Ali

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“Get up and fight, sucker!” Muhammad Ali/Cassius Clay at the end of round 1 of their second fight in 1965, standing over the fallen Sonny Liston, who was suspected of having “taken a dive”. 

Before their initial bout collective opinion judged that Ali’s lighter weight would not withstand the punching power of Liston but Ali won their first fight on a 12th round TKO, possibly due to damage to Liston’s shoulder.

Ali was anxious to demonstrate his superiority and was infuriated by Liston’s submission after only brief exchanges. The punch that felled Liston was widely questioned, even by Ali himself. Liston had mob links to the Lucchese Family, which added notoriety to the outcome.