Há 50 anos, Cassius Clay tornou-se campeão do Mundo de Pesos Pesados de Boxe antes de se tornar Muhammad Ali

1964-02-25 : Sonny Liston 218 lbs lost to Muhammad Ali 210½ lbs by RTD in round 6 of 15

• Location: Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida, USA
• Referee: Barney Felix 57-57
• Judge: Bernie Lovett 58-56
• Judge: Gus Jacobson 56-58 
• World Heavyweight Title (2nd defense by Liston)

The fight was held on February 25, 1964, in Miami Beach, Florida, where Clay was residing at the time and where his trainer, Angelo Dundee, operated The 5th Street Gym. There was a crowd of 8,297 at the Convention Center.

The fight began with Clay showing a lot of movement, using his fast and effective jab and quick combinations, making it difficult for Liston to score with his slower jab and heavy punches. In the third round, Clay opened up his attack and hit Liston with several combinations that caused a bruise under Liston's right eye and a cut under his left. During the fourth round, Clay coasted, keeping his distance. However, when he returned to his corner, he started complaining that there was something burning in his eyes and that he could not see. Angelo Dundee rinsed Clay's eyes with a sponge and pushed him off his stool to begin the fifth round, telling him to stay away from Liston.

Many theorized that a substance used to stop Liston's cuts from bleeding (possibly Monsel's Solution) may have inadvertently caused the irritation. However, one of Liston's cornermen, Joe Pollino, confessed to reporter Jack McKinney years later that Liston ordered him to rub an astringent compound on his gloves before the fourth round. Pollino complied, and Liston shoved his gloves into Clay's face in the fourth.

Clay managed to survive the fifth round and by the sixth, his eyes had cleared and he resumed control of the fight. During the sixth, Clay landed several effective combinations, seemingly at will. On his stool following the sixth round, Liston told his cornermen that he couldn't continue, complaining of a shoulder injury. He failed to answer the bell for the seventh round and Clay was declared the winner by technical knockout. Clay sprang to the center of the ring and did a victory dance with his hands held high. He then quickly ran to the ropes and began yelling at the ringside media, saying, "I am the greatest" and "I shook up the world!"

Because Liston was a prohibitive favorite and had ties to organized crime, many speculated that the fight was fixed. However, there was no evidence to support that claim.

in BoxRec