was certainly the talk of the boxing world before he stepped into the ring against Liston in 1964 He had first won national attention when he took the light-heavyweight boxing gold medal at the 1960 Rome Olympics Unlike Liston Clay was light on his feet moving quickly around his opponents and throwing fast punches He liked to say that he floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee Some of the boxers he fought however were not impressed with his power Floyd Patterson whom Liston beat for the heavyweight title in 1962 told fellow boxer José Torres Clay hit me right on the chin not once but many times I didn’t feel the damn punches He can’t punch Clay had won most of his fights before the 1964 bout with Liston by either a knockout or technical knockout Clay certainly had speed some power and the ability to avoid many of his opponents punches He could also talk For years before each of his fights Clay composed rhymes about what he would do to his opponents Before his first fight with Liston Clay recited a poem that said in part Yes the crowd did not dream when they laid down their money That they would see a total eclipse of the Sonny
Cassius Clay grabbed the light-heavyweight gold medal at the Rome Olympics he stood with the silver medal winner right and two boxers who tied for the bronze Clay ended that poem with a line that became his trademark I am the greatest Whatever shortcomings Clay had in the ring he did not lack self confidence He had dreamed of becoming a champion almost since he had first put on boxing gloves Clay also saw the value of treating his fights as entertainment perhaps even theater Fans liked to root for the good guys and against the villains They wanted to see a show And for Clay the show started before a match as he shared his poems and talked trash against his foes Some people thought the Lip went too far that he bragged too much But Clay wanted people to pay attention to his fights and him His outspoken style outside the ring certainly drew attention as did his skills inside it
