60 years ago today: Charles L. "Sonny" Liston♱ vs. Cassius Marcellus "The Louisville Lip" Clay, Jr.*

Both at times were throwing shots with unquestionable knockout intentions. Were the mob actually involved (as they doubtless were in many previous Liston bouts), they would have kneecapped both men in the locker room as it would've been the most bungled fight-fixing of all time.

 

For the record: that Liston had in fact strained his left shoulder (from all that frequent lunging and missing with those jabs & hooks) is a matter of documented medical record. Eight doctors examined him and confirmed that damage was done. The question is whether a) this injury was brought into the fight (Liston claims it was a chronic issue that was reaggravated in training, essentially making it a baked-in excuse for losing) and b) whether the severity of pain was in fact enough to render him unable to continue, with consideration due the fact that he said it was hurt from the 1st but seemed to be fighting through it just fine afterwards, in the 5th round in particular - and many boxers have pushed through similar impingements, especially with a prize like the heavyweight championship in the balance.

 

Alternate (radio) commentary:

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Purses in 1964:

Clay $630,000
Liston $1,365,000

Adjusted for inflation, current worth in 2024:

Clay $6,267,829.35
Liston $13,580,296.94

(yes, a buck from six decades ago is equivalent to a tenner now)

 

Yeah, while a strained cuff is no joke to a layman and would probably have most couch potatoes quitting, by world championship standards it's really not a white flag scenario. Least of all when you're the defending baddest man on the planet.

He didn't seem in any obvious extreme discomfort when he was hurling both fists at Clay in the 5th, nor between rounds or even while missing punches during the 6th.

It really smacks more of a case of moderate pain combined with mostly embarrassment leading to a no mas.

I'd pull up short of saying he wasn't at that caliber in general though. He was a bad man; this was a bad night.

 

The hype was real. Even though Clay was considered more of a big mouth than a top shelf talent, huge underdog, doomed to be a KO victim for all his dancing, etc. - this was arguably the biggest HW boxing event since Marciano vs. Louis, or (as either Cossell or Ellis opined during the broadcast) even antebellum.