Sonny Liston vs. Muhammad Ali
February 25, 1964
Miami, Florida
The Hype
Sonny Liston was the World Heavyweight Champion with a record of 35-1. Muhammad Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, was just 22 years old with a professional record of 19-0. Ali had won a gold medal at the 1960 Olympics in the light heavyweight division. Liston was just as intimidating outside the ring as he was inside, limiting his pre-fight banter to cold stares in the direction of the younger, cocky challenger. Liston was a 7:1 favorite going into the fight. The bout almost didn’t happen as rumors of Ali’s connection to Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam surfaced days before the fight. The fight promoter thought the Nation’s involvement would ruin his attendance. Ali argued against a cancellation and put his ties to the Nation of Islam and Malcolm X on hold until after the fight.
The Fight
Ali glides around the ring, keeping his distance and slipping away from Liston’s punches. Ali is using his jab and connects on some nice power combinations with 30 seconds left in the opening round. The speed advantage is just embarrassing. Ali is moving around smoothly and dodging punches with ease. Liston uses his jab more in the second round as opposed to the lunging head-hunting attack he attempted in the first round.
Liston is still the aggressor as the third round begins but he can’t catch up to Ali. An accurate combination by Ali wobbles the champion just thirty seconds into the round. Liston now has a mouse under his eye in addition to a bloody nose. Liston makes a comeback in the final minute as he finally gets inside on Ali and is able to land a couple of uppercuts. Ali peppers Liston from the outside with jabs in the fourth. He circles the ring for the entire round, connecting with jabs as Liston only gets inside a couple of times to land some shots. Ali complains to his corner after the round, saying that Liston has something on his glove that has caused his vision to blur. It may have been grease put on Liston’s face to protect his eye, but some believe it was an intentional move on the part of Liston’s corner to get an edge on the challenger.
Liston jumps all over Ali in the fifth, landing about a dozen consecutive shots to the body. Liston lands a left hook to Ali’s head as he continues to struggle with his vision. Ali is just running away and pushing Liston back every time the champ gets close. The crowd starts to boo Ali’s inactivity. Ali is extending his gloves and using his longer reach to prevent Liston from getting inside. Lennox Lewis would make this his defensive cornerstone thirty years later without the excuse of a foreign substance in his eyes. The sweat produced in running away from Liston has washed away whatever was in the eyes of Ali as the challenger nails Liston with a clean right straight to open the sixth round. Ali is back in his groove. Liston is no longer the aggressor and he is throwing far fewer punches. Ali is still working his jab and circling the ring. Liston goes to his corner after the end of the sixth round and doesn’t answer the bell for the seventh. Liston would later cite a shoulder injury for his retirement. Nevermind the swelling around his eyes and the fact that he had nothing left for a fight scheduled 15 rounds.
The Aftermath
Ali danced in the ring before yelling out to anyone that would listen, “I’m the greatest thing that ever lived. I’m so great I don’t have a mark on my face, and I upset Sonny Liston, and I just turned 22 years old. I must be the greatest.”
The fight was actually a draw on the scorecards after the sixth round. Ali became the youngest heavyweight champion with the victory and the fight was named Ring Magazine Fight of the Year. Ali announced his conversion to Islam the day after the fight and changed his name from Cassius Clay to Cassius X. His name would soon be changed to Muhammad Ali.
This fight launched Ali into the mainstream media as the World Heavyweight Champion. It was the first of many memorable title fights involving Muhammad Ali as he went on to become The Greatest. Ali claimed he “shook up the world” after this fight. It proved to be just a minor tremor in comparison to the rest of his career.
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