The Fight That Shook Up the World! Sonny Liston vs. Cassius Clay, Jr.
LeRoy Neiman's interpretation of what happened at the weigh-in prior to Muhammad Ali's first fight against Sonny Liston.
From The LeRoy Neiman Sketchbook: 1964 Liston vs. Clay, 1965 Ali vs. Liston, published in 2004.
The Weigh-In
As expected, the pre-fight weigh-in could not proceed without a bit of fanfare from Muhammad Ali.
On the morning of February 25, 1964, Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston appeared for their pre-fight physicals and weigh-ins. Ali sported a denim jacket with the words, "Bear Huntin'" emblazoned on the back, an homage to his not-so-affectionate nickname for Liston. As soon as Ali saw his opponent arrive, he began waving his cane once again in the air and yelling, "You're scared!"
As the weigh in commenced, Ali made sure Liston knew who was backing him. He motioned to his entourage and yelled, "Tell Sonny I'm here with Sugar Ray Robinson. Liston is flat-footed, but me and Sugar Ray are the prettiest dancers around!" He then found his cornerman, Drew "Bundini" Brown, and began their chant, "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee! Rumble, young man, rumble!" The reporters in the room were speechless until Liston walked into the room in his silk robe. They then began to applaud.
Ali continued his theatrics by pretending to lunge at the current champion, whispering to his cohorts to hold him back. Angelo Dundee, Bill Faversham, and Sugar Ray Robinson followed orders and "held" Ali back from attacking Liston.
Eventually, Liston was able to get to the platform with the scales, get weighed, and retreat, all the while Ali was yelling, "You're a chump!" This persisted even when Ali was being weighed and as a result, the Miami Beach Boxing Commissioner shouted Ali's weight and then immediately followed it with, "Cassius Clay is fined $2,500 for his behavior on the platform and the money will be withheld from Clay's purse."
A few minutes later when Ali was examined for his pre-fight physical, doctors found his heart rate and blood pressure were very high. The journalists in the room decided that this meant Ali was very afraid of Liston, resulting in the performative hysterics.
