Ali vs Liston - Fight 2 - 1st Round Knockout
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- Опубликовано: 20 авг 2009
- May 25th 1965 -- Muhammad Ali vs Sonny Liston, Lewiston, Maine, KO 1
Because of the unexpected ending of the first bout, boxing authorities ordered a rematch, this time with Liston as challenger. The ending of the second fight remains one of the most controversial in boxing history. Midway through the first round, Liston fell to the canvas, in what many have argued was not a legitimate knockdown. 
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I will never understand how someone can think this fight was genuine. Liston most definitely took a dive. This is a true tragedy in sports history.
Take a dive Liston did all right.
Looks as much like a knockout and other.
yankeeclipper27 no doubt. He fucking hammers liston with that shot. Look at how fucking planted he is on his back foot when he throws that right. that's 100% body weight clobbering Liston.
I will never understand fucking tools like AJ here who have no fucking clue about boxing.
Why get back up..
A J Rodriguez The strangest thing is that Ali was moving BACKWARDS when he hit him. Ali NEVER had 1-punch KO power even on his best right hand moving forward with his hips into it. Perhaps the biggest dive in Boxing history. Liston just needed the paycheck.
My dad got me up early to watch this in the UK. As the pictures came through he said, ‘I’ll go a make a cup of tea.’ By the time he got back the fight was over.
Are you my brother? same thing happened my dad.
I dont believe you. Why would he make tea while this Great fight was on
@@soufianebentouhami1348 because they're english 😀
Even if this was true it’d just mean you were raised by a fool
@@soufianebentouhami1348 You think maybe, perhaps, just maybe, he was joking?
"Some say the bear took a flop, they couldn't believe it when they saw him drop."
You can see the shame in Sonny's face as he was absolutely coherent during this dive.
I saw his head jerk back.....looked real....rest is history
Stop making up FAIRYTALES. A knockout is a knockout IT HAPPENS EVERY DAY.
@@petergreen5337 Not from a slap like that.
@@domenicv7962 Looked about as "real" as the fights in those stupid Matrix movies.....lmao. C'mon, put down your crack pipe already.
@@georgevincent1834 you talk stupid
Liston Took a DIVE!
Its been said by Ali himself that the fight was rigged for Liston to lose. Liston made a deal with the mafia to go down in round 1. That famous picture you see of Ali standing over him, beating his own chest is actually him telling Liston to stand up and fight him
exactly!
And let me guess. The earth is flat too?
@@MMmmmmBobbert There's an audio recording of him saying it and no, Earth is not flat if you didn't know.
@@JamesCh. Santa is real too?
@@MMmmmmBobbert yes, it is flat
My brother and I listened on the radio. Couldn’t believe it.
Ali "Get up you bum. Nobody is going to believe this".
Ali knew the punch was no good and Liston had taken a dive.
@Michael P when he was standing and flexing his hand at Liston
@Michael P right then 1:45
He never said that. It was misattributed to him in the hack documentary "AKA Cassius Clay". It was later repeated by the so called "boxing historian" Bert Sugar. I challenge you to find a reference from any paper in the weeks after the fight to find someone who states he said what you quoted. At the time they quoted him as saying "get up you yellow bum" or some quoted as saying " get up you sucker". At any rate, most boxing experts and former boxer believe the knockdown was totally legit. Whether or not Liston could have gotten up afterwards is up for debate.
Ali is the greatest fraud in boxing history
Liston took a dive period,he was hit but knocked out no,the mod and the black Muslim were all in
Ali is my boxing idol but damn that knockout looks like a nominee in the Oscars.
Ray Dominguez you couldn’t have said it better!!😂😂
I totally disagree that was the WORST acting job I ever saw. He should have won the Golden Raspberry Award aka Raazie.
The left hook Ali had already started to throw when he went down woulda finished him
The same exact punch over the left knocked out Frazier, Foreman, etc. It's the ghost punch. Watch the other fights. You'll see.
@@DowJonesDave exactly. Right across the jaw. He was done
I attended the closed circuit of this “fight”. Liston threw the fight. Vegas repaid him by keeping him up for years before they killed him off.
And the Academy Award goes to...Sonny Liston!
And the Oscar for best director to the referee who was also in the deal. His way and time for stopping the fight is ridiculous.
@@rotormeeeeeeee No count at all. Not even remotely by the rules.
More NONSENSE. People are KNOCKED out EVERY DAY. Liston was knocked out AS SIMPLE AS THAT
sure, I love the way he faked getting his head snapped back by that straight right to face, what a performance, then got back up to try to finish the round.
I'd always heard that Liston had to take the fall. After watching this I believe he did. There's no way that a fighter of his caliber would get knocked out by a 6-inch rabbit punch. The fix was in and the rest is history.
Why would he get up and continue fighting then...
@@flyingchimp12 Because the ref didn't give the count, Ali never went to the neutral corner nor was Liston down for a full 10 count. He also wasn't dazed enough for the standing 8. So the ref let them continue. The fight was called by someone outside of the ring. I have never seen that except here. It is against the rules. It was fixed. I love Ali but you gotta call it like you see it.
@@flyingchimp12 he was just stupid as fukk, Sonny knew Ali would eventually kick his ass like he did the first time.
Certainly looks like it.
@@seanmulloy8670 after Sonny had fell, he got up and flopped down again, from that point he knew to get up before a ten count, perplexing to say the least. It was the stupidest thing I'd seen.
OMG...Ali had the greatest footwork in the ring I've ever seen.
He would put his opponents to sleep with it. If you pause to catch your breath trying to keep up with him you give him the only opening he needs.
The Mob gave Ali this opening....
@@milojanis4901
I think you're correct. The slow motion punch shows Ali was backing up with his legs that gave him no power behind the punch. His arm wasn't even extended as he connected.
Great foot work for sure. Liston was lunging with his jab trying to chase Ali. Liston basically ran right into Ali’s right counter which dropped him.
@@prayingmantis6777 Ali's power leg was still planted when he threw the punch, which would still give him some power. I agree, though. It's a dive. Liston couldn't have been that messed up from that shot. Also, Sonny never throws a real punch to Ali's head. Almost as if he was afraid to do any damage that might mess up the agreement he had with the mob.
The only thing faster than his feet was his mouth.
I know many people are making comments about our dearly departed champion. Nothing I can say that has not already been said. I think Ill just enjoy the reading the words of all of all those worldwide who share the same love and affection of the Greatest.
Ali
So much being said and done in-between the obvious observable moments. Fantastic.
He took a dive. Wow.
Boy o Boy!!!!! That is what u call laying it down !!!!! BigTime!!!!!
Such movement and timing has never been seen Ali beat Liston he was the best of his scene
Funny how all the Makmoods, Mehmets, Hasans and Raghibs all think the fight was on the level. Cut the crap.
Bullshit ..that man was not hurt ..all that drama .he clearly took a dive
+faro0485 Thanks for the info Popeye!
+faro0485 Liston died young because he was murdered. Wake up.
***** You're right, there's no proof. However, the only thing in the entire world that sonny liston feared was,..................a needle. his wife said he was scared to death of getting a shot.
They claim he overdosed shooting heroin, and they found a needle by his side. That's enough evidence for me.
+faro0485 he tapped liston in the right spot on the jaw.
***** I think yams help women grow a nice set of yams.......
The flash at exactly 2:43 is one of his most famous photos ever. So dope!!!
WaterfrontEnt not only one of Ali's most famous photos, it is one the most famous photos of all time
dope meaning ? wtf does that f%cking mean ? dope. u sound like a moron. A dope is a moron btw, in English.
@@ignorecorporatenews In slang English depending where you grew up, dope would also mean cool or amazing. We use dope like that a lot instead of the actual literal meaning.
Joe Rogan has it autographed and framed
I have one signed
I remember getting up at 3am British time, to watch this so called 'Fight of the Century' and when Liston went down, we waited for him to get up, take a breather and resume the fight, he did get up, but I think the fight was over, the referee, I think was Jersey Joe Walcot, had lost the count, and had to jump in and stop Clay punching Liston, oh what an absolute shambles! The rumours going around later, were that Liston, who had actually promoted this fight, yes, he did! Bet heavily on himself to lose, maybe in the first round, professional boxing was really never the same after this farce! As for Liston, he retired, but the stench of this 'fight' never left him!
Liston fought till his death in 1970 ,his lat fight was with Chuck Wepner in 1970 .He did not retire
Sonny liston was one of the hardest men to walk the planet. He has had police batons broken over his head in fights with riot cops and still threw them around like empty track suits. He took a dive
A knockout punch delivered by a top professional is different from a Billyclub blow from some amateur
Ali was yelling at him to get up because he knew that punch didn't have enough on it to earn that response.
Liston took a dive
How do you know, were you there. Do you have any hard proof
And you know it.
@@johnkilrainblackstone6986 I don't know it, I wasn't there
Looked like a bit of a dive. Who knows. Ali would have KOd him soon enough. Liston lost the first bout when his face got worked over bad enough he couldn’t answer the bell and quit. Looks like maybe Liston wanted to get it over with.
Big Time ! Fake as a $3 bill 💵, OMG 😳
Sonny should have been given an Academy Award for Best Actor in 1965.
No, that was terrible acting.
You mean for worst actor.🥺
LOOOOOOL!!!
They claimed that he was threatened by the Nation of Islam; that’s why he stayed down. The claims were never fully proven though. An it also doesn’t help the fact that he had lost to Muhammad earlier before that.
Lol. Totally agree! Love Ali, but man...somebody got PAID! Bookies made bank on that one! BTW ...did you catch the look on Ali's face RIGHT BEFORE he landed the "knockout blow"??? 🤪😁 Lol. SO FUNNY. It was "Here it comes Sonny, get ready!" 😬Lol.
Seriously though....it barely looked like it connected let alone had enough force to drop him like that. Hmmmmm Highly suspect 🤔 Just sayin. Early in the fight too. Weird. Liston was a TOUGH, TOUGH GUY TOO. Bizarre!
I never really knew if the fight was thrown or not until I just saw this video. I now firmly believe Liston took a dive. Yes, there was definitely a punch that landed by Ali but look at listen's reactions when he was down & then rolled around on the canvas. Look at it closely & it was more than enough to convince me that Liston took a dive.
Absolutely agree, I wasn’t sure until I watched this closely. He just looked like a bad actor in a crappy film. You know what someone looks like when they are half knocked out and this man looked like he was definitely acting and not doing a very good job at it
It sure was a dive! I wonder how much Liston got paid to take that dive?
I didn't see where Ali hit LIston. It looks like it didn't even connect.
That right hand hook will bring down anyone, right in the temple, i don’t think Liston even saw that punch with that angle he was, simple!
@@jikamos It is the on the canvas part that I find most unconvincing and false looking
Liston definitely took a dive!!
For years I thought it was legit. But when you think about the fact that Ali couldn’t knock out Frazier or Norton and many others and we are expected to believe he knocks out Liston with a paw punch in the first round? Listen flopped liked a NBA player lol. I think Liston wanted to paid and wanted out of there early and didn’t see any point in getting his face beaten in again for 8 rounds like last time.
Dezert fox.. You made a great point. He didn't want that smoke for 8 more rounds..lol
@@mavintyler7231 if it's "fixed", there's no "smoke" to want.
@@benyah3390 after watching documentaries about sonny liston's life, I would not be surprised if both of those fights were fixed.
@@mavintyler7231 Yep
Something screwy here! "Somebody' had a great bonus check coming!
Glass jaw.
Heavyweight knocked out by a jab?
Mob canceled his debts is what they say if he took the dive. Horrible acting job. I like that one knee bit he hold it then falls over. Hahahaha. Pathetic.
Liston's wife said she handled all of his money and he never received anything. Also stated he swore to the day he died it was legit. He did however reportedly tell a friend that he stayed down because he was afraid of the nation of Islam. We'll likely never know the truth. I believe the knockdown was totally legit but Liston likely could have gotten up.
Yep, you can even see the defeated look on Listons face during the weigh in of the first fight that the fix was in for him to lose it. Ali is the greatest fraud in boxing history
Liston quit after six in their first match. Many say he quit because he couldn't take any more humiliation. Here, I believe he got rocked, and no doubt he was down for more than ten seconds...but once he was up...he looked like he was ready to go. Most "think" Liston would have gotten a whole lot more "humiliation" to carry for the rest of his life if the fight continued---me---I "think" they would have been probably right. Still would have liked to see it.
There wasn't even a count. How can a man lose a fight without a count unless he was totally out? It was clearly fixed.
I honestly believe Liston took a dive because he already knew he could not beat Ali. He thought why take punishment. The first shot Ali lands I'm going down. It was not a hard punch as you can see Ali really not in a position to land a hard shot. Everyone or most say it's the punch you don't see that knocks you out but that punch Ali landed would not have dropped a middleweight.
+Jimmy Dorsey I agree, he had little to no chance and I think he was waiting to get the chance. He was not up to another head banging beating. Opinion only, a shot from Ali right in the temple could have done it, just do not think it happened in this case. He wanted out of that fight.
Except for the first fight he trained fuck all assuming he would beat Ali very quickly.. He lost the first fight then trained for a full 15 round fight for the rematch and was in physically better shape..somebody that's just planning on taking a dive simply just wouldn't put that extra effort into training
had the fight continued , Ali would have messed both of listons eyes up, for a second time. Bullies are not as bad as they think , when they get their eyes cut
You needed a sledgehammer to knock Sonny out. That was a powder puff on an iron jaw. Total dive.
Who else has this poster in there house ?
Rip GOAT
I got it framed
I have one just need to frame it
This is was kinda cool for Lewiston, ME because I live there
I don't think your civic officials are too proud about it. i recall in 1990, they didn't want anything to do with a 25th anniversary commemoration of this so-called fight.
Watching this again, I think the knockdown was genuine, but it was a flash knockdown and Liston was not badly hurt. Rather than get up, it is obvious he rolled over and threw the fight.
He was dizzy, he couldn't get up immediately!!!
I think he was tired. He was chasing Ali, for a while. It was a right counter, flash knockdown for sure
I think it is exactly what it looks like. A legit flash knockdown punch with Liston just "quitting" after it. I mean Liston knew his fighting career was winding down. Shoot Liston "Quit" in the first fight!
Lisa Harris agreed.
samuel moore NO NEED TO SCREAM.
Dive or no dive, this was the best of Ali and Liston had no chance
Honestly, I think Liston took a dive. I'd had always wondered how he got knocked out by such an unimpressive shot. Then I heard about all of Liston's mob ties and suspicious stuff surrounding this fight.
I think there is a difference in taking a dive and being paid not to give one's best effort. I think the punch connected, and getting up would have meant more of the same.
@@davidt8173 Sonny was so intent on gutting Ali out of there that he let his guard totally down, lunged in there with his lead foot totally off the floor when the punch connected giving him no brace to absorb the punch, hence causing Sonny's head to snap, amid the chaos Sonny had never been flat on his back like that with an erratic Clay/Ali not going to a neutral corner immediately but common sense should've told Sonny he had ten seconds to get up. When Sonny did get up he preceeded to fight but the judges at ringside let referee Walcott know that a ten count had passed. Hence Ali retains the title, what's eerie Sonny went on to win his next 13 fights in a row but was never given another title shot, smdh.
Liston laid down, that's for sure! Some of the heaviest hitters in heavyweight history tagged Liston numerous times in earlier fights with NO RESULT! That light tap Clay gave Liston
As knowledge of combat sports has increased over the decades it has become widely known that getting " tagged numerous times" is cumulative and the "tagged" fighter can no longer get tagged anymore in the same way he could before without getting knocked out. This now widely known information must have somehow passed you by which is why you still believe that if a fighter previously had an iron chin he will never in future have a glass jaw.
You don't have to go to past fighters.. Ali in the last fight hit him with alot of good shots and Liston shrugged them off until the round Ali said he would. How convenient. Boxing was ruled by the mafia and Liston was in there pocket. Now that's a fact. These Ali bumboys thought this was a phantom punch. Get a grip
@@chriscross9505 what have you been reading. This is probably facts from so called experts that havnt stepped in an arena in there life. Experts are experts in one thing. NOTHING. now that's a fact. Everybody has an opinion as do you.. Ali was hit with some huge Tags if that's what you want to call it.. By nearly everyone. But there's no way that Ali even in his 30s would have went down with this tap.ali was taking all sorts of beatings in his later fights.. And still stood.. So what's your theory there then. Oh that's right. Ali was god... Bollocks
@@paulbaker1505
Are you ok Paul? Everybody is worried. Get well soon xx
@@chriscross9505 exactly. Your bollocks has stumped you. Expert in fuck all
i saw sonny liston last week!!! ali: aint he ugly ??? best interview of all times
As an ex-boxer....100% certainty that was a dive. Liston was in the hole on huge gambling debts. Since Liston was never previously knocked out, the odds of Ali knocking him out in the first was the only payday he needed. Both Liston and Ali banked on this second meeting far beyond the purse of the fight. They were both in on it. Ali had several fights that were predetermined where his payday was round specific. Anyone that studies fights and watches some of these old bouts, especially rematches, will tell you there was a lot of fixing going on. It's how they made money back then. They didn't have the huge paydays like the last 30 years.
I don't know. The way the fight ended? No count? No stand 8 because Sonny was clear headed, lets them continue and THEN stops it? I get what you're saying but that is bigger than Liston and Ali.
Even after Liston " tried" to get up, he just rolled on his back.
It was fixed.
liston was on his feet fighting when the fight was stopped ,he had nothing to do with the(ref) Jersey Joe Walcott stoping the fight .It was a screw up if anything .
@@evanbarr9270 or the Fix was in. No count at all from the ref. Ali never went in the neutral corner, Walcott never delivered the down count. When he went to deliver a standing 8, Liston was too obviously clear headed to even start that count. He just let them continue. Then it appears somebody said something from outside the ring and Walcott called it. That isn't how a fight works. If it was a mistake, people would have b tched about it.
@@seanmulloy8670 The person who was outside the ring telling Jersey Joe that Liston had been down for longer than 10 was Nat Fleischer the editor of ring .Both guys where up and fighting ,why did Walcott listen to Fleischer and stoped the fight ,?
People have been bitching about it since it happened
A definite dive!!! So easy to see.
Obviously! The ref didn't even give the count.
My dad screamed you cheat Liston.
He still says today, this was a fix
Sonny Liston was considered to be in with the Las Vegas Mob at the time , and was thought to have taken a dive to lose the fight , where the odds were on Liston to win , where Mob Money was on Ali to win
The punch that knocks you out is the one you never see coming! Ask me how I know!!🇺🇲
Liston wasn't knocked out. There was no count. Provably fixed.
The phatom's punch 💎 Ali call it Jack Johnson's punch , how Ali was modest actually , even though it was his own punch through History !!! 💜👑
Why did Ali call it that?
@@peterjongsma2779 Because no one ever saw it because of the speed. Same punch knocked out foreman and frazier.
@@DowJonesDave
You're clueless.
First of all, Liston took a dive.
Second, Ali never KOd Frazier and Foreman with a similar shot. In fact, he never KO'd Frazier at all.
@@michaeltrumph121cap
I was allowed to stay up to watch this fight. It was well after my bed time in the UK. Just after it started I had to go to the loo. When I came back dad told me it was over. I thought he was joking.
"How did you think you'd make first down, if we were boxing you wouldn't escape the first round"
I was a senior in high school. My dad and I listened to the fight on radio. And I'm just seeing this for the first time. Dad always said Liston took a dive. Now I have proof that he actually did.
Ali said it was his anchor punch. Short but powerful. Still, I agree it looks bad. It was more about style differences. Liston couldn't compete with Ali's movement.
Ali countered with a sharp right, probably landing square on the jaw. Hit the jaw in the right place and anyone's knees will buckle, and down they go. No dive here.
No Dive. All Ali. .
It's no dive, you can see from the slow mo the shock wave going though Sonny's head & neck putting him down, and you can see the muscles in Ali's chest flex as he lands the punch.
I watched it again. Ali may have connected on the temple rather than jaw. People assume because they cannot see the punch it must have been light. Power comes from weight behind the punch multiplied by the speed of the punch. It was definitely a fast punch. I don't think Liston touched Clay during the fight. Clay had landed several good shots before the final punch. If Liston took a dive it was because he knew he could not beat Clay. My opinion is the fight was real. Whatever, it's a minor issue.
El golpe se ve claramente, nítido! Un golpe corto y muy potente!!!
It had no power, Liston took a dive.
Lmao.
Even Ali was like Bruh What?!
కష్యప్ ఇంటర్యూ చూసాక ఈ మ్యాచ్ చూసిన వాళ్ళు ఎంత మంది.
Did he even hit him. That was a dive.
Ask if Listons manager got an offer he couldn't refuse.
They've shown that punch at a different angle and in slow motion.. You will clearly see Ali land a sizzling right hand.. What really impressed was to see the muscles in Ali's back tense and you can also see the ripple in SL 's body...
@@larrycancooke2 If you say so.
@@GeorgeFlippin "Ali's phantom punch in slow motion" check it out.. when the punch lands watch S.L back.. starting at his waistband...
Ali was a great dodger and always got out of the way of a punch in time! Amazing reflexes
Reflexe men
That short punch had no power, a total fix
@@ianarmstrong9594 “Precision beats power, and timing beats speed.”
Yep a great DRAFT DODGER.
Cus D’Amato claimed Ali as the “boxing wizard”. Heavy weight champion of the World. Greatest of all times! GOAT
I don't know if that second fight was a dive, but I do know that no one made liston stay on his stool in the first fight.
And Walcott never gave a count in this one.
It's crazy to think that even if we had a Black & White TV back then, that the captions still came up in colour 🤔😲 😅🤣😂 😉
"Give me a break!" "Liston had taken the best punch that Cleveland Williams could throw, right on the chin, and nothing happened. Now, I can't see Ali knocking Liston down with anything. I saw it and I said, boy they got to be kidding . Ali wasn't a puncher.He wasn't a puncher, please believe me!" said Eddie Futch.
Ali was accused of 'carrying' Patterson.
"Carrying him?" He took my my best punches.My hands are swollen".
Ali had only one other !st round knockout, in his fourth fight.
He caught Liston right on the temple that did it Ali was a heavy hitter did you see that left hook he threw right after if he would of caught him with that one he would of been put to sleep
Boxing, well said
For that to be a light punch i would like to see how any of yall would take that same hit as the impact reverberates all the way down your back! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 you can't prank a vibration from a hit going down your back! Please watch again and look at how listons body vibrated from the hit
@@blasgonzalez1580 Well, it certainly didn't "do it.". Liston got back up because Ali never went to a neutral corner. The ref came to give a standing 8 but Liston was too clear headed so the continued to fight. Sounds fixed but either way, Ali didn't knock out Liston.
Back when they used to fight to knock each other out and were not looking for points. The real boxers. Not this 2015 point match crap.
+The Moon I think they should just fight till someone quits or is knocked out. And if it gets to too many rounds then just have the next round have no time limit.
Maybe boxers now just have stronger chins
+faro0485 lol tru
"Real boxers". You know that boxing was done in Greek times and back then, it was a chess-like match of skill and wits? It recently became a match of "which guy can take the most punishment". Those were the REAL boxers.
I'm not sure what you mean. I'm just saying that if "real" means "how it's meant to be", then it was meant to be a chess-like game of tactics, wits, and that sort of thing.
"In the first, yo ass goes down. Say it."
Looks like you took a dive to me
Sonny liston took a dive Ali didn't even hit him that hard he just was getting discourage and decided to Just give up
Has to be one of the most controversial fights. It's so obvious to me that Liston threw this fight. He was barely grazed. He was one tough character and prior to this was never ko'd. Even the final stoppage was a little questionable.
James Bonanno . I agree with you totally . It’s like he was waiting for any sort of punch to connect so that he could go down . I also think the referee stopping the fight when he did was ludicrous . It makes me think that he may have been in on it as well. But why ? That’s what I can’t understand . If you look closely by slowing the film down as Ali tries to finish Liston off you will see that actually no punches at all connect with Listons head and he is not hurt any further at all , and yet the referee jumps in to stop the fight with Liston in no real trouble at all . Liston doesn’t complain because obviously he wants to throw the fight but he is not hurt in the slightest as no punches have actually connected after he gets up . The only thing I could think of is that Liston thinks to himself after the first fight that there is no way he could beat Ali in a rematch so he decides to make some extra money by taking a dive in the first round as nobody would be expecting that and certain people could make a fortune by betting on that happening . Plus they had to rope the referee into it as well to make it seem more acceptable . I don’t know . Maybe I am doing both of them an injustice but that’s all I can think of to explain it . Liston threw the fight . I am 100% certain of that and I am nearly as sure that the ref knew what was going on . How else can you explain it ?
@@choppy249 very well-thought-out and stated. I share the same sentiment as you do with regard to that entire fight. I'm surprised there isn't more talk about that fight being thrown or if there is I don't hear Too Much.
@@choppy249 It is pretty interesting how Ali's picture from this fight is his most famous and most marketed picture in history. Do you think it Ali was in on the secret?
That wasn't a graze. Watch the slow mo and slow it more in the settings to 0.25 speed. The contact-moment is 0:32 frame 12. At that moment and the frame before, the momentum is through the head; frame 14,15, etc. most of the kinetic energy in his glove and arm is spent and it begins to curve away and drop with the remainder. That wasn't graze; his arm dropped.
It was a near straight shot to the temple. Ali was poorly balanced to put his shoulder _fully_ into it and it was an exceptionally short punch, but he put everything he _did_ have available into it, and Liston was unfortunately placed to take it.
@@jamesbonanno3359 trust me George Foreman has the full details if you want to know
If Ali connected with that short punch, could it have been to Liston's
temple and not his jaw? Coming from above, over Liston's left, it seems likely.
This is the best quality footage I've seen, and it looks like Ali connected. I wish the banner titles weren't burned in, so I could see Liston's left leg reaction.
This doesn't prove that the fight wasn't thrown, but it disproves the "phantom punch" myth.
The fight is provably thrown. The ref never delivered a count. Ali never went to the neutral corner so there was no down count. When the ref finally gets to Liston, to deliver a standing 8, Liston is too clear headed so he lets them continue. That isn't how a fight works. Then, it never gets discussed. How come?
I was in the seventh grade May 25,1965,and Windsor,Ont.,Can. schools let out early that day because of tornado warnings (thankfully,none occurred.) When I arrived home from school,a Detroit,Mich.DJ.,the late J.P. McCarthy ,was opining that Ali hadn't hit Liston and the fight was fixed.Three days later,Sat.,May 28,1965,on the Jim McKay-hosted ABC- syndicated "Wide World Of Sports," the bout aired and I could (barely) see Ali's blazingly quick right cross catch an advancing Liston flush,and Sonny crumpled,badly hurt,to the canvas.He was on the floor an estimated 22 seconds and the ref,another former heavyweight champion,Jersey Joe Walcott,botched the count. Ring Magazine publisher Nat Fleischer was sitting at ringside,and he hollered at Walcott that Liston had been on the ground far longer than the allotted 10 seconds and for Walcott to stop the fight and give it to Ali. Walcott complied-Fleischer was then boxing's most powerful man-and stepped between Ali and Liston and raised Ali's hand in victory.Ali was about to re-deposit the dazed Liston on the canvas just as Walcott arrived to end the bout. This bout illustrated "The Greatest's" unparalleled hand speed,as the punches a boxer can't see are usually the true knockout blows.
10/10 that say this is fake have never been punched in the head by a human being with that size and that powerful of striking power
let alone actually trained in boxing...if you miss on a full wind up and catch a straight jab on the follow through, it usually doesn't end well.
i've been on both ends of that
You don't know shit lol
look at 1:53 that is a dead giveaway. liston is showing no signs of being hurt and he voluntarily goes back down. He braced himself on the way down as well. There is no way Ali would knock out a guy like liston who slugged it out with cleveland williams and took his best shots. Liston admitted years later that he threw the fight.
@@TheGreekPapa PRRRRRT He threw shit. He tried for a couple of minutes, couldnt even touch Ali, then got his ass on the kanvas without even seeing what hit him and made a business decision on the spot to end it in round 1, disgraced but intact, instead of getting his head pummelled for 10 rounds straight.
And by 10, I'm being generous. It didnt take more than 6, on a couple of which Ali wasnt even hitting back, blinded from whatever substance Sonny had on his gloves, for Liston to quit the first time anyway. Slugging it out with Williams wasnt a problem. Sonny had trained for hard fights, EXCHANGING punches and all. Chasing around Ali all over the ring, not being able to land anything, stamina running low from round 1, whilst getting his head popped at will, well that was something Sonny didnt particularly care for.
Ali was the nightmare match up for Liston.
We are not Sonny Liston. Dude had never been knocked out before and he had been hit way way harder before multiple times. For a guy like that to do down on the very first round, from a punch that wasn't even strong for heavyweight standards, by jerking his head back in an unnatural and completely fake way, yeah that wasn't a real knockout. It wouldn't be the first or last time a match was fixed. Don't let your love for Ali blind you.
I think the knockdown was genuine, but not the knockout. He didnt want to fight at that point.
Yes, it was what's known in boxing parlance as a flash knock-down. Liston could have gotten up after 3-4 seconds, but he took the opportunity to take a ten count. Liston knew he had a little chance of winning and really didn't care anyway.
Steve Frank ,Hey Steve out all the comments I read.I tend to agree with yours.Flash knockdown, he didn;t want to continue and he got up to make sure he got paid.By the way Jersey Joe Walcott,worst Ref ever.
IF IS THAT THE REASON NO CHANCE TO WIN ok , I READ A BOOK WROTE BY JOSE TORRES FORMER CHAMPION BOXER THAT LISTON WAS scared TO FIGHT AS somes racists white folks have said they will kill Ali as he was muslim etc LISTON WORRIED TO BE KILLED BY GUN SHOT THAT NIGHT WHILE SOME Wd have TRYING TO TARGET ALI ...
I wouldn't be surprised if Liston took a dive.
Totally agree. It was a solid anchor punch that shook his head violently.
He could have gotten up but chose not to because he knew that he couldn't win.
Floats like a butterfly , stings like a bee
Pause at 2:07. Is that Joe Louis to the left of the ref (standing)?
...seems he went down easy....
Too easy.
After the ko punch, you can see ali was gonna come with a left hook head. If he dove it saved him an actual ko
Real or fake the punch shook his head his temple was hit also that’s a very vulnerable spot. Ali was in his prime he was punching hard I love Ali he won good enough for me. Showmanship made boxing exciting Rip the King👑
There's a good reason Sonny didn't win an Oscar here. His acting was dreadful.
Ring gene Kelly Mohammed Ali, so graceful movements, beautiful to watch.
The most beautiful one-punch knock out in the history of professional boxing!
It was a dive you dummy
I think the punch definitely caught Liston on his temple. Possibly some acting too, but looked like a legit knockdown to me.
You need to watch" Ali's phantom punch in slow motion" When it lands, watch the shock wave on Listen's back... The ripple travels from his waistline upward... Thank God for slow motion... INCREDIBLE!!! The first time he threw that punch... Listen ducked and the punch went slightly over his head.. But the second time..it landed directly, flush on Listen's chin . Viewers that were there couldn't believe that a heavy weight could punch so fast until in real time.... it's almost invisible...
Your eyes are better than mine.
What does Flash Knock Down mean?
Seriously. Never heard the term.
It is fast but it does not have the weight of the body behind it since Ali was moving backwards. And all punches that connect cause a ripple effect and distort the face, it is the kinetic energy travelling through the body that was hit. But this was not a knockdown or a knock-out. This was the reaction of a fighter throwing a fight. The give away is the controlled manner in which he falls down using both his arms to ease himself into a horizontal position. In a proper knock-down or even a knock-out that level of control is simply not there.
@@omnivorous65 I've seen guys knocked out with less...My uncle William ( Bubba) Hilton who was a sparing partner with both Joe Lewis (while in the military) and and Ali... Said that Ali was the only fighter that HE KNEW, who could knock a man out moving forward or backward..he said Ali would spend hours upon hours hitting the the heavy bag while moving away from it or it moving away from him...He also stated Ali could knock you out without planting...( What ever the hell that means)...
@@larrycancooke2 "Planting" refers to planting your feet to generate power that travels from your leg and your base into your upper body. I just can't see the knock-down punch. Liston settles too comfortably into a horizontal position. Too much control for a guy who was supposedly knocked down. Frazier absorbed 3 dozens of such punches against Ali and kept fighting. My money is on Liston throwing the fight.
@@omnivorous65 Thanks for that info about planting... and all I can say for sure is that after many years of people doubting that Sonny was hit...he definitely was hit....did he flop... maybe..but if he did...it cost him his life...
“Yes there was a punch, Howard, but I didn’t think it was hard enough to crush a grape.” Jimmy Cannon
Been called "A Fix" since 1965, and the charge holds up to history.
Flash knockdown was real.. Until he fell back down again.. That shit was bondulu
Exactly. Liston took a good jab to the temple, lost his balance and fell, but the rest of it was fiction.
No mas...
this will probably be debated forever, I think the punch was legit, enough for the knockdown anyway but like others here I question the knockout. But then again, why even bother to get up? Why not just stay down? I keep going back and forth with this
I think it was the spirit that he knocked out of Liston not the consciousness
@@theprolificnetwork4670 Would agree with this. Guy threw in the towel in the first fight and probably realised this one was going the same way and gave up before getting properly hurt again
I keep missing this fight by blinking
“Get up , sucka, ain’t nobody gonna believe this!”
I don't even understand why Liston would have even WANTED a rematch after his first embarrassing outing against Ali. Ali fought one round of that 6 round fight basically BLIND and Liston STILL couldn't FIND him much less HURT him! lol
+Briley Gabriel One of the baddest dudes ever couldn't lay a glove on clay while clay was blinded for a full round. That's not credit to clay,.....that's proof of a fix. How brainwashed people are by clay/ali that they believe he could avoid punches that he couldn't see. Liston was the best heavyweight ever, or possibly 2nd behind joe louis.
Clay was knocked on his ass, saved by the bell from being knocked out. The man that knocked clay down was henry cooper. He was a club fighter, one of the slowest fighters there was. He had no problem bombing clay all night. Clay won when cooper was cut badly. Just prior to the 1st liston fight, clay was beat all over the ring by doug jones. Jones was a light heavyweight, 20 lbs. smaller than clay. Jones hit clay with hard shots to the head all night. Clay was given a very close decision, the fans booed loudly. Everyone thought jones won. Another guy named sonny banks knocked clay on his ass also. Those 3 guys were chumps compared to liston. Henry cooper publicly stated he wouldn't get in the ring with liston.
Liston scored 4 knockouts before he fought clay; twice he knocked out the champion floyd patterson in one round. then he knocked out cleveland williams in 2 rounds, the rematch it took liston 3 rounds. Williams was a heavy hitter, considered a bigger puncher than liston. Liston walked through bombs to knock him out twice. Liston was a brute. He would have hurt clay badly if they 'really' fought.
+MrMarco855 no it ain't fool watch the first fight Ali was rocking him, funny how most people go into this fight with a narrative of the first fight.
BrahUAware Those love taps Liston absorbed like nothing. The fix can be seen by watching liston exclusively. Watching the fight in the manner that you normally watch makes it more difficult to see the fix.
Watching liston only shows how ridiculous his punches were. He never threw a single punch that he intended to cause damage. In a clinch, liston had to throw body shots to avoid detection. Even those were held back. It's very easy to see; those that can't see the fix don't want to see it because they admire ali too much, or, they don't have enough athletic foresight to tell the difference.
Watching a fight and understanding what's happening takes a bit of talent, just as most things do. Just because you're a fan or like sports, doesn't mean you're good at noticing details or clearly seeing the action for what it is. That's not to be condescending; there are many things I'm not good at, but his isn't one of them. I'm very good at watching a fight and seeing what others don't see.
A badly beaten, humiliated and exhausted sonny Liston retired on his stool.
Rematch, Liston retires on the canvas after being rocked by Ali’s counter right over Listons lunging jab. Liston basically ran right into it.
No one blames Liston for not wanting to continue both matches. Ali would have murdered him.
The knock down was genuine. Whether or not he could've got up again, who knows.
You're on crack if you think that "kayo" was legit....lmao
Absolutely no chance that punch knocks Liston down, fight was fixed
@@Dante-vf4sd 100% agree !!
circling clockworkwise
Something about this fight until this day doesn’t add up
One of the greatest, most agile heavyweights of all time, at his prime, used hand speed to dramatic effect, danced around, and moved his head, essentially toying with the old school monster. Then he layed a little wood right around that earhole. I don't think Liston rolled over afterwards. I think Liston's corner did him a solid, because the floating part of Ali's game was over. The color picture from this fight is the greatest sports pic of the 20th Century. Only two color cameras in the house.
Liston took a dive
So, you’re saying Muhammad Ali was one of the greatest boxers ever? Wow, that’s quite a bold statement…
There’s no doubt that he was great at dodging things, though. The way he evaded the draft was truly inspiring. What a role model he was. A great American, for sure. So patriotic.
He wasn’t racist at all, either. He didn’t care one bit about skin color. He loved white people just about as much as he loved the country that blessed him with such incredible wealth and fame. That last sentence is true, anyway 🤷🏿♂️
@@chriswebster24 lol he didn’t run like a white boy
@@chriswebster24 Why do I get the feeling you had no issue with Trump dodging the draft. And for the record I think I think Ali said some atrocious things on race that he rarely gets called out for. But calling out Ali for draft dodging while also chortling Trump's orange balls is horseshit.
Politics of the other guys commenting aside, Walcott the ref, never delivered a count. The fight was provably fixed. I love Ali. That doesn't mean I am going to ignore the truth.
You could definitely see Liston's head jolt back, not the hardest punch but one of the quickest and where it hit Liston made a difference, especially when you're not fully warmed up as it was only the first round
For God's sake. The fact that it was the first round made the knockout MORE suspicious, not less. It might have been more believable if Ali had worn Liston down for a few rounds.
the fight was fixed, for whatever reason , who knows ?
The fight was stopped without a count by a ref. Come on.
Precisely
Liston had all of his facilities when he went from a kneel, to the canvas. He had no problem springing up, right after. No signs of being hurt, as one would in a knockout, or severe knockdown. He looked totally cognizant when he was back on his feet. He threw the fight. Ali would have outclassed him, again. But a champ doesn’t give up w/o good reason. He would have believed he could have caught Ali with something, eventually. So, why?
Du wirst immer der größte bleiben Muhammad Ali.
I think this is genuine knock down, you can see Liston's head movement. And there is no stupid best boxer who would like to be knocked down in the first round intentionally.
Idk man liston was all money
Oh there is when the Mafia and big money is involved.
Better than getting beat on for 8?
Liston was a terrible actor. That punch barely even grazed him and he went down like he was hit with a crow bar. Total nonsense. Then when Liston tries to stand and falls over, come on, that looked so damn fake.
jerry jah I totally agree. The punch wasn't that great but you're right that Liston was caught off balance allowing Ali to take him down. But Liston not getting up from like you said, an average punch, makes you wonder if Liston took the knock down as an opportunity to throw the fight.
jerry jah I totally agree with you.
Matt Foley I just read an analysis on that punch I hadn't seen before and it puts that punch in a new light. It centers on Liston's left foot at the time of the impact. If you watch in the seconds leading up to 2:32, Liston is keeping most of his weight on it, dragging his right foot behind for balance. In the impact itself at 2:32/2:33, Liston's left foot leaps clear off the canvas and his weight is violently thrown back to his right foot. Also, if you look at the flesh on Liston's back at the same instant, there's a pretty clear jolt as the skin leaps back faster than his muscles. I don't think that was a graze. Ali was never listed a really heavy puncher but that one particular slug was a real zinger. And unfortunately you can't see it in this video, but in others that show the fight more completely after the end of the fight, while the camera is focusing on Ali's crew celebrating, at the bottom of the screen you see, just for a second, Liston literally stumbling around trying to keep his balance. I always believed Liston took a dive, or at least stayed down after realizing he just didn't want this fight, but I'm seriously starting to have my doubts that this wasn't the bad ass killer punch that everyone wished it were.
Matt Foley That's why you're living in a van, DOWN BY THE RIVER!!!
He caught it flush on the point of the chin coming into the right hand aswell, Liston's leg went when the punch landed, pause at the exact moment the punch lands u see both Liston's feet not on canvas, the punch was devastating
Liston took a dive, according to Ali. You know the famous Neil Leifer photo of Ali screaming over a prostate Liston? Ali was screaming, "GET UP AND FIGHT, SUCKER! NOBODY'S GONNA BELIEVE THIS!!!"
Was the infamous phantom punch?
Shirley
Blatant dive.Ali hardly touched him. Wonder what Liston got paid.
Liston was a bully and realized it was only a matter of time before before he got his ass kicked.
james you need glasses, the right counter connected on sonny's jaw ever so smoothly. Clay made it look so easy (no doubt he was the greatest)
You would think that if it was fixed they would have made it last longer and made the knockout punch more visually persuasive.
A lot of knockout punches come when the boxer does not see them coming. Ali's right was short and sharp even though it came off the back foot and it certainly flicked Liston's head back. Could just have had all the ingredients of a perfect punch. Unexpected, exactly the right spot, very fit and fast young man, and maybe a weakened head on the older man due to so many previous blows.
Fr, if the “dive” was “planned” they would’ve at least put on a show
Sonny took two dives in a row vs Ali.
Fantastic ! Supper !
the punch obviously connected, but it if you think that fight wasn't fixed get your eyes checked. sonny looked like he was trying to make himself look bad, and the way he got back up after the knockdown- clearly fake. his co-ordination was perfectly fine, his legs were strong, ect. then the ref stepped in prematurely to boot...most of those shots at the end were misses. ali is the greatest of all time, but this match was bullshit.
So true! That is why Ali told Liston to get up and fight him cause he knew Liston thru the fight. Oh well, Ali won! Lol!
Ali was not the greatest of all time. He waas better than a bum like Liston who took a dive in fight II. Sug Ray Robinson is the GREATEST OF ALL TIME!! Ali might make the top 5 at best.
Daveed Anderson I respect your opinion because in mines, I believe Ali was. And he's so pretty! Lol!
The only boxer who can even contend to be considered better is Sugar Ray Robinson. No one else comes close. I don't think the fight was fixed either.
yankeeclipper27 Yes, I agree.
Liston took the truth to the grave, I watched it live back then and had questions, but Liston is the only man who knew the truth.
There are no questions. There is an accurate punch to the jaw and great footwork
I had questions to. Then I noticed, Ali never went to the neutral corner and by the time the ref went to deliver the count, Liston was up. Then the ref thought about a standing 8 but Listen was too obviously clear headed. Then Ali threw 5 punches or so and Listen slipped all but 1. I don't get it. Why was the fight called?
Ali knew he didn't hit Liston. he was in on it.
How is people saying he didn't hit him hard and in slo mo you see his head snap back like that? FOH hate all you want he is and forever be known as the greatest.
He barely hit him... are you serious? that did not have half the power of a jab from my 80 yr old grandmother.
Degenerate999 . You don't know how much power that punch had to be saying your grandmother hits harder. You must not have been in many fights. Ive seen untrained people do considerable damage to guys with a punch like that. (Deceptively strong) other factors could play a role. Was he expecting it, where it landed, stamina, etc.
You don't have to hate Ali to think that this was fixed. Liston quit on Ali in the first match too once his cheating didn't work. Liston obviously decided he was not going to contest the fight.Liston was clearly able to get back up and just chose not to at the end.
Ali might have connected, but it wasn't a fight-ending punch.
Looks to me like liston was paid off for doing this.
Perfect punch, perfectly delivered with perfect timing. Some people seem to forget how powerful Ali was. Speed and accuracy with balance and timing on show here. Fantastic.
bullshit fake
Ali was a weak puncher, educate yourself.
And he threw this punch going backwards, it had little power.
Liston took a dive.
@@michaeltrumph121surely you are a great puncher....I will ask your wife 😮
@@EllisSws
Your statement is very stupid and makes no sense. Guess the truth hurts.