A fellow old timer here, followed his entire time from Rome ‘60 on. ..... The Big Cat, CW, 3 rounds, not four in that fight. Ali at his greatest with Williams. (Go to the youtube vids if you have not yet. My God what a warrior!) From the first Liston fight on, his younger body grew into his full developed 6’3 height and he moved like a welterweight. Anyone who followed boxing from his first pro fight thru Ali/Fraz 3, (when that was IT for Ali after), saw that Ali was done. Louis, or maybe Gene Tunney, were the only boxers that could even think of keeping up with Ali. Then again Ali outweighed each 15-30 lbs. and that counts a LOT in that weight group. Read Thomas Houser’s Book “Muhammad Ali’.....Fantastic read.
Didn’t Cassius Clay fight Sonny Liston?
;-)
A fellow old timer here, followed his entire time from Rome '60 on....The Big Cat, CW, 3 rounds, not four in that fight. Ali at his greatest with Williams.
Correction taken here and I was pleased to have all your information. As you will see from my profile, I do get literature recomended by Freepers. Will get the book by Thomas Houser.
To sort of keep on topic, I will make a remark about the subject, then beg the toleration of the mods to make a comment about the old days of the Gillette Cavalcade of Sports. Tough mugs in the tavern getting into the action.
It was the redoubtable Daniel Pipes who mentioned the 2005 medal of freedom at the White House. Ali made a gesture that embarassed the President. As many boxers found to their cost, they were used by others. I read that Ali and his connections went with the Black Muslims to frighten off the sordid types who infested boxing. They were indeed frightened off. Next up the anti-war aspect of this group and Ali had to follow. Poor Malcolm X being an example.
Just like to say that somewhere else I would like to put up my best telivision fights one day. Carmen Basilio, Gaspar Ortega, Dick Tiger, Sugar Ray Robinson (though past his best, Hurricane Jackson and of course Charles (Sonny) Liston, including Ali himself.