Ali VS Liston: The Phantom Punch

By: Maaz Imtiaz

One of the most talked-about fights to this day includes the Ali VS Liston.
Famous for many controversies, including alleged match-fixing and theories
of organized crime influence in boxing.
Sonny Liston was the world heavyweight champion in the world of boxing
after recently knocking out the previous champion Floyd Patterson. On the
other hand, Muhammad Ali, who had recently won a gold medal in the
Olympics, was also a part of the conversation. A fight was arranged between
them, with almost everyone supporting Liston, Ali was still not going to be
demotivated by them. The first fight was followed by taunts and controversies
regarding the alleged Black Muslim hate group “Nation of Islam.”
The first fight ended in a shock after a seventh-round technical knockout by
Cassius Clay (then Muhammad Ali). The fight was subject to many
controversies, including alleged fixing. After the fight, it was known that both
fighters had a rematch clause stating for a rematch. For the second fight, the
arena was set for the title between the beasts of the modern world. In the
middle of the first round, Ali threw a punch, which supposedly knocked out
Liston and made Ali a hero. The rest is history.