Featured Exhibit
"I Am the Greatest!" 45 Record
A radio station copy of two songs from Muhammad Ali's (then Cassius Clay, Jr.'s) 1963 spoken word album. The songs were "The Prediction" and "Will the Real Sonny Liston Please Fall Down". The full album was nominated for a Grammy for Best Comedy Album in 1964.
Donated by Robert Williams in 2017.
The Buildup, Pt. 2
Muhammad Ali's announcement in 1962 that he would be fighting Sonny Liston as soon as possible was, to his dismay, not accurate.
After defeating Archie Moore in November of 1962, Ali knocked out Charlie Powell in three rounds, won by unanimous decision against Doug Jones, and defeated Henry Cooper by technical knockout in five rounds. He was now 19-0 and he felt, more than ever, that it was high time he faced Sonny Liston.
On July 22, 1963, Sonny Liston defeated Floyd Patterson for the second time in a row, once again knocking him out in the first round of the fight, maintaining his title. While being interviewed post-fight by Howard Cosell, Liston was repeatedly interrupted by a loud, unsolicited third party who called the fight a disgrace. This was, of course, Muhammad Ali, who yelled his prediction yet again, "Don't make me wait, I'll whup him in eight!"
Ali's efforts to fight Sonny Liston would only continue. In August of 1963, Muhammad Ali released his first record album, I Am the Greatest! The spoken word album included the hit single, "Will the Real Sonny Liston Please Fall Down?"
