Interesting story on Ali-Liston Fight 50 Years Ago Today- Fixed?

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1972999-fbi-reportedly-had-extensive-investigation-in-possible-fix-for-ali-vs-liston-i

Anyone remember any of the gamblers names in here? Clay proved through the years he was as good as he said he was, but it is always interesting to me to read back stories like this.

I saw a familiar name. But put this fix in the same category as the shooter on the grassy knoll !


If any fight was fixed, it was not Liston, but Ali's fight with Doug Jones. The boo's after that decision in Madison Square Garden were very legitimate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEYeLqRie3k

Just watched the fight again. What a fix !

Who is Ali and Liston ? never heard of them actors

I doubt the first fight was a fix. Liston went all out to nail Ali but couldn't do it. You could see Liston tiring, bleeding and getting discouraged. Remember Liston had demolished Patterson and probably thought of himself as invincible.

Now the second fight might have more "fix" in it than any other fight in Ali's career. I don't believe Ali knew about a fix or anything like that, otherwise he would have not yelled at Liston to get up. Some insiders that I know think that Liston was afraid of being assassinated by the Black Muslims. There is no doubt that Ali nailed Liston with a right hand. I have seen the films of just about all of Ali's fights (I was a big fight buff for many years even after I got destroyed in my last fight). Do I think the fight was a fix? No, I don't. Do I think Liston may have dogged it? Probably he did knowing he couldn't beat this brash kid.

How good was Ali, really? I do think his skills were good enough to beat any heavyweight ever. Just look at the great fighters he fought: Foley, Liston, Patterson, Terrell, Frazier, Foreman, Norton, Shavers, Quarry, Lyle. Yes, as he deteriorated from pugilistica dementia his skills almost vanished. You could see that in his last few fights, especially against Holmes and Berbeck. Still the lineup of his victories is more impressive than any heavyweight in history. Love him or hate him, he was the "greatest."

The irony of ironies for Ali (and maybe for all of us) is this: The young Cassius Clay met Joe Louis. By that time Louis was a shambling, almost drooling punch drunk fighter working as a greeter at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas (I think Louis was in a wheel chair by then). Clay, thoroughly obnoxious and totally unaware what strangeness life can have for all of us, laughed at Louis and said that he, Clay, would never wind up a punch-drunk bum like Louis. It was an embarrassing moment. Sadly, Ali wound up worse. Still as the years passed Ali's better nature came to the fore.

The Ali I met when he was in his mid-30s was a hell of a nice guy and from what I understand he got better with age --- though his body was slowly destroyed.

" Clay would never wind up a punch-drunk bum like Louis. " Clay's worst prediction. Second worst was that he would knock out Doug Jones in the 7th round. Jones was the aggressor in the fight and also took Ali's best punches. Two judges ruled it 5-4-1 in favor of Ali.
The referee ruled 8-1-1 for Ali. Were these guys even at the same fight ?

Quote: paisiello

Best movie about boxing ever.

When I clicked the link I expected to see Requiem for a Heavyweight.

Ali does not suffer from dementia. He has Parkinson's which has never been known as a boxer's disease. You can attribute his slurred speech to boxing but it has never been proven that his Parkinson's was brought on by his boxing career.