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In 1964, Muhammad Ali shook up the world with a spectacular display of dominance against one of the most fearsome champions ever, the great and powerful Sonny Liston.
But it was almost all derailed by a shocking development in the 5th round. One that some call unlucky happenstance, and many insist was foul play. Today we’re going to look at the techniques that Ali used to defeat one of the most dangerous fighters of all time, and how he overcame a bizarre random handicap that almost altered the course of history.
Sonny Liston was a total monster in the ring.
Liston’s fists were bigger than most men’s biceps, he had a 84 inch reach and strengthened his neck by standing on his head for hours on end. He had the brains to put these physical advantages to good use, setting up his power shots with one of the best jabs in boxing history.
But most overlooked Liston’s jab, as the punches it set up tended to leave a much bigger impression.
Liston had KO power in both hands, but his left hook was particularly deadly. And Ali, who kept his guarding hand as low as his lead hand at times, was especially vulnerable to lead hooks.
Ali used complex footwork to circle his opponents on the outside, catching them with whipping jabs before dashing in to throw lightning fast combinations. He kept his hands low to encourage opponent’s to head hunt, always staying just out of range, compelling them to overreach so that he could counter.
As Dundee said, “I didn’t need to tell Ali much for Liston, he already had everything he needed.”
9 мар 2021
