This clash was Ali’s second time fighting Liston, after a match in 1964 at Miami Beach, Florida where Ali had won the match (Reed 108). Both of these fights remained controversial in boxing history. According to The Appendix Journal, the first bout between the two was highly anticipated but, ended up in controversy. Liston, who was thought to be invincible and the most intimidating fighter of his day, put his World Heavyweight Title on line against Ali, who was known as Cassius Clay. According to Walter (2013), Ali, a young fighter who had been knocked down in his earlier two fights by mediocre boxers, was not considered much of a threat to Liston’s Title. Most of sportsmen and writers of that time were pretty sure that Liston would easily win the battle.

Considering Ali as a weak opponent, Liston didn’t train very hard for the bout (Rosenberg 2013). To the surprise of fans and media, Ali showed up his dazzling footwork and scintillating hand speed which could not let Liston go beyond six hard rounds. As the match finished, rumors started to flow that Liston tried to cheat Ali during the match by using ointment in his gloves. It further became controversial when Liston quit on his stool in his corner after the sixth round, giving up his title. Fifteen month later on May 25 1965 in Lewiston, Maine, both fighters met each other again in the ring for a rematch (Post 2013). The bout turned out to be more bizarre and controversial. Within two minutes of the first round, Ali thrashed Liston down to the floor with a quick hand punch, which later became famous as the “Phantom Punch" (Rosenberg 2013). The picture above shows the moment when Ali was standing over Liston and screaming at him to get up after hitting the punch. For everyone in the Arena, it looked liked Liston had simply quit. Most of the spectators viewed the result of the game as a pre-planned fix. In this way, Ali- Liston II battle ended up in controversy. The result of the game produced assumptions and doubts about the authenticity of Liston’s performance. Did Liston cheat against Ali by taking a deliberate dive? The answer to this question can be yes or no depending upon how one analyzes the background of the bouts between Ali and Liston.

After the first bout in Miami, media and fans were surprised at the victory of Ali over Liston. It is still not clear why Liston simply quit on his stool in his corner after sixth round. While Liston later said that he quit the match due to his shoulder injury, many people say that it was apparently an excuse made to lessen the blow of his quitting in his corner. It seemed doubtful that a little muscle tears could make the furious Liston quit the match. It is also speculated that Liston gave up his title due to his ties with a Mob with whom he fixed the match result. It is said that he had close relationship with the owner of Las Vegas Casino, Resnick who had gambled and pre-arranged for Liston to lose in the middle rounds in the first fight. But, there is no evidence at all to support the fixed-fight theory. Had it been a fixed match, Liston would not have been so hard to beat Ali in his earlier rounds and, he would not have tried to defeat Ali by using the eye-allergic ointment in his gloves. So, there is still an uncertainty on whether Liston deliberately threw his title or he was really knocked down by Ali in his first battle. According to Rosenberg, the second battle between the two did not even last for a round. Within first two minutes of the first round, Liston was knocked down by Ali’s so called “Phantom Punch". Liston was floored for more than ten seconds due to which Ali was declared as the winner. If we take a look at the punch in the fight, it seems Liston could have gotten up, but he chose not to. Later, some observer insisted that the match was fixed and Liston knowingly took a dive after getting a punch which many suspect wasn’t hard enough to send Ali, the former champ, to the canvas. Some say, Liston was in debt to the Mafia and he threw the fight to pay it off. Or, his was frightened that Black Muslim extremist, targeting for Ali might kill him by mistake. Many people believed that Liston had received threats of some nature from Nation of Islam. When all of these factors are taken into consideration, it makes sense to think that Liston gave up the fight. However, as compelling as those factors can be, they can be disproved by videos of the bout. The slow motion video of the fight shows a short, chopping right hand counter by Ali that hits Liston straightly. As we watch him on the canvas, after the knockdown, he attempts to get up and then roll back again. He manages to stand up and continue the battle but, the referee of the game interrupts the fight and declares Ali as the winner. Had Liston wanted to give up the match, he would not have stood up again after being floored by the punch. This again supports that the highly controversial match was not a fix.

None of the games can be hundred percent fair. Nowadays, when players try to cheat or fix a game using some technique, they usually get caught by media. But, the fights between Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston have always been in controversy. No one has come up with a concrete proof on whether the fight was legitimate or a fix.

References

Walter, John . "Muhammad Ali: The Quintessential American." American Studies Today Online. (2000): n. page. Web. 6 Nov. 2013. .

Rosenberg, Jennifer. "Muhammad Ali A Biography of the Famous Boxer." About.com20th Century History. n. page. Web. 6 Nov. 2013. .

Post , Tina. "The Phantom Punch."The Appendix. 1.2 (2013): n. page. Web. 6 Nov. 2013. .

Reed, Timothy. "Peace Profile:Muhammad Ali." Peace Review. 16.1 (2004): 107-111. Print.