I've been watching the reruns of, mostly, Muhammad Ali's fights on BT Sports and just now, the two championship fights with Charles 'Sonny" Liston. The first bout in 1964, Liston was the defending champ and Ali was still his birth (so called slave) name, Cassius Clay, aged 22. Clay won that fight after round six when Liston's doctor stopped him coming out for round seven due to the severity of his cuts, but possibly because he was spent. That fight looked to me to be genuine.
Later in 1964, Clay changed his name to Muhammad Ali and a rematch was arranged for the following year, in which Liston was the challenger to Ali's title. The bout was all over after one minute of the first round. To me it was a rigged fight. It was obvious to me because Ali hardly connected with a right handed punch and after Liston went down, he started to get up but fell down again onto his back. I've never seen a boxer since fall down again after starting to get up. They either stay down and are counted out or they get up within the count, albeit unsteady on their feet.
They played a replay (in shaky black and white) to Ali and tried to see which punch it was that floored Liston but it still wasn't clear cut. Ali was rabbiting on about destiny, Allah, the greatest, etc and not really commentating on the fight. The commentator was guessing which hand it was and what type of punch. Surely with a knockout, the punch would be plain to see.
Just after the bout, Ali did say he had a surprise but didn't tell anyone what it was, otherwise 'no one would come to the fight'.
Later in 1964, Clay changed his name to Muhammad Ali and a rematch was arranged for the following year, in which Liston was the challenger to Ali's title. The bout was all over after one minute of the first round. To me it was a rigged fight. It was obvious to me because Ali hardly connected with a right handed punch and after Liston went down, he started to get up but fell down again onto his back. I've never seen a boxer since fall down again after starting to get up. They either stay down and are counted out or they get up within the count, albeit unsteady on their feet.
They played a replay (in shaky black and white) to Ali and tried to see which punch it was that floored Liston but it still wasn't clear cut. Ali was rabbiting on about destiny, Allah, the greatest, etc and not really commentating on the fight. The commentator was guessing which hand it was and what type of punch. Surely with a knockout, the punch would be plain to see.
Just after the bout, Ali did say he had a surprise but didn't tell anyone what it was, otherwise 'no one would come to the fight'.
