Featured Exhibit
A sample souvenir program for Muhammad Ali vs. Sonny Liston II that features both boxers in fighting stance, as well as a small image of actor Stepin Fetchit. This sample was created prior to the fight being kicked out of Boston.
On loan from Lonnie Ali.
Rematch Removed
With a few short weeks to go before the fight, Suffolk County's attorney general, Garrett Byrne, decided he did not want the fight in Boston. Once the fight had been rescheduled, Byrne took it upon himself to investigate its planning a bit further. The Massachusetts State Boxing Commission had previously voted not to allow the fight to take place, but ultimately changed their minds, which he found suspicious. This information, compounded with the controversy over Muhammad Ali's religious affiliations and threats on his life, Sonny Liston's recent arrests and speculations of ties to the mafia, and questions over the validity of the fight's promoters, all pointed towards disaster.
Soon after Byrne's investigations started, the Massachusett's Attorney General, Edward Brooke, stepped in to pressure the Massachusetts State Boxing Commission to prevent the fight from happening. On May 5, 1965, the commission ultimately revoked the licenses to promote from Inter-Continental Promotions, effectively cancelling the fight unless they could find a new location.
Sample Souvenir Program for Muhammad Ali vs. Sonny Liston II, circa 1965
