It was Cassius Marcellus Clay, then, of course, an Olympic gold medalist, the undefeated challenger for the heavyweight Crown in the world and the most charismatic (and, for some, the most controversial) athlete of the era. It was February 1964, and clay's 22-year-old, whose career was a stunning 19-0, was scheduled to fight Sonny Liston for the title of heavyweight in Miami Beach. Almost no one in the world of boxing - and certainly very, very few in boxing media very United and deeply conservative - gave the extremely self-confident Kentuckian the slightest chance of beating the hard-punching "big bear."
And although no one gave him many chances, and nobody could possibly ignore a fighter who recited his own comic poetry, Self-profit who would listen. (A gem before the fight: "people not dreamed when they put the money / that will see a total eclipse of the Sonny".)
But on the night of 25 February 1964, Clay took Liston Crown with a seventh-round technical knockout in a performance that marked the arrival of a unequivocally formidable boxing talent. Clay - soon to call Muhammad Ali - possessed one without previous skill set, including ballet steps, lightning hand speed and glued to a overwhelming. When the referee told Liston in the ring in Miami Beach, it was clear that the boxing world and the universe of sport in general, would never be the same.
As the New York Times great journalist Robert Lipsyte wrote in the fight night:
Incredibly, the Screamer bragging, insulting young had been telling the truth all the time. Cassius Clay won the world heavyweight title tonight when Sonny Liston, injured left shoulder, bleeding was unable to answer the Bell for the seventh round.
As soon as it had been announced as the new champion of the world, Clay shouted to journalists covering the fight: "Eat their words". Only three 46 sports writers covering the fight needed to win.
But the child had not lied. All those interminable choruses of "float like a butterfly, stings like a bee," had been more silly songs. The child was floating. Leaned jabs and hooks, resting on the ropes, then turn out and away from Liston. Moved to the clockwise around Liston, causing that terrible left hook, his hands is still low.
And then the crowd was cheering and booing, which is something like laughing and crying because it was more crazy than ever they had seen. It makes no sense. For weeks, Clay had played the fool, and they have marked at will by unworthy sparring partners. This morning, weighing, which had acted bizarre and disturbed.
Until the second round, officials had the fight a draw... But points don't matter after all. Poetry and youth and joy had triumphed over the odds of 8-1. And until it had happened (and perhaps can even search it) people laughed at the thought that he could spend a night like this.
[More: see photos of the second Ali-Liston fight in May 1965 – the fight legendary "Phantom Punch" in Lewiston, Maine.]
Cover credit: Bob Gomel - LIFE magazine
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