The Fight That Shook Up the World! Sonny Liston vs. Cassius Clay, Jr.
Liston-Clay: Fight of the Century Magazine, 1964
Donated by George Kalinsky in 2015.
The Fight
Finally, after months of anticipation, "bear hunting", and rhyming predictions, Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston squared off at the Miami Beach Convention Hall, on February 25, 1964.
As soon as the bell rang for the first round, it was evident that Ali could outrun Liston any day of the week. He danced around the ring, avoiding the champion for much of the round and even sneaking in a few jabs. The second round proved to be much of the same until Liston was able to get Ali on the ropes and connect with a left hook. Ali later stated that this punch did in fact hurt him, but Liston did not take advantage and he was able to recover. The third round began to look like this fight was going to be all Ali's, as he became the first person in Liston's career to cut his face during a bout when he hit him with a few combinations.
Despite an electric third round, Ali slowed in the fourth. When Ali returned his corner, he complained of an irritant in his eyes. He told his trainer to cut his gloves off, that he was being sabotaged and he wanted to show that there was "dirt work afoot." His trainer, Angelo Dundee, insisted he continue on and began cleaning his eyes with water and a sponge. The referee warned that Ali would be disqualified if he did not enter the ring again and, in a quick decision, Dundee simply pushed his fighter back into the ring and said "Run!"
In later retellings of the story, Ali said he could barely see Liston during the fifth round of the fight. By the sixth round, his vision had returned to normal and he began throwing as many combinations as he could at Liston. He returned to his stool and leaned down to the reporters at ringside and said, "I'm gonna upset the world!" And he was right.
No one but Ali had noticed at first, but Liston had spit out his mouth guard prior to the start of the seventh round. He remained on his stool and Ali stood in the middle of the ring with his hands up and his feet dancing swiftly in what would later be known as the "Ali Shuffle."
He did exactly as he said he would--he shook up the world!
