Ali's Knockout Punch: How a Photograph Stunned the Boxing World
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
agreed in 1963 to fight Clay said he would give Liston boxing and talking lessons but what he really needed were falling down lessons He went to Liston’s home in the middle of the night honked his horn and challenged him to come out Ferdie Pacheco a doctor who worked with Ali for years said Ali believed that the only thing that would shake up Sonny would be if he thought Ali was crazy And that is exactly how Ali acted with him crazy Clay continued this strategy until February 25 1964 the day of the fight The two boxers went to the weigh-in a short ceremony for the news media that takes place before a major bout Clay was shouting and demanding to see Liston acting as if he were ready to fight him on the spot He called Liston a chump and vowed I’m going to whup you so b-a-a-d But underneath his tough talk Clay had some concern Boasting was a way for him to build his confidence Before the fight Pacheco saw that Clay was nervous This was the only time I ever really saw him nervous The first and last time Pacheco said later He was just a kid and that night he had no idea if he could really do what he had been saying he could do all along Most sportswriters doubted Clay could live up to his boasts Almost all of those who were questioned before the fight predicted Liston would win Some were hoping that Liston would do it convincingly to finally shut up the Louisville Lip But in the end Clay did what he said he would do He went bear huntin and beat Liston for the championship Liston said afterward that he had injured a shoulder during the fight making it impossible for him to lift his left arm after the sixth round
Handlers held back an excited Clay after he was named heavyweight champion of the world With his victory Clay demanded respect from the reporters who had doubted him Never make me no underdog he told them after the fight And never talk about who’s gonna stop me Ain’t nobody gonna stop me Not a heavyweight in the world fast enough to stop me Liston’s one of the most powerfulest in the world and he looked like a baby I held my hands down I just played with him I shook all of you up
