Muhammad Ali's best ko.......

Indeed it did land and it was an anchor punch, I also was taught it by an old timer and practiced it for years on a double end bag,,,,but the punch Ali landed had sooooo little on it. If you look at it again though you will see Liston was coming forward-meeting the punch coming at him, that does add something to the equation,,,enough to make Liston so on ***** street? Geeese I doubt it.

 

Liston was pressing while Ali was circling when the "Anchor" hit Liston's temple.... Still, as many have suggested, Ali's right had little power behind the shot......

Liston's stumbling act on the floor looked horrid and blown-out.... No academy award there.... It was that bad.......

MR.BILL

 

I think the anchor punch produced an off balance flash KD, and Liston either lacked the mental fortitude to think he could ever beat Ali or was too freaked out by Ali's insanity act to get back up to his feet (which is what Liston himself said, btw). Then of course there was the incompetent refereeing, which is a story within itself.

Because my belief Liston phoned it in, I don't think it was necessarily the best KO, even if it was a legitimate KD. It sort of ranks up there with SRL TKO8 Duran, yeah, it's a TKO, but there's so much stuff behind the scenes that it detracts from it being considered 'the best KO.'

 

ali learnt right hand punch from jhoon rhee - taekwondo GM.

 

Who the hell are any of us to say that right hand didn't have any power behind it?

For that matter, who the hell are Dempsey, Tunney, Chuvalo, etc.? Seriously.

The only people whose opinions on that anchor are worth a damn to me are: Clay's, Liston's, maybe Walcott (even though he was a bumbling rube that night) and maybe Fleischer (even though he was a meddler and overstepped his professional bounds that night). Really, though - Clay and Liston are the only ones who know how much of a wallop was packed.

How many times since have we seen punches that don't appear very powerful score knockdowns, if not knockouts? Every couple of months on ESPN alone you see quick little knockdowns caused by a blur of motion that you'd miss if you blink. Then on the replay you go "Wow, that didn't look powerful..." but all the proof you need is in the reaction and the lack of legs under the victim.

Just because he didn't load up and telegraph it like he was bringing down an axe doesn't mean it wasn't plenty good enough. Straight, short punches get the job done all the time - especially when you take the recipient's forward momentum into account. It only has to land on the right spot, regardless of whether it's even full-force, to completely shatter someone's equilibrium.

Really, guys? Really? Can we move past this bull****?

The punch itself was neither phantom, nor a soft touch.

As for Liston's milking it or throwing the fight - that, only he knows (and maybe some mobsters if they're still kicking). For all we know, however, he could have had trouble standing firmly on his legs by the count of ten even if he was on the level (and Jersey Joe had - you know - done his job). I'm going to operate on that assumption, as I always have. It was a sweet, sweet shot - incredibly well-timed and placed.

 

I agree - it's a pity that one of Ali's career best punches has been underwhelmed by the fact that Liston probably decided to lay down - after he'd been knocked down.

 

his knockDOWN of Alvin Lewis is pretty good.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQMvgueW8v4[/ame]
Skip to 2:36.

 

That is kind of the feeling I get, though we'll never know for sure.

Chris, by the way, are you following the WC any? You're very quiet on that front. You should be very pleased, I guess, if you hold any interest.

 

Thanks for posting it. That is some nice footage. A very long count.

 

i just counted it... i think he was down for 10.

 

I am. :yep A genuine historic moment if there ever was one.

 

Foreman was his best KO... but I enjoyed watching the 10-13 punch barrage he unleashed on Brian London in 1966, that speed from a man of 6`3, 210-15 lbs was just crazy (see below on my sig :yep)

 

Lets hope the Dutch can do it on sunday, they are the best team never to have won it & IMPO they gave us the 2 most talented players Europe has ever had - Cruyff & Van Basten.

C`mon the Dutch :happy