Okay,we all know what the odds were. I'm thinking more in retrospect. What we all know,looking back on the participants careers. Which one ?
Casius Clay over Sonny Liston,,,,,,,,, Sonny Liston,,, by all boxing scribes was labeled as invincible and unbeatable. And there were odds at 3-1, that he would put Cassius Clay in the hospital. Cassius Clay,,,,,,,if you can search, look at all the articles about Cassius Clay before the fight,,,,,as many considered him a clown, and nothing more than a puffed-up Light Heavyweight, 22-year-old kid, buffoon, and fabricated fighter. Many of the nations newspapers didn't even send their top sports-writers to cover the fight. It was considered by the newspaper editors, as just a sporting event, with no real significance. Only 7000+ (approx.) people attended, in a 16,000 seat arena.
I'm torn between the Liston and Foreman bouts. In retrospect,Spinks beating Ali,just that once,was no great shock. Muhammad was out of shape,and allowed a young aggressive fighter to outwork him through most of the fight. Unlike in the Ron Lyle bout,three years earlier,Muhammad no longer had the phenomenal hand speed to turn things around.
In Miami Beach 1964,,,,,,,Cassius Clay was given no shot. Most believed, only 1-punch from Sonny Liston would have ended it. Several of the Miami Beach boxing guys, believed Willie Pastrano would have a much better chance against Sonny Liston. The 1974 Ali, was a skilled professional, though a decided underdog.
