Ali's Knockout Punch: How a Photograph Stunned the Boxing World
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
Right before his 1962 match with boxer Archie Moore Clay predicted he would knock him out in the fourth round And he did LEARNING FROM GORGEOUS GEORGE
Gorgeous George took his talents to Hollywood and appeared in one movie Alias the Champ in 1949 Muhammad Ali had a way with words before he turned pro but in 1961 he learned that a little acting could help fill seats for a fight He was in Las Vegas that year for his seventh fight Before it he met George Raymond Wagner who was known to professional wrestling fans as Gorgeous George He was famous for his long blond hair Before a match Gorgeous George told the world what kind of beating he would give his opponent As the two appeared on a radio show Ali heard George say If this bum beats me I’ll crawl across the ring and cut my hair off But it’s not gonna happen because I’m the greatest wrestler in the world At the wrestling match Ali saw that nearly every seat in the huge arena was filled and most of the people were yelling for George to lose A lot of people will pay to see someone shut your mouth George told Ali after the fight So keep on bragging keep on sassing and always be outrageous Ali remembered George’s advice and put it to good use before the Sonny Liston fight and during the rest of his career Before the first fight Clay made a point of trying to upset Liston When they
