The first fight between Muhammad Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, and Sonny Liston took place on 25th February 1964 at the Convention Hall in Miami Beach, Florida. The bout was one of the most memorable events in boxing history, marking the rise of Muhammad Ali as a global sports icon and a new era for the sport.
Sonny Liston was seen as one of the most intimidating and dominant boxers in heavyweight history. He had annihilated previous champion Floyd Patterson in the first round of both their fights in 1962 and 1963. And time spent in prison for armed robbery along with alleged ties to organised crime added to his fearsome aura.
Clay was a young, brash, undefeated 22-year-old contender who’d won Olympic Gold in the light heavyweight division at the 1960 Rome Olympics. While he was undeniably talented, there was a feeling that he hadn’t been properly tested. When he defeated Henry Cooper, despite suffering a knockdown at the end of round 4, at Wembley Stadium in Jun 1963, Ali had one more test to make it to the top of the boxing world – Sonny Liston.
Not only was Sonny Liston one of the most fearsome boxers, but he was also very talented; something that was often overlooked due to his intimidating nature. He had a long reach and a menacing jab, and during that period many people regarded him as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. Some even felt he wasn’t good for the sport because he was considered unbeatable.
In the build-up to the fight, Ali was being his usual brash self, having developed a reputation as quite the loud mouth. He confidently proclaimed that Liston couldn’t fight and that he needed boxing lessons, but deep down, Ali was scared.
To generate buzz for the fight, Ali and his entourage drove 1,000 miles from Chicago to Denver, arriving at around 2am. Ali called local newspapers and radio stations, so when they arrived at Liston’s house, there was quite a crowd outside. The entourage shouted and made noise, causing a massive commotion while honking the horn of the bus they’d took for the journey. When Liston got out of his house, they all took off in a hurry!
Although the build up sounded like fun and games, there were serious considerations taking place behind closed doors. Some in Ali’s team didn’t want him to fight Liston. Liston was too good and Ali too inexperienced. A devastating loss, they thought, could derail a promising career. But Ali persisted and his team gave in.
The promotion went well, with both fighters even meeting the Beatles at the height of Beatlemania. Ali didn’t know who they were, and when Liston heard them perform, he asked boxing promoter Harold Conrad, “Are these motherfuckers what all the people are screaming about?“
As the date of the bout drew closers, the consensus was clear – Ali didn’t stand a chance. Pundits were calling him mediocre and suggested that the fight wasn’t even worth making because of such a foregone conclusion. Weigh-ins prior to a fight were often boring affairs, but Ali changed that forever on the morning of 25th February 1964.
When Ali entered the weigh-in room, all hell broke loose. He and his entourage were screaming at the top of their lungs as Ali was banging a walking stick on the floor. It felt as if Ali were about to attack Liston at any moment. Some thought he had gone crazy and others thought he was terrified of Liston. There was even a rumour going round that Ali had been seen at the airport, buying a plane ticket so he wouldn’t have to fight. The commotion cost Ali a $2,500 fine, which would be worth around $25,000 today.
When both fighters entered the ring and the referee was going through instructions, Liston was giving Ali the intimidating stare he was known for. Ali later admitted that he was scared, but it’d be just one obstacle of many that he’d have to overcome that night.
In round 1, Ali used his nimble, dancing style, keeping out of range of Liston’s power shots. Ali got tagged in the second round, but rather than shrinking from Liston’s sledgehammer of a left hook, it emboldened Ali’s confidence. To Ali, he saw that he could handle Liston’s power as long as he stayed composed. By round 3, Ali stepped up the pace. He had a unique punching style in which he’d twist his hands just before impact, making his attacks sharp and devastating. Those watching the fight couldn’t quite believe what was happening. Liston had seemed invincible. But here was Ali, a brash, loud-mouth who everyone thought would be dispatched early, actually winning the fight.
But then came round 4, one of the most controversial rounds in boxing history. Towards the end of the round, Ali appeared to blinking excessively and retreating. Till now, there hasn’t been a conclusive understanding of what happened. Many speculated it was liniment, a substance used to treat a shoulder injury Liston had been suffering from, and that it had trickled into Ali’s eyes. Some were more cynical, suggesting it had been a compound deliberately designed to be placed onto Ali’s eyes during the fight and to impair his vision.
At the end of round 4, Ali was shouting that he couldn’t see and he wanted the fight cancelled. This is where his trainer Angelo Dundee came in. Without his advice, it could’ve been that the Ali story would’ve ended that night. He told Ali to stay away from Liston in round 5 and keep running whenever he got close. Ali was genuinely prepared to quit. Despite being ahead in the bout, he was facing the most fearsome boxer in heavyweight history and he couldn’t even see. But Dundee set him straight. Run!
It’s well understood that if Ali had been with a lesser trainer that night, things could’ve fallen apart. As planned, Ali avoided Liston as well as he could. But by the halfway point of the round, his eyes cleared and he was back to his normal self. By round 6, Ali was clearly ahead in the fight, hitting Liston at will. And when round 7 was about to start, Liston didn’t come out of his corner.
Later that night, Liston would give Ali his dues: “That’s not the guy I was supposed to fight. That guy could punch!” Ali had beaten the odds, not only becoming the heavyweight champion at the age of 22, but also defeating the most intimidating boxer of all time.
