Cassius Clay defeats Sonny Liston
On February 25 1964 underdog Cassius Clay age 22 defeats champion Sonny Liston in a technical knockout to win the world heavyweight boxing crown.The highly anticipated match took place in Miami Beach Florida.Clay who later became known to the world as Muhammad Ali went on to become the first fighter to capture the heavyweight title three times.Liston was a reserved feared fighter a decade older than Cassius Clay and had been world heavyweight champ since defeating Floyd Patterson in 1962.
By contrast Clay was a mouthy underdog who had won a gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the 1960 Olympics in Rome.While training for their fight Clay a natural self-promoter taunted Liston and boasted to reporters that he would win by knockout.Clay came out strong during the fight using speed and footwork to his advantage against the slower Liston.
After the sixth round Liston who was suffering from cuts and bruises under his eyes and an apparent injured shoulder announced he couldnt continue.Clay won the match by technical knockout and then announced to the world I am the greatestOn May 25 1965 the two fighters met in Lewiston Maine for a rematch.The bout ended with a highly controversial first-round knockout for Clay who by then had become a member of the Nation of Islam and taken a Muslim name Muhammad Ali.
Some people claimed Liston threw the fight possibly because he was controlled by the Mafia or because he feared retaliation from Black Muslim extremists.In 1967 while America was at war in Vietnam Ali refused for religious reasons to join the Army.As a result he was convicted of draft dodging stripped of his title and banned from boxing for three years.In 1971 the U.S.
Supreme Court reversed his conviction and Ali reclaimed the heavyweight crown on January 28 1974 at the Rumble in the Jungle in Zaire against champion George Foreman.In February 1978 Ali lost the title to Olympic gold medalist Leon Spinks.In a rematch seven months later Ali defeated Spinks in 15 rounds and to reclaim the heavyweight crown.He then retired.
Two years later he made a brief unsuccessful comeback before retiring permanently in 1981.Alis career record includes 56 wins 5 losses and 37 knockouts.Sonny Liston was found dead in his Las Vegas home on January 5 1971.Its believed he could have been dead for a week by that time and the cause of his death remains a mystery.
During his career he recorded 50 wins 39 knockouts and 4 losses.
