Posted on 02/10/2006 10:30:16 AM PST by SirLinksalot
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Posted: February 10, 2006 1:00 a.m. Eastern
Editor's note: In his eye-opening new book, "Sucker Punch: The Hard Left Hook That Dazed Ali and Killed King's Dream," Jack Cashill un-tells what may be the most mis-told story of the late 20th century – the heroic rise of boxer Muhammad Ali. This re-telling sheds bright new light on some slighted boxing greats like Joe Louis, Joe Frazier and George Foreman, and reveals the surprising role that Christianity has played in the sports culture. Today, we cover part 5 in this special 10-part series.
By Jack Cashill
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© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com
Despite his championship status, Ali was one anxious man in the spring of 1965. In addition to the very real fear of facing Sonny Liston once again, his marriage was in shambles, and his life in jeopardy.
On Feb. 21, the night of Malcolm's assassination, a highly suspicious fire erupted in his apartment. Two days later, someone firebombed the Nation of Islam headquarters in New York. As Ali trained for his May rematch with Liston, he had reason to be grateful for the protection the FBI offered.
"The atmosphere surrounding the fight was ugly," reflects sportswriter Jerry Izenberg. Rumors abounded of a retaliatory strike against Ali. There were rumors, too, of Muslim threats against Liston. The stone-faced Fruit of Islam guards were intimidating and everywhere. Although Izenberg would accept Ali as "Ali" long before most of his peers, the Ali of this period unnerved him.
Izenberg recounts an impromptu press conference a week or so before the fight. When a reporter asked Ali if he was worried about Malcolm's "people," Ali snapped back, "What people. Malcolm ain't got no people." Izenberg was one of the few journalists of the period, in or out of sports, to respect Malcolm X. It chilled him that Ali would dismiss the now dead Malcolm so coldly just "because somebody tells you he's nobody."
Held in the unlikely town of Lewiston, Maine, this second Liston fight proved to be more "Punch and Judy" than the expected horror show. It began much like the one in Miami with Liston stalking and Ali circling and jabbing. Less than two minutes in, while many in the small crowd were still settling into their seats, Liston slumped on to the canvas. "What happened?" Ferdie Pacheco remembers the crowd shrieking as if one. Ali, understanding the ramifications, stood above Liston yelling, "Get up, you bum. No one is going to believe this."
Almost too casually, Liston rolled over on to his back and looked up at the ranting Ali. Celebrity referee Jersey Joe Walcott could not begin the count until Ali headed for a neutral corner, but Walcott was slow to corral him. Meanwhile, boxing historian Nat Fleischer – "a little, wrinkled old man," as Pacheco describes him – ran down to the ring and started shouting that more than 10 seconds had expired, and the fight was over.
In the midst of all the confusion, Liston had gotten up and resumed fighting. Yielding to Fleischer's authority, although he had none, Walcott stopped the fight. The crowd started chanting, "Fix, fix, fix." Given the circumstances, their outrage seemed more understandable than anything else that had transpired.
Even in replay, the celebrated knock-out punch is hard to see. "I'm so fast, I even missed the punch on TV," Ali would admit. In time, he would come to call it his "anchor punch." Most everyone else refers to it as "the phantom punch." Jose Torres, broadcasting for a Spanish language station in New York, recorded his commentary, and again he was on the money, "a perfect shot to the jaw, right on the button and Liston is down."
When later asked by the California boxing commission why he did not get up, Liston replied, "Commissioner, Muhammad Ali is a crazy man." Liston then made an entirely rational case that a manic Ali, still in center ring, could smack him down as soon as he tried to stand up. Torres makes the equally rational case that Liston feared the Muslims a good deal more than he feared Ali.
Whatever the true explanation, it went to the grave with Sonny six years later.
That word simply does not apply to Cassius Clay.
this was a mess and Liston was right- If he stood up while Ali was still standing there ranting Ali could have knocked him out for good.
The rule is that the count starts AFTER the opponent goes to the corner.
I will always call him by his given name and never used the Islamic name. I care nothing about his record, he was trash.
I was a huge Cassius Clay fan, until he refused to report for military service. Even as a kid of maybe 12 years, I knew that when called, you said yes. Of course there was only one protester of the war in SE Asia in our town, he was the librarians son. People that spoke out against our troops hereabouts, took their lives into their own hands.
I digress, but Ali as he is now called, was a good fighter, at times he was amazing, but he would have been beaten down by Joe Louis in his prime. Probably the light heavyweight Holyfield would have whooped him too.
song for sonny liston (mark knopfer's take on the story)
so many mouths
to feed on the farm
sonny was the second
to the last one born
his mamma ran away
and his daddy beat him bad
and he grew up wild
good love he never had
he had a left
like henry’s hammer
a right like betty bamalam
rode with the muggers
in the dark and dread
and all them sluggers
went down like lead
well he hung with the hoods
he wouldn’t stroke the fans
but he had dynamite
in both his hands
boom bam
like the slammer door
the bell and the can
and the bodies on the floor
beware the bear’s in town
somebody’s money says
the bear’s going down
yeah, the bear never smiles
sonny’s going down
for miles and miles
sonny’s going down
for miles and miles
the writers didn’t like him
the fight game jocks
with his lowlife backers
and his hands like rocks
they didn’t want to have
a bogey man
they didn’t like him
and he didn’t like them
black cadillac
alligator boots
money in the pockets
of his sharkskin suits
some say the bear
took a flop
they couldn’t believe it
when they saw him drop
he had a left
like henry’s hammer
a right like betty bamalam
rode with the muggers
in the dark and dread
and all them sluggers
went down like lead
joe louis was his hero
he tried to be the same
but a criminal child
wears a ball and chain
so the civil rights people
didn’t want him on the throne
and the hacks and the cops
wouldn’t leave him alone
beware the bear’s in town
somebody’s money says
the bear’s going down
yeah, the bear never smiles
sonny’s going down
for miles and miles
sonny’s going down
for miles and miles
at the foot of his bed
with his feet on the floor
there was dope in his veins
and a pistol on the drawer
there was no investigation
as such
he hated needles
but he knew too much
criss-crossed
on his back
scars from his daddy
like slavery tracks
the second-last child
was the second-last king
never again was it the same
in the ring
he had a left
like henry’s hammer
a right like betty bamalam
rode with the muggers
in the dark and dread
and all them sluggers
went down like lead
they never could be sure
about the day he was born
a motherless child
set to working on the farm
and they never could be sure
about the day he died
the bear was the king
they cast aside
beware the bear’s in town
somebody’s money says
the bear’s going down
yeah, the bear never smiles
sonny’s going down
for miles and miles
sonny’s going down
for miles and miles
His choice regarding the war was one of conviction...he went to prison.
I guess I don't know much about boxing, but most seem like no more than self-centered thugs. If Cinderella man had any truth to it then there was at least one good boxer.
Pugilism is not an "intelligent" sport.
What year did Cassius Clay change his name to Muhammed Ali?
Has the ring of truth.
I think it was well after he fought Sonny Liston.
very nice bluesy tune, also. It's from his latest CD "Shangri-La", which I highly recommend.
That's a fun name to say.
Ferdie Pacheco
Ferdie Pacheco
Apparently March 1964, after fighting Liston.
I loved the movie.
In 1964, after he won the title from Liston. He initially changed his name to Cassius X and then to Ali.
Sometimes the truth is just lying around, waiting for someone to say it. "Artists" can get by with doing that.
Liston threw the fight. The only people who think the punch was legit are Ali-worshippers.
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