Muhammed Ali – Sonny Liston Fight 1965
When Cassius Clay defeated Sonny Liston, considered by many before the fight to be the most fearsome heavyweight fighter of all time, in their first bout in 1964 there were immediate allegations that the fight was fixed. The Florida State Attorney (the fight had been held in Miami Beach) and a US Senate subcommittee held investigations and found no evidence of the fight being fixed. Internal FBI memos addressed to J. Edgar Hoover also indicated that some in the FBI believed the fight was fixed by organized crime figures in Las Vegas, but no formal investigation was opened.
Still there was considerable whispering, and when their second fight was held, in Lewiston, Maine in May 1965, it was watched closely for any illegal activities. Clay had by then changed his name to Ali. Controversy over both fighter’s contracts preceded the rematch, which was not recognized by the World Boxing Association as legitimate since they violated rules against contracts which guaranteed rematches. Liston was involved in a couple of high profile arrests between the fights. Pre-fight concerns over Liston involvement with crime figures and Ali’s relationship with the Nation of Islam generated exceptionally heavy security.
Liston went down in the first round, there was confusion over the count, and although Liston got back to his feet the timekeeper signaled that he was down for the count of ten, and the fight was over. The punch which allegedly knocked Liston down was missed by most who saw the fight, and has been debated ever since. Even more than in the first fight there were allegations that the fight had been fixed, for gambling purposes, since Ali was a heavy underdog despite winning the first fight.
Former FBI agent William Roemer later claimed that the FBI learned the fight was fixed. According to Roemer he was informed by a gym owner and boxing manager in Chicago that Liston’s wife told her husband since he had to lose he should do it early to avoid the possibility of injury (Liston had suffered a bad cut in the first fight with Ali). Although no firm evidence linking Liston to a fix has been presented, it has always been considered that he threw the fight.
Liston continued to fight following the second bout with Ali, and he continued to be associated with organized crime figures. When he died in late December 1970 his death was reported by the Las Vegas police as a heroin overdose. Whether he actually threw either of the fights with Cassius Clay/Muhammed Ali has never been officially determined, but when Ali returned to his corner after Liston went down in the first round, he asked the corner man whether he had hit Liston. It seems even Ali missed the so-called phantom punch.