SONNY LISTON 2.0 Labeled A Disgrace After The Controversy Of The “Phantom Punch,”
After the debacle in Lewiston, Maine, where the most feared heavyweight in the world was knocked out in the first round by a punch that most didn’t see, the nation seemed to rise at once and point an accusing finger at Sonny Liston. Whether they’d seen the fight or not, people across the land were dead certain that a fraud had taken place. The public cried that boxing should be 1) banned 2) investigated by the government or 3) overhauled by a federal committee so good ol’ honest Americans never had to spend their hard-earned cash to see another bum go into the tank. Stand-up comedians made jokes about Liston, while creaky old boxing officials vowed to clean up the business once and for all. Liston mumbled vague excuses for what had happened, most to do with his not hearing the count, but he couldn’t explain to anyone’s satisfaction how a quick right hand from Muhammad Ali sent him sprawling. Regardless, the Liston problem had to be straightened out, otherwise Americans would never again get a good night’s sleep. Six decades later, the so-called “phantom punch” of May 25, 1965, occupies a large chapter in boxing lore. The blow connected, no doubt; it was the sort of snappy right landed by Ali throughout his career, usually when he was on the move and a rival was coming forward. “Slide to the right and drop it in,” as his trainer, Angelo Dundee, would say. But whether it was hard enough to knock a man down, and why Liston spent so many seconds flopping around on the canvas, well, those were other issues. Ali’s phantom knockout of Liston created such a scandal that it made the front page of major newspapers for three or four consecutive days, such was the importance at the time of a heavyweight title fight.
The Former Heavyweight Champion Of The World Was Forced To Either Retire Or Rebuild By don stradley
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