Definitley a dive. Liston's body doesn't collapse under him, he doesn't lose balance. He drives his own head and shoulders towards the floor, cleary a voluntary movement.
The biggest clue of the lot is in Ali's reaction,he immediately stands over Liston gestures and shouts "get up ya bum". Thats how authentic Ali thought the punch was.After fight Ali just went with the flow and created the phantom punch myth.If Ali could knock a granite jawed guy like Liston out with a punch like that,how come he never achieved it again the rest of his career against lesser fighters?
It was not a dive why did he get up and keep fighting. And the fight should not have been stopped. Ali did not go to a neutral corner. The ref cant count til ali is in the corner Liston knew this and stayed down while ali mobbed him. Liston said Ali was crazy and did not wanna get up with him there. It is like the Tunney Dempsey fight. Dempsey didn go to the corner thus the ref could not start the count. Liston knew the rules. Then the ref whose count is the only one that counts not the time keeper and certaintly not a magazine editor the fight should not have been stopped.
ron U.K. makes the most important point - Ali's initial reaction clearly shows that Ali himself didn't believe it connected with anything like KO power ! Ali actually acts angry and DISGUSTED in Liston going down. Forget what he said afterwards about "anchor punch" and all that crap, his first reaction is clearly one of a man who knows Liston took a dive. The punch doesn't look much in slow-mo either.
I can easily see the argument for him throwing the second fight, but the first too? Wha? I think the first one looks pretty legit to me.
Liston doesn't even fall convincingly, he puts his hands straight out and kind of scurries across the floor finding a place to lay down. :rofl
It was a perfect punch to the temple. Liston reacts exactly the way you would when hit there. His equilibrium was gone I doubt Sonny was that good of an actor. Would love to get a doctors opinion on this. I along with many other fans and Pro's of the game consider that punch to be one if not the greatest KO punch in boxing history!
Some of you guys must be kidding, that was a nothing-punch, and Ali clearly thought Liston was faking.
The actual knockdown is legit and more of a balance shot, ie the timing and force of the punch sent him on his way (vaguely similar to dare i say it, the Mayweather - Hatton "check hook"). The way Ali completely changes the arc of the punch mid flight though would indicate that it certainly wasn't a bomb. What really happened after that point is anyones guess.
Decent little punch- enough for at most, a flash knockdown. He certainly recovered fast enough to crawl on his hands and knees for a better landing spot though, so take that for what it's worth. My conclusion: it landed well enough to potentially produce a legit staggering/flash knockdown, and Liston figured that was as good a chance as any to get the hell out of dodge.
Actually, that punch seems to have hit perfect in the "knock-out" area on the chin. Liston with he head moving forward just went into a car-crash.