BBC ON THIS DAY | 25 | 1964: Cassius Clay crowned world champion About This Site | Text Only 1964: Cassius Clay crowned world champion Cassius Clay, 22, has been crowned heavyweight champion of the world after beating Sonny Liston in one of the biggest upsets in boxing's history. Clay, from Kentucky, was announced the winner after the hot favourite retired at the end of the sixth round in Miami. When the bell rang for the start of the seventh round, Liston stayed on his stool in the corner of the ring - saying he did not want to continue. Florida state attorney Richard Gerstein is to launch an inquiry into the fight. Clay was earlier fined around �900 for disgraceful conduct after he ranted at his 32-year-old opponent during the weigh-in. He had chanted "I wanna rumble...I wanna rumble!" before saying "You're a tramp. I am going to eat you up. Somebody's going to die at the ringside tonight. Are you scared?" I was born to be great.

I am great and I will be greater - the greatest Cassius Clay Liston had built his reputation on two first round knock-outs of Floyd Patterson and in the boxing world he was thought to be invincible. Clay had come into the fight after suffering his greatest humiliation to date - being knocked down by Henry Cooper's left hook. Liston reigned supreme when he was challenged by former Olympic gold medallist Clay, who ring experts said was "all talk". The majority of sports journalists covering the bout thought that Clay, who was 7-1 underdog, would be no match for Liston. Only half of the seats had been sold and around 8,000 people attended the fight. The fight started at 0310 GMT at the Convention Hall in Miami Beach and Liston had been widely expected to retain his title in the third round. I can't lose Sonny Liston Liston, known as the "dark destroyer", had managed to pin Clay to the ropes during round two but in round three the champion was forced to retreat, with his left eye pouring with blood.

Clay: "I am the greatest" In Context The World Boxing Association let Cassius Clay keep his heavyweight championship following the controversy over his fight with Sonny Liston at Miami Beach. Ed Lassman, president of the WBA, had earlier demanded that Clay be stripped of his title and recommended giving the title back to him if his conduct improved over the next five months. Miami State attorney Richard Gerstein said a month-long inquiry revealed no evidence of match-fixing. He added that there was little doubt that Liston was suffering from a sore shoulder during the fight. Both the original fight and the rematch a year later in Maine, which Clay won with a first-round knockout, have been dogged by allegations of rigging. Muhammad Ali, as he was later known to his adoring fans, said the victory in Miami over Liston was the most important of his career - because he had proved he was qualified to be champion of the world. Shortly after the fight, Clay surprised the sports world by announcing that he had joined the Nation of Islam and had changed his name to Muhammad Ali. His boxing career lasted 20 years, during which he won 56 fights and scored 37 knock-outs.

As an admirer once said, Ali would, "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee". In December 1981, Ali decided to retire from the ring and Parkinson's disease was later diagnosed. Stories From 25 Feb Ali Sonny Liston: Muhammad Ali Wins 1st World Heavyweight Championship On This Day In 1964 | News One Muhammad Ali Wins 1st World Heavyweight Championship On This Day In 1964 Leave a comment 120 reads Considered the greatest boxer of all time, Muhammad Ali (pictured left) possessed formidable ability coupled with a personality that gained him both fans and detractors. With his tall stature and unorthodox fighting style, Ali dazzled audiences and frustrated opponents with a seemingly limitless vault of skills. On this day and at the age of 22, Ali would defeat reigning champion Sonny Liston (pictured) to capture his first world title. SEE ALSO: Lynch Mob Attacked Postmaster Frazier Baker And Family On This Day In 1898 Ali went by his birth name Cassius Clay during the time of the bout, and the Louisville native was not favored to win after Liston handily defeated former champion Floyd Patterson twice by this point.

Leading up to the bout at the Convention Hall at Miami Beach, Ali uttered one of his many famous phrases and promised to “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” during the clash. Liston was feared for his imposing build and punching power but, as Ali artfully stated, the leaner and younger opponent picked apart his lumbering foe with ease. While Liston finally did get going, Ali used his speed and athleticism to pepper his opponent’s head with jabs and big shots. While Ali predicted he would win by knockout in the eighth round, he ended up needing less time than he thought. After reportedly injuring his shoulder after missing several huge blows, Liston would not answer the bell for the start of the seventh round. While in the ring, the animated Ali made another famous reference during an interview shortly after the bout. “I shook up the world,” shouted Ali at the top of his lungs. “I must be the greatest!” Watch the historic fight here: After the fight, Ali attended a private party in a Miami hotel to celebrate and encountered Nation Of Islam (NOI) leader Malcolm X. The outspoken Black Muslim leader had a deep impact on the fighter, and Ali would embrace the Muslim faith just two days later.

Rising in the ranks as a member of the NOI, Ali’s bold stances on race matters and other issues plaguing the Black community became his rallying cry. After defending his belt nine times, Ali was stripped of his title in 1967 , after refusing to enter the U.S. Army draft on grounds of his Muslim faith. Ali would return to boxing in 1970 and went on to win the world title two more times in epic battles with George Foreman, Leon Spinks, and Joe Frazier. When Ali won the title, he became the youngest fighter to ever seize a championship from a reigning title-holder. Floyd Paterson held the record of youngest heavyweight champion at the time, winning the belt at age 21. Mike Tyson would go on to eclipse both records after winning the WBC heavyweight title November 22, 1986, by knocking out the much-larger Trevor Berbick (who defeated Ali in his final bout in 1981) at age 20. Now contending with Parkinson’s syndrome, the great champion recently celebrated his 71st birthday.

Although his health has not been optimal, he has maintained a lot of the same fighting spirit that made him a darling of fight fans and the world over. Muhammad Ali was a one-of-a-kind boxer; an anomaly in a sport that prides itself on the classic virtues of the “sweet science.” Ali broke the mold in his own unique way, and he’ll live on in history as the best to ever lace up the gloves. Sonny Liston - Biography - IMDb Sonny Liston Biography Showing all 49 items Jump to: Overview (4) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (1) | Trade Mark (1) | Trivia (40) | Personal Quotes (2) Overview (4) 6' 1" (1.85 m) Mini Bio (1) Charles "Sonny" Liston's life and death began and ended in the same manner: as a mystery. Liston, one of 25 children by his father, is reputed to have been born in May 1932, yet prison records show various birthdates, among them 1928. After a rough upbringing, with little formal education, Liston found himself in trouble with the law.

He served brief prison terms and on one occasion was introduced to boxing by a prison chaplain. Liston excelled in his newfound love, boxing, and, after a short amateur career, turned professional. At 6 feet 1 inch and 217 pounds, Liston had devastating punching power, an iron chin, and lightning reflexes, along with a powerful jab. He quickly destroyed all the leading heavyweight contenders--Roy Harris, Zora Folley, Cleveland Williams--to earn a title shot against Floyd Patterson. Liston destroyed the champion in one round and destroyed him again in the rematch. Liston was the most feared man in the world, until Muhammad Ali arrived on the scene and knocked him out twice, ending his championship days and his reputation as the "World's Baddest Man." Liston continued to box until the time of his death. His 17-year ring log was an impressive 50-4 with 39 knockouts. Outside of the ring, Liston had a charming personality. He was friendly with his fans and had a soft spot for children. He acted in a number of films, the most famous being Harlow with Carroll Baker.

He died under mysterious conditions on December 30, 1970. - IMDb Mini Biography By: angelsunchained Spouse (1) His glaring stare Trivia (40) Was the favorite fighter of the famous Fab Four, the Beatles, and he appears on their "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album cover. World heavyweight boxing champion, 1962-1964. Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, 1991. Inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame, 1990. "Night Train" was his favorite song. In Michael Mann's Ali, Liston was portrayed by famous boxer Michael Bentt, with whom he shares a strong resemblance. James Ellroy portrayed Sonny Liston as a fight loser, a heroin addict, a black racist, and a Mafia jawbreaker in his novel "The Cold Six Thousand.". William Friedkin was intended to direct his biopic "Night Train" with Ving Rhames as Sonny Liston. He had the biggest fist of any heavyweight champion: 15 inches. He was officially knocked out by Muhammad Ali in one minute for the fastest KO in heavyweight history up to that time.

Later, films of the fight showed the bout ended at the 1:25 mark. Fought in three decades. Was 35-1 going into the first Ali fight. Made a comeback in 1968-1969 and won 14 straight before losing to Leotis Martin. In his next fight he bounced back to TKO Chuck Wepner shortly before his mysterious death in 1970. Birth and death both remain mysteries. When he won the heavyweight title in 1962 at age 30, he had a daughter age 25. However, it turned out to be his stepdaughter, the daughter of his wife. He had no children of his own. Served time in prison for robbery and later for assaulting a police officer. Joe Louis rated Liston's jab one of the best in boxing history. He was trained by Willie Redish and later by Dick Sadler. George Foreman was his sparring partner from 1969 to 1970. Knocked out #2-rated heavyweight contender Roy Harris (27-1) in one round.

He defeated heavyweight contenders Roy Harris, Zora Folley, Eddie Machen, Cleveland Williams, Mike DeJohn, Henry Clark, and Chuck Wepner. Made over $4,000,000 in his career. First heavyweight title challenger to earn a purse of $1,000,000. First World Heavyweight Boxing Champion banned from fighting in New York State by the New York Boxing Commission. Lived in a $50,000 Las Vegas home. Liston was the youngest heavyweight boxing champion to die (age 38). Before he was 18, Liston was convicted of six muggings. Served a prison sentence at Missouri State Penitentiary for robbing a gas station at age 18. Survived by his wife Geraldine and a step-daughter. Won his last fight on June 29, 1970, at the Jersey City Armory, stopping Chuck Wepner in 9 bloody rounds.

Wepner, "The Bayonne Bleeder" who inspired Sylvester Stallone to create the character Rocky Balboa , said that the 38-year-old (or 42-year-old, depending on the source) Liston hit harder than did the 33-year-old Muhammad Ali , whom Wepner fought for the heavyweight title in 1975. When Liston died, he was rated 7th in the world heavyweight rankings by Ring Magazine. General Melvin Krulewitch, chairman of the New York Boxing Commission in the 1950s, refused to issue Liston a license to fight in New York because he was guilty of associating with "questionable" characters. Eddie Dooley, chairman of the New York Boxing Commission in the 1960s, said that as long as he was chairman of the commission Sonny Liston would never be granted a license to box in New York State. In 1950, Liston was arrested at his apartment at 1006 O'Fallon Street for robbing the Unique Cafe on 1502 Market Street in St. Louis for 37 dollars.

Liston claimed he was born in 1932, yet his rap sheet for his 1950 arrest for armed robbery listed his age as 22, making him born in 1928. Introduced to boxing by Father Stevens in the St. Louis City Jail during 1950. Served 7 months in jail for beating up a police officer over a parking ticket in St. Louis in the mid-1950s. Appeared in a Santa Claus hat on the cover of the December 1963 edition of Esquire Magazine. The cover was one of the most famous images of the early 1960s, as Liston embodied the fears of White America during the days when Southern police officials had attacked the burgeoning civil rights movement with violence, a violence white Americans feared might be returned onto them. Thus, cloaking the heavyweight champion of the world--the epitome of masculinity and male supremacy--in a Santa Claus hat was the height of irony at the time. Is mentioned in the song "Swinging" by Tom Petty. Time magazine photograph of Ali standing over Liston, taunting him, is one of the most popularly published in boxing.

When Sonny KO'd Floyd Patterson in 1962 for The World Heavyweight Championship,he became the only challenger to win that title by a first round KO. In 1996 when Mike Tyson KO'd Bruce Seldon in one round for the WBA Heavyweight Championship, Tyson had won the WBC Heavyweight Championship six months earlier and was seeking to unify the title. Personal Quotes (2) Liston on his age: "I'm like Jack Benny, I never tell my age." In the films the good guy always wins, but this is one bad guy who ain't gonna lose. See also Muhammad Ali is a three-time World Heavyweight champion. Sonny Liston Vs Muhammad Ali The title fight between Sonny Liston and Ali was scheduled On February 25, 1964 in Miami Florida. Ali was not widely expected to defeat Sonny Liston who was favorite to win (7–1 odds). The fight was nearly canceled when the promoters of the fight heard that Ali had become member of the Nation of Islam but Ali protested the suggested cancellation of the fight and as a compromise, Ali was asked the to delay his announcement about his conversion until after the fight.

In the opening rounds, Ali’s speed kept him away from Liston’s powerful head and body shots, as he used his height advantage to beat Liston to the punch with his jabs. By the third round, Ali was ahead on points and had opened a cut under Liston’s eye, but Liston regained some ground in the fourth, as Ali was blinded by a substance in his eyes. It is unconfirmed whether this was something used to close Liston’s cuts, or deliberately applied to Liston’s gloves; Liston began the fourth round looking to put away Ali as the challenger struggled to recover his vision. Ali was able to keep out of range until his sweat and tears rinsed the substance from his eyes, responding with a flurry of combinations near the end of the fifth round. By the sixth, Ali was looking to finish Liston. and when Liston failed to answer the bell for the seventh round, stating he had a shoulder injury Ali became the youngest boxer ever to take the title from a reigning heavyweight champion, until Mike Tyson won the title from Trevor Berbick.

Sonny Liston Vs Muhammad Ali video Sonny Liston Vs Muhammad Ali rematch The rematch was held in May 1965 in Lewiston, Maine, and Ali won by knockout in the first round as a result of what came to be called the “phantom punch.” Many believe that Liston , possibly as a result of threats from Nation of Islam extremists, or in an attempt to “throw” the fight to pay off debts, waited to be counted out. Muhammad Ali vs Sonny Liston rematch video Early title defenses On November 22, 1965, Ali fought Floyd Patterson in his second title defense winning by a technical knockout at the end of the 12th round. Ali then won a 15-round decision against opponent George Chuvalo and went to England where he defeated Henry Cooper by stoppage on cuts May 21. Muhammad Ali vs Ernie Terrel On February 6, 1967, Ali fought Terrell in what became one of the uglier fights in boxing. Terrell had angered Ali by calling him Clay, and Ali vowed to punish him. During the fight, Ali kept shouting at his opponent, “What’s my name, Uncle Tom.

Terrell suffered 15 rounds of brutal punishment, losing 13 rounds on two judges’ scorecards, but Ali did not knock him out. Banned form boxing Ali’s refusal to be inducted into the U.S.military, based on his religious beliefs and opposition to the Vietnam War led to his arrest and in March 1967 was stripped of his title and had his professional boxing license suspended. His refusal to be inducted into the U.S. military, based on his religious beliefs and opposition to the Vietnam War led to his arrest. He was found guilty on draft evasion charges, stripped of his boxing title, and his boxing license was suspended. He was not imprisoned, but did not fight again for nearly four years while his appeal worked its way up to the U.S. Supreme Court, where it was successful. Return to boxing and first fights Muhammad Ali vs Jerry Quarry On October 26, 1970,(while his case was still on appeal) Ali stopped Jerry Quarry on a cut after three rounds. Muhammad Ali vs Jerry Quarry video Muhammad Ali vs Oscar Bonavena Ali went to fight Oscar Bonavena at Madison Square Garden on December 7, 1970.

After a tough 14 rounds, Ali stopped Bonavena in the 15th, paving the way for a title fight against Joe Frazier . Joe Frazier vs Muhammad Ali ‘The Fight of the Century’ The “Fight Of The Century” (On March 8, 1971), was the first meeting of two undefeated heavyweight champions , since Ali (31-0) had not lost his title in the ring (been stripped because of his refusal to be inducted in the Armed Forces). Frazier won a clear, 15-round, unanimous decision, retained his title. After the fight Ali was taken to the hospital to have his badly swollen jaw x-rayed, and Frazier spent time in the hospital during the ensuing month, the exertions of the fight having been exacerbated by his existing health problems. (hypertension and kidney infection) Joe Frazier vs Muhammad Ali video Muhammad Ali vs Ken Norton I & II In 1973, Ali fought Ken Norton, who broke Ali’s jaw and won by split decision in 12 rounds.

Muhammad Ali vs Ken Norton I video Ali won the rematch, also by split decision, on September 10, 1973, which set up Ali-Frazier II. Muhammad Ali vs Ken Norton II video Joe Frazier vs Muhammad Ali II A nontitle rematch with Joe Frazier , who had already lost his title to George Foreman. The bout was held on January 28, 1974, with Ali winning a unanimous 12-round decision. George Foreman vs Muhammad Ali ‘The Rumble in the Jungle’ During the summer of 1974, Foreman traveled to Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) to defend his title against Ali. The bout was promoted as The Rumble in the Jungle. During training in Zaire, Foreman suffered a cut above his eye, forcing postponement of the match for a month. Foreman was favorite having knocked out both Joe Frazier and Ken Norton (the only men to defeat Ali to that point) within two rounds. When Foreman and Ali finally met in the ring, Ali began more aggressively than expected, outscoring Foreman with superior punching speed.

In the second round, Ali retreated to the ropes, shielding his head and hitting Foreman in the face at every opportunity. Foreman dug vicious body punches into Ali’s sides; however, it quickly became clear that Foreman was unable to land a clean punch to Ali’s head. The ring ropes, being much looser than usual, allowed Ali to lean back and away from Foreman’s wild swings and then maul him in a clinch, forcing Foreman to expend extra energy untangling himself. Ali also pushed down on Foreman’s neck, getting away with a move the referee is expected to discourage. In either case, Ali was able to counter off the ropes with blows to the face, and was able to penetrate Foreman’s defense. As the early rounds passed, Ali continued to take heavy punishment to the body, and occasionally a hard jolt to the head, but Foreman could not land his best punches directly on Ali’s chin. Eventually, Foreman began to tire and his punches became increasingly wild, losing power in the process. An increasingly-confident Ali taunted Foreman throughout the bout.

Late in the eighth round, Ali began landing unreturned punches and sprang off the ropes with a sudden flurry to Foreman’s head, punctuated by a hard right cross that landed flush on Foreman’s jaw. Foreman was thrown off balance and fell to the floor. It was Foreman’s first defeat, and Muhammad Ali would remain the only boxer to defeat him by a knockout. George Foreman vs Muhammad Ali video The “Rumble in the Jungle” was the subject of a 1996 Academy Award winning documentary film, When We Were Kings. Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier ‘The Thrilla in Manila’ Ali and Frazier met for the third and final time in Quezon City, the Philippines, on October 1, 1975 best known as the “Thrilla in Manila”. The fight for Ali’s title and was far more action-filled than the previous encounter. Ali came out and walked flat footed to the center of the ring and then proceeded to unleash a flurry of combinations on Frazier, who was hurt a number of times by Ali’s onslaught, including staggering backwards several times in the first few rounds.

Frazier seemed to dominate the middle rounds and began punishing Ali to the body and the head with his trademark left hooks. By the sixth round, Frazier had staggered Ali in turn and seemed to be gaining control of the fight. In the tenth round, Frazier began to slow down and tire, and was met once more with punishing blows from Ali. With the punishment from Ali closing his right eye, Frazier was effectively fighting blind in the last rounds of the fight. By the 14th round Frazier was virtually helpless, and although Ali was tired and hurting, he was able to summon the energy once again to give Frazier a fierce beating, and once again Frazier was staggered and nearly knocked down before the bell ended the round. The fight ended when Frazier’s trainer Eddie Futch stopped the fight before the 15th and final round with Frazier sitting on his stool. Joe Frazier vs. Muhammad Ali 3 Video Subsequent bouts and retirement Ali easily beat Jean-Pierre Coopman. In April 1976 he defeated Jimmy Young and then Richard Dunn the following month, which would turn out to be Ali’s last knockout victory. Muhammad Ali vs Ken Norton III On September 28.

1976, at Yankee Stadium, Ali faced Ken Norton in their third fight, with Ali winning a close but unanimous 15-round decision. Muhammed Ali successfully defended his titles against Ken Norton in a close fight as he was declared the victor in a disputed decision. The January 1998 issue of Boxing Monthly ranked Ali-Norton as the fifth most disputed title fight decision in history. Muhammad Ali vs Ken Norton III video During 1977 Ali defend his title against Alfredo Evangelista and Earnie Shavers. Fight doctor Ferdie Pacheco left Ali’s camp following the Shavers fight after being rebuffed for advising Ali to retire. Muhammad Ali vs Leon Spinks title fight In February 1978, Ali lost the heavweight title to 1976 Olympics Champion Leon Spinks. Muhammad Ali vs Leon Spinks title rematch On September 15, 1978, Ali fought a rematch in the New Orleans Louisiana Superdome against Spinks for the WBA version of the Heavyweight title, winning it for a record third time.

Muhammad Ali vs Leon Spinks title video First Retirement and comeback fight against Larry Holmes Larry Holmes vs Muhammad Ali Ali retired following this victory on June 27, 1979, but returned in 1980 to face current champion Larry Holmes in an attempt to win a heavyweight title an unprecedented four times. Angelo Dundee refused to let his man come out for the 11th round, in what became Ali’s only loss by anything other than a decision. Larry Holmes vs Muhammad Ali video Second Retirement and last fight against Trevor Berbick Ali’s final fight, a loss by unanimous decision after 10 rounds, was to up-and-coming challenger Trevor Berbick in 1981. Ali was nicknamed “The Greatest”, and was involved in several historic boxing matches such as the three with rival Joe Frazier and one with George Foreman , whom he beat by knockout to win the world heavyweight title for the second time. Rather than the normal style which he described as “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”, and employing techniques such as the rope-a-dope.

He was also known for his pre-match hype, where he would “trash talk” opponents on television and in person some time before the match, often with rhymes. These personality quips and idioms, along with an unorthodox fighting technique, made him a cultural icon. In later life, Ali developed Parkinson’s disease. In 1999, Ali was crowned “Sportsman of the Century” by Sports Illustrated and “Sports Personality of the Century” by the BBC. Photos of Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali -born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr-is a three-time World Heavyweight Champion, who is widely considered one of the greatest heavyweight championship boxers. Muhammad Ali vs. Sonny Liston (2nd meeting) - BoxRec Muhammad Ali vs.

Sonny Liston (2nd meeting) From BoxRec Jump to: navigation , search 1965-05-25 : Sonny Liston 215¼ lbs lost to Muhammad Ali 206 lbs by KO at 2:12 in round 1 of 15 Location: Central Maine Civic Center, Lewiston, Maine, USA 4 Articles The Build-Up Shortly after Muhammad Ali—then Cassius Clay—upset Sonny Liston to win the World Heavyweight Championship on February 25, 1964, it was discovered that the two boxers had a contract which gave Inter-Continental Promotions, Inc., a firm organized to promote Liston's fights, the right to promote Ali's first fight as champion—if he should beat Liston—and pick his opponent (Liston, of course). This was in a second contract, kept secret and not part of the main fight contract. It was phrased as it was because the World Boxing Association did not allow fight contracts with rematch clauses. On August 21, 1963, the WBA voted to suspend any member state approving a contract with a return bout clause.

The regulation was inspired by the contract Liston was forced to sign to get a title shot against Floyd Patterson , whom Liston would twice knockout in one round. Delegates described it as the worst ever seen in the boxing business. Patterson was not only guaranteed a rematch, but retained the right to dictate the terms. Gordon B. Davidson, an attorney for the group sponsoring Ali, said, "We felt we would be better advised not to have a guaranteed rematch clause. We felt this was more in the spirit of the WBA rules than a direct rematch, which was clearly outlawed." He agreed that it was "subterfuge." When Ali and Liston signed to fight a rematch, the WBA voted unanimously to strip Ali of the title and drop Liston from its rankings. However, the World Boxing Council , the New York State Athletic Commission and The Ring magazine continued to recognize Ali as champion. Pressed by the WBA—which included every U.S. state except California, Nevada and New York—state boxing commissions throughout the nation were reluctant to license a rematch between the two controversial fighters, and it was difficult to find a venue.

Ultimately, Massachusetts agreed to host the bout, which resulted in the suspension of the Massachusetts Boxing Commission by the WBA. The fight was set for November 16, 1964, at the Boston Garden. Liston was immediately established as a 13-5 favorite. However, three days before the fight, Ali suffered an incarcerated inguinal hernia. He was rushed to Boston City Hospital and underwent immediate surgery. "It was such a marvelously developed stomach, I hated to slice it up," said one of the attending physicians. The fight was rescheduled for May 25, 1965. But as it approached, there were fears that the promoters were tied to organized crime, and Massachusetts officials, most notably Suffolk County District Attorney Garrett Byrne, began to have second thoughts. Byrne sought an injunction blocking the fight in Boston, claiming Inter-Continental Promotions was promoting the fight without a Massachusetts license. Inter-Continental said local veteran Sam Silverman was the promoter. On May 7, backers of the rematch ended the court battle by pulling the fight out of Boston. The promoters needed a new location quickly, whatever the size, to rescue their closed circuit television commitment around the country. Governor John H.

Reed of Maine stepped forward, and within a few hours, the promoters had a new site: Lewiston, Maine, a mill town with a population of about 41,000 located 140 miles north of Boston. Inter-Continental obtained a permit and made an arrangement to work with local promoter Sam Michael. The venue selected was St. Dominic's Hall, a junior hockey rink. Lewiston was the smallest city to host a heavyweight title bout since Jack Dempsey fought Tommy Gibbons in Shelby, Montana (population 3,000) in 1923. It remains the only heavyweight title fight held in the state of Maine. The atmosphere surrounding the fight was tense and sometimes ugly, largely due to the repercussions of Ali's public embrace of Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam. Malcolm X, who had a public and bitter falling out with Elijah Muhammad, had been assassinated several months before the fight, and the men arrested for the slaying were members of the Nation of Islam. Rumors circulated that Ali, who had publicly snubbed Malcolm after his break with Elijah Muhammad, might be killed by Malcolm's supporters in retaliation.

The FBI took the threats seriously enough to post a 12-man, 24-hour guard around Ali. Liston's camp, in turn, claimed he had received a death threat from the Nation of Islam. The Fruit of Islam—the omnipresent, bow-tied paramilitary wing of the Nation of Islam—surrounding Ali only added to the sense of foreboding and hostility. Security for the fight was, for that time, unprecedented. Due to the remote location and the fear of violence, only 2,434 fans were present in the 4,900-seat arena, setting the all-time record for the lowest attendance for a heavyweight championship fight. The Fight The ending of the second Ali-Liston fight remains one of the most controversial in boxing history. Midway through the first round, Liston threw a left jab and Ali went over it with a fast right, knocking the former champion down. Liston went down on his back. He rolled over, got to his right knee and then fell on his back again. Many in attendance did not see Ali deliver the punch. The fight quickly descended into chaos.

Referee Jersey Joe Walcott , a former World Heavyweight Champion himself, had a hard time getting Ali to go to a neutral corner. Ali initially stood over his fallen opponent, gesturing and yelling at him, "Get up and fight, sucker!" When Walcott got back to Liston and looked at the knockdown timekeeper, Francis McDonough, to pick up the count, Liston had fallen back on the canvas. Walcott never did pick up the count. He said he could not hear McDonough, who did not have a microphone. Also, McDonough did not bang on the canvas or motion a number count with his fingers. McDonough, however, claimed Walcott was looking at the crowd and never at him. After Liston arose, Walcott wiped off his gloves. He then left the fighters to go over to the McDonough. "The timekeeper was waving both hands and saying, 'I counted him out—the fight is over,'" Walcott said after the fight.

" Nat Fleischer (editor of The Ring) was seating beside McDonough and he was waving his hands, too, saying it was over." Walcott then rushed back to the fighters, who had resumed boxing, and stopped the fight—awarding Ali a first-round knockout victory. The official time of the stoppage was announced as 1:00 into the first round, which was wrong. Liston went down at 1:44, got up at 1:56, and Walcott stopped the fight at 2:12. McDonough and Fleischer were also wrong in their interpretation of how the rules applied. Under the rules, the timekeeper is supposed to start the count at the time of a knockdown. The referee's duty is to get the boxer scoring the knockdown to a neutral corner, pick up the count from the timekeeper and continue it aloud for the knocked down boxer. Under the rules of the Maine Commission, the referee was authorized to stop his count if a boxer refused to go to the proper corner. "It might have been better if Walcott had stopped the count (by the knockdown timekeeper) until Clay went to the neutral corner and then started again," said Duncan MacDonald, a commission member.

"I did my job," Walcott said. "He (Ali) looked like a man in a different world. I didn't know what he might do. I thought he might stomp him or pick him up and belt him again." "If that bum Clay had gone to a neutral corner instead of running around like a maniac, all the trouble would have been avoided," McDonough said. He acknowledged that Walcott could have asked him to start the count again "after he got that wild man—Clay—back to a neutral corner, but he didn't, so that was that." Post-Fight Reactions When the fight ended, numerous fans booed and started yelling, "Fix!" Skeptics called the knockout blow "the phantom punch." Ali called it "the anchor punch." He said it was taught to him by comedian and film actor Stepin Fetchit, who learned it from Jack Johnson .

In the ring after the fight, Ali told closed circuit commentator Steve Ellis: "Didn't I tell the world that I had a surprise and if I told you the surprise, you would not come to the fight." However, Ali was unsure immediately after the fight as to whether or not the punch connected, as footage from the event shows Ali in the ring asking his entourage, "Did I hit him?" Ali told Nation of Islam minister Abdul Rahman that Liston "laid down" and Rahman replied, "No, you hit him." Rahman later said, "Ali hit him so fast, Ali didn't really know he hit him....and It took a long time before even he saw the punch he hit Sonny with." Years later, Ali told biographer Thomas Hauser : "The punch jarred him. It was a good punch, but I didn't think I hit him so hard he couldn't get up." "It was a good right-hand punch," Liston said after the fight. "It made me groggy.

I got to my knees but fell the second time because I was off balance....I could have got up, but I didn't hear the count." After the fight, George Chuvalo climbed through the ropes and shoved Ali, yelling, "Fix!" He was restrained, but later he said that he had seen Liston's eyes while the challenger was on the floor, and he knew that he was not in bad shape. "His eyes were darting from side to side like this," he said, darting his eyes from side to side. "When a fighter is hurt his eyes roll up." However, Dr. Carroll L. Witten, former Kentucky State Boxing Commissioner, who had studied the reactions of knocked out fighters, said, "Chuvalo is wrong. The side-to-side movement of eyes is commonly associated with temporary unconsciousness and is one of the first things you look for. It is called nystagmus." There were some at ringside who believed the fight was legitimate.

World Light Heavyweight Champion Jose Torres said, "It was a perfect punch." Jim Murray of the Los Angeles Times wrote that it was "no phantom punch." And Tex Maule of Sports Illustrated wrote, "The blow had so much force it lifted Liston's left foot, upon which most of his weight was resting, well off the canvas." Hall of Fame announcer Don Dunphy was one of many who didn't believe the fight was on the level. "If that was a punch, I'll eat it," he said. "Here was a guy who was in prison and the guards use to beat him over the head with clubs and couldn't knock him down." But others contend that he wasn't the same Liston. Dave Anderson of the New York Times said Liston "looked awful" in his last workout before the fight. Liston's handlers secretly paid sparring partner Amos Lincoln an extra $100 to take it easy on him. Arthur Daley of the New York Times wrote that Liston's handlers knew he "didn't have it anymore." One ringside observer, former World Heavyweight Champion James J. Braddock , said the suspect Ali right hand merely finished up what an earlier punch had begun.

"I have a feeling that this guy (Ali) is a lot better than any of us gave him credit for," Braddock said. "It isn't the knockout punch that sticks in my mind as much as a punch he let go (earlier)....It was a right to Liston's jaw and it shook him to his shoetops. For all we know, it could have been the one that set up the knockout." Another former champion, Rocky Marciano , changed his view about the knockout punch after seeing videotape the next day. "I didn't think it was a powerful punch when I saw the fight from ringside," Marciano said. "Now (after seeing video) I think Clay, seeing the opening, snapped the punch the last six inches." Dave Anderson said he saw Liston in Las Vegas in 1967 and asked him what happened. "It wasn't that hard a punch, but it partially caught me off balance and when I got knocked down, I got mixed up because the referee never gave me a count," Liston said. "I was listening for a count.

That's the first thing you do, but I never heard a count because Clay never went to a neutral corner." Jerry Izenberg of the Newark Star-Ledger said Liston told him that he lost simply because "the timekeeper couldn't count." Mark Kram of Sports Illustrated said Liston told him: "That guy (Ali) was crazy. I didn't want anything to do with him. And the Muslims were coming up. Who needed that? So I went down. I wasn't hit." During a 1995 HBO documentary about Liston, trainer Johnny Tocco , who owned a boxing gym in Las Vegas, said he spoke with mobster John Vitale before the rematch and was told not to pay any attention to what he heard about the fight. He also told Tocco that he should be glad that he wasn't going to Lewiston. When Tocco asked why, Vitale told him that the fight was going to end in the first round. During the same documentary, former FBI agent William F. Roemer Jr.

said, "We learned that there very definitely had been a fix in that fight." He said Bernie Glickman, a boxing manager from Chicago with mob ties, claimed that while he was conversing with Liston and his wife before the fight, Liston's wife told the ex-champion that as long as he had to loss the fight, he should go down early to avoid any chance of getting hurt. In the wake of the controversial fight, there was an outcry by press and politicians for the abolition of boxing. Bills to ban the sport were planned in several state legislatures. A promoter in San Antonio apologized to his theater TV customers and, on the basis that they had been defrauded by a "shameful spectacle," donated his take to boys' clubs. The California legislature, in session, received a resolution calling for an investigation by the state attorney general to determine if its closed-circuit viewers had been fraudulently duped out of their money. For those who believe that Liston took a dive, there are a number of theories as to why, including: (1) The Mafia forced Liston to throw the fight as part of a betting coup.

(2) Liston bet against himself and took a dive because he owed money to the Mafia. (3) A couple of members of the Nation of Islam visited Liston's training camp and told Liston they would kill him if he won the rematch. (4) Author Paul Gallender claims that members of the Nation of Islam kidnapped Liston's wife, Geraldine, and his son, Bobby. Liston was told to lose the fight to Ali or he would never see his family again. (5) Liston was afraid that he would be accidentally shot by followers of Malcolm X as they tried to kill Ali in the ring. What really happened that day in Lewiston, Maine, is still debated to this day. Articles Sonny Liston v Cassius Clay - February 25 1964 4/27/2016 Sonny Liston v Cassius Clay - February 25 1964 It was the summer of 1960. Floyd Patterson was the World Heavyweight Champion. Sonny Liston was terrorising the division. And Light Heavyweight Cassius Clay was winning Olympic Gold in Rome despite being afraid of flying.

Little did we know at this time Clay and Listons paths would cross again. Floyd Patterson had just regained the championship from Ingemar Johansson. Sonny Liston was eager for a shot but Patterson’s manager Cus D’Amato refused to allow his fighter to fight Liston due to his criminal past. In fact the newspapers were stating at the time whether Liston should actually be allowed to fight for the championship. However while Patterson was defeating the likes of Tom McNeeley, Liston was defeating contenders such as Cleveland Williams and Eddie Machen. Patterson however bowed to public pressure and defended against Liston in 1962. To the surprise of no-one Liston took the title knocking out the champion in the first round. There was a rematch and Patterson had the satisfaction of lasting a few seconds longer. Cassius Clay began his professional career not long after winning Olympic Gold defeating Tunney Hunsaker on points after six rounds. He continued his unbeaten path over the next three years defeating the likes of Archie Moore, Sonny Banks, Doug Jones and Henry Cooper more often than not predicting the round in which he would do it.

Clay then proceeded to stalk the champion even turning up uninvited at Listons house one night with a bear net. The fight was to be on February 25 1964 at Miami Beach. Clay was made a 7-1 underdog leading Clay to say “If you wanna lose your money then bet on Sonny”. Most boxing writers though didn’t give Clay a chance saying it was cruel to let a pretty boy in the ring with an ex convict. At the weigh in Clay was hysterical predicting that Liston would fall in eight. The weigh in to be honest was a shambles and this was what Clay wanted. He was fined $1500 by the Miami Boxing Commission for his outburst. Witnesses believed that the challenger was actually scared to death but when Clay’s doctor checked him later he was perfectly normal. The arena In Miami that night was half full. People thought that this was going to be another quick night for Liston. The fight started with Clay circling the ring making Liston look ponderous. He certainly didn’t look like a 7-1 underdog. In Round 3 Clay opened a cut over Listons eye with a left/right combination. The challenger was boxing beautifully.

Suddenly however there was a crisis for Clay. In Round 4 a liniment from Listons eye got into Clays and the challenger had difficulty seeing. By the start of Round 5 Clay was blind and Angelo Dundee’s only instructions for the round was run. Clay spent Round 5 back pedalling from Liston just poking out a left to the champions face. It was amazing but Clay was fighting one of the most feared heavyweight champions ever completely blind. Clay though weathered the storm and by Round 6 Clays eyes had cleared and he spent the round dictating the fight again. A weary Liston headed back to his corner. Amazingly Liston stayed on his stool at the start of Round 7 claiming a shoulder injury. Most people that night thought that Liston had just quit. Clay went into a frenzy pointing at the press saying that he told them so and then stating “I shook up the world” This was to be the last ever fight for Cassius Clay. A day after winning the title he denounced his “slave name” and from then on became Muhammad Ali. Ali and Liston would meet a further time for the title, once again in controversial circumstances.

2004-10-16 Sonny Liston - TV.com Sonny Liston 5/8/1932, St. Francis County Arkansas Died EDIT Heavyweight boxing champion in the early 1960's whom ring observers rank as one of the hardest punchers in the history of the sport. Liston's reputation has been forever tarnished by his two controversial losses to Muhammed Ali in title fights in 1964 and 1965.

He is alleged by… more Credits S 2: Ep 18 Love and the Champ 11/27/70 S 2: Ep 27 Head 11/6/68 S 2: Ep 206 July 5, 1968 7/5/68 The Ed Sullivan Show Himself S 16: Ep 2 October 6, 1963: The Angels, Dick Dale, Totie Fields, Sonny Liston, Kate Smith, Stiller & Meara, Three Stooges 10/6/63 S 14: Ep 1 Billy Graham Show 9/24/63 Become a contributor Important: You must only upload images which you have created yourself or that you are expressly authorised or licensed to upload. By clicking "Publish", you are confirming that the image fully complies with TV.com’s Terms of Use and that you own all rights to the image or have authorization to upload it. Please read the following before uploading Do not upload anything which you do not own or are fully licensed to upload. The images should not contain any sexually explicit content, race hatred material or other offensive symbols or images.

Remember: Abuse of the TV.com image system may result in you being banned from uploading images or from the entire site – so, play nice and respect the rules! Choose background: TAKING STOCK OF SONNY LISTON TAKING STOCK OF SONNY LISTON April 6, 1964 Shopwalk By Jack Nicklaus The defending champion, himself one of golf's great power hitters (see cover), analyzes the Augusta National Golf Club course and presents indisputable proof that the Masters gives the long driver a remarkable advantage over the rest of the field—a conclusion supported by the results in recent years By Tex Maule The big, drab room, about as appetizing as a dish of roach powder, is almost ail there is to the Fifth Street Gym in Miami Beach. From it, however, flows a ceaseless stream of champions, not the least of them Cassius Clay and Willie Pastrano High-stakes players from all over the country attended the Las Vegas tournament, won by a stockbroker named Manny Rose Augusta By Dan Jenkins Thousands of golf followers are once more set to descend on this spoof of a spa.

There they will happily retest the theory that it takes more sportsmanship—and courage—to face up to the challenge of Augusta and its Bon Air Hotel than it does to win the Masters Coaches TAKING STOCK OF SONNY LISTON An investigation of boxing by a U.S. Senate subcommittee reveals that the ex-heavyweight champion was generous to a fault with the kind of friends he was supposed to have given up long ago View Cover April 06, 1964 When the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust and Monopoly convened last week to hold a hearing on whether or not boxing should be placed under federal control the initial subject matter seemed relatively mild—an under-the-table rematch contract between Sonny Liston and Muhammad Ali, the former Cassius Clay. But the subcommittee had hardly made itself comfortable in Room 2228 of the New Senate Office Building (known around Washington as the "New SOB") before it discovered that return-bout contracts, illegal or otherwise, were far less fascinating than the fact that stock in Sonny Liston (flourished above by Committee Chairman Philip A. Hart) had sunk to an alltime low.

The mikesful of testimony that followed indicated Liston had done a lot of things while he was heavyweight champion but one of them was not—alas—ridding himself of the peculiar battalion of mobsters, gamblers, front men and hangers-on that supposedly had been purged from the boxing scene three years ago. Though Sonny may have seemed to live a pristine and lonely life in the high, pure air of Denver, breaking only an occasional law late at night, he was actually a man with friends galore, friends that ranged from fetid Philadelphia to virtuous Las Vegas, gambling friends and advising friends, above all, the kind of friends a man would be happy to share his money with. This is an article from the April 6, 1964 issue Like a heavyweight fight, the hearing began slowly enough as Senator Hart and his associates poked and prodded at the rematch contract that the former Clay signed with Intercontinental Promotions before he whipped Liston, the former No. 63723 of the Missouri State Penitentiary.

The Senators had difficulty grasping the idea that rematch contracts have been SOP between heavyweight champions since Achilles took on Hector, and that the World Boxing Association, which piously forbids such contracts, is mostly a grab-bag collection of political clinks and clanks who would joyously become Black Muslims themselves if it meant a title fight for the old home town. As Garland Cherry, the lawyer for Intercontinental and the first day's witness, facetiously announced to an elevator full of people upon leaving one session, "Thank God the reporters weren't up there asking the questions. Then we would have been in trouble." But trouble came fast enough as names suddenly began dropping—old, familiar, nasty names and new, unknown, enticing names. Fingered so far—and the chorus is not through singing yet—have been Frankie Carbo, the onetime underworld czar of boxing who is now doing 25 years in a federal pen for extortion; Blinky Palermo, Carbo's former buddy who is appealing a 15-year stretch on the same rap in an effort not to wind up as a pen pal; and Pep Barone, a Palermo stooge who used to manage Liston and who is still regarded by Sonny as a lucky charm.

Then there were the new names: Ash Resnick, who is, as Jack Nilon, Liston's current manager, testified, "believe it or not" the athletic director of a Las Vegas gambling joint; Salvatore J. Avena, a little-known but soon to be better-known lawyer from Camden, N.J.; and Sam Margolis, a Philadelphia man of parts who used to run a delicatessen with Blinky and who now (surprise!) turns out to own half of Liston's stock in Intercontinental Promotions, stock said to be worth $100,000 that generous Sonny insisted on giving him. Margolis is the key man, and an interesting one. Pudgy and 50, he pleaded guilty in 1937 to operating a gambling house in Chester, Pa., was fined $50 and sentenced to from one to three months in jail. In the early 1940s he was twice arrested on gambling charges in Delaware County, Pa., but not found guilty either time. In 1950 Philadelphia police arrested him for assault and battery, but he was discharged again.

Over the years he has been chums with Blinky Palermo and other Blinky buddies. In 1960 Anthony Bernhard, an undercover detective for the New York police, told the monopoly subcommittee, then headed by the late Estes Kefauver, that Margolis had been present at a 1958 Washington meeting between Palermo and Carbo, which pinpoints Margolis as a man who knows boxing's ins, if not its outs. (Senator Kenneth Keating of New York pointed out last week that Angelo Dundee, the trainer for Clay, also attended the same little soiree, and the Senator wondered aloud if Carbo did not now, even by remote control from his cell on McNeil Island in Puget Sound, have an interest in both the Clay and Liston camps? This speculation created a rustle of headlines, though there was no reason to believe that the group of 11 Louisville businessmen who handle Clay could be controlled by the mob. They pay Dundee a flat salary to train Clay at his famous Fifth Street Gym in Miami Beach—see page 70.) There was nothing speculative about Sam Margolis' lasting friendship with Blinky Palermo.

A check last week of police records in Los Angeles, where Palermo and Carbo were tried for extortion in 1961, showed that Margolis was a constant spectator in the courtroom. Moreover, a look at the visitor's book in the L.A. County Jail revealed that Margolis frequently signed in to comfort Blinky in his time of trial. Margolis and Blinky had long been in business together in Philadelphia as partners in the Sansom Delicatessen at 111 South 39th Street. Until 1961 Margolis and his wife reportedly owned 50%, and the other 50 was split up between Blinky and members of his family. Geraldine Liston, Sonny's wife, may even have sliced a few pickles at the deli—at least she gave her occupation as a cook at the Sansom when she and Sonny applied for a car loan in 1960. Margolis is now in the vending machine business—an enterprise he apparently runs from his home. The question, of course, is how did Margolis turn up owning 225 of Sonny's 500 shares in Intercontinental Promotions?

Margolis claims that Liston gave him the stock last fall because he, Sam, helped set up Intercontinental by getting Liston and the Nilon brothers together. That would make it a kind of finder's fee of unprecedented proportion, and the Senators understandably decided that they wanted to hear Margolis explain what he was finding—and on behalf of whom. They also expressed interest in Lawyer Avena, who fell heir to 50 shares of the stock. Both men have been asked what moved Sonny to give away almost three-fifths of himself in payment for services of a highly vague nature. If Avena had anything to say in the matter, he was saving it for the hearing. He did confirm that Margolis was his client, yet he refused to say how he—supposedly just another Camden lawyer, though one who certainly has some unique connections—latched on to Philadelphia Sam. "I won't go into details about what I was handling for Mr. Margolis," he said.

He said that he had met Liston through Margolis, and that when the Nilon brothers and their lawyer, Cherry, decided to set up Intercontinental "Sonny asked me to represent him." In any event, as a fee for advice given to Client Liston, Avena picked up 50 shares. The names of Margolis and Avena first came up when Cherry testified, but the star witness last week was Sonny's harassed "adviser," Jack Nilon, the very man who took over Liston in 1962 to show the world that the Palermos and Carbos were things of the past. When Margolis asked Cherry last fall to turn the chunk of Sonny's stock over to him, Cherry rang up not Liston, but Adviser Nilon, for approval. Sonny's generosity shocked him, Nilon testified. He said he went to Sonny and tore a dollar bill into four pieces to impress Liston with what he was giving up. Sonny was not impressed. But in the witness chair Nilon, who has been feuding with Sonny, saw little wrong with the stock deal. "Personally," he told the Senators, "I feel anyone who can put up with Mr.

Liston's antics—even if he got the whole thing—would be underpaid." The Senators never did ask Nilon why he thought Sonny gave up the stock, but later, when a reporter did, Nilon replied, "I don't need to ask questions. I've got an imagination." Nilon said, in so many words, that Sonny is personally obnoxious, and he went on to give some revealing behind-the-punching-bag insights into Liston's training for the Clay fight. As a matter of fact, Nilon said he had planned to quit as manager after the Clay fight even though there was money to be made. "There is more to life than bread," Nilon declaimed. Nilon's gross take from the Liston fight could be as high as half a million dollars, prompting Senator Hart to remark, "There's a lot of bread in that life." But when Liston lost, Nilon added, "I didn't think it was right to walk away from him." Liston, Nilon declared, "is almost a neurotic. In Las Vegas he steps on a stone. You might have thought he had a broken leg.

In Florida he had a cold, he was dyin'." When Liston arrived in Miami Beach to train for the Clay fight, Nilon said he had to bring in Dr. Robert Bennett from Detroit to attend to Sonny's ailments, real or imaginary. Besides this, Nilon went on, "I didn't feel Sonny trained as hard as he could. He was doggin' it. He was readin' his press clippings." Nilon said he told Liston that Clay was a fast kid who could run, but Sonny only got angry. For most of the training period he and Sonny were "at odds." Instead of running five miles, Sonny would only do one and—sin of sins for a champ in training—he took to "stayin' up late, playin' cards and so on." The Senators did not pursue the so on. There was certainly nothing in the testimony last week to indicate that Liston gave anything but his huffing-and-puffing best once the fight with Clay actually began. Life at Liston's house, which Nilon visited only once, was "chaos" "It was like a ballroom," he testified, with hangers-on galore.

Asked to name them, Nilon flung his hands up in disgust and exclaimed, "Beeewwww!" Pressed for specifics, he cited, among others, Martha and Joe Louis (besides Avena, Liston has Martha Louis as a lawyer, but then, as Nilon quipped of Sonny, "He's got lawyers on lawyers"), Sam Margolis and Pep Barone, the Palermo front man who once was a link in Sonny's managerial chain. "Sonny," said Nilon, "thinks an awful lot of Pep Barone." Indeed, Sonny thought so much of him that he invited him to Miami Beach. "He thinks Pep Barone's good luck," Nilon said, by way of possible explanation. "Sonny's very superstitious." Back in 1960, when Senator Kefauver told Sonny to divest himself of mob management, Sonny was supposed to buy his contract back from Barone for $75,000. But, as Nilon told it, Barone has not been paid in full.

While in Florida, Barone griped that he was still owed $42,000, and after the Clay fight Nilon gave Pep a check for $3,000 or $4,000 (Nilon could not remember the exact figure) which he charged to Liston's account (that Nilon remembered) because Barone "didn't have any money to get out of Miami." "That," interjected Senator Keating, "would get him quite a way out." Another camp follower in Liston's house of chaos was Ash Resnick, a gambler and the athletic director for the Thunderbird Hotel in Vegas. "I don't know what they call athletics," said Nilon, who clearly loathed Resnick. Nilon said that, according to "hearsay" (Do you want hearsay. Senators? Nilon asked. You betcha, they replied), Resnick had bet on the Liston-Clay fight, and "lost everything." The one thing Resnick did not lose was the publicity value of the shirts with Thunderbird written on them that he had talked Liston into wearing. By the weekend the Senators had clearly heard enough to want to ask a lot more questions.

Was Sam Margolis going to have an explanation for Sonny's generosity? Was it just a wild coincidence that Liston's new shareholder turned out to be an old business partner of Blinky Palermo's and no stranger to Frankie Carbo? Called to testify on Monday, Margolis made it seem as though everything was just wild coincidence. "Under penalty of perjury," he vowed, "I deny that they [Palermo and Carbo] have any interest [in Liston]." Sonny, Margolis claimed, had any number of reasons for giving him the stock. He, Sam, had helped set up the Intercontinental deal, he had let Sonny run up "a big bill" eating on the cuff in the Sansom and, most important, any time Liston had "problems" Sonny had come to him for friendly advice. If Sonny himself is called, he may well have to testify that when you have dear friends like Blinky Palermo and Sam Margolis and Pep Barone, why, you don't give 'em up, man, you don't give 'em up—unless they give you up first. The last word was still Jack Nilon's.

"Well," he said, "we took the heat off Bobby Baker." PHOTO A stern Senator Hart brandishes the stock certificates that Sonny Liston signed over to a couple of mysterious strangers, Sam Margolis and a lawyer, Salvatore J. Avena. THREE PHOTOS Three men with roles in the curious manipulation of Liston's stock are (left to right) jolly Sam Margolis, jittery Jack Nilon and earnest Garland Cherry. PHOTO Ash Resnick, gambler and Liston camp follower, gets wifely encouragement at earlier inquiry. PHOTO

Question: To whom did Sonny Liston lose the World Heavyweight Boxingchampionship in 1964?
Answer: Cassius Clay