On May 25, 1965, Sonny Liston enters a ring with his opponent seeking to regain his title. Liston has been getting himself in trouble since his first defeat by this opponent. He needed this rematch, not only to preserve his boxing career, but to redeem his honor. He’s been a broken man ever since.
Liston comes at his opponent with a left jab, but it proves useless. His opponent swings over with a phantom punch, a strike not even the judges could see, and Liston goes down. He tries to get up, but he can’t. In less than two minutes, Liston is defeated again. What he failed to recognize was that he was not having a rematch with the same man. His first loss was by Cassius Clay. His second unapologetic loss was by Muhammad Ali.
(more…)
