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