Was Cassius Clay's stunning win over Sonny Liston fixed?
Cassius Clay literally "shook up the world" on February 25, 1964, after defeating Sonny Liston to become the youngest heavy weight champion of the world.
To honor the legendary fight's 50th anniversary, The Washington Times released a post suggesting that the fight wasn't as special as we all thought.
Prior to the iconic championship fight between Clay and Liston, the soon-to-be Muhammad Ali shocked the majority of spectators after defeating Liston in only six rounds.
Clay was listed as a 7-1 underdog and only three of a reported 46 sports writers projected the 22-year-old to defeat the heavyweight champion, causing the FBI to suspect that organized crime members were potentially involved.
Director J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI suspected Ash Resnick, a renowned gambler with organized crime ties, of influencing the result of Liston's fight with Clay.
In discussions with federal agents, known gambler Barnett Magids addressed in detail his conversations with Resnick ahead of the first Clay and Liston fight.
"On this call, he [Magids] asked Resnick who he liked in the fight, and Resnick said that Liston would knock Clay out in the second round. Resnick suggested he wait until just before the fight to place any bets because the odds may come down," the FBI document states via The Washington Times.
"At about noon on the day of the fight, [Magids] reached Resnick again by phone, and at this time, Resnick said for him to not make any bets, but just go watch the fight on pay TV and he would know why and that he cold not talk further at the time," the document states.
"Magids did go see the fight on TV and immediately realized that Resnick knew that Liston was going to lose. A week later, there was an article in Sports Illustrated writing up Resnick as a big loser because of his backing of Liston. Later people 'in the know' in Las Vegas told Magids that Resnick and Liston both reportedly made over $1 million betting against Liston on the fight and that the magazine article was a cover for this."
One report from an FBI branch in Philadelphia claimed that Resnick reportedly acquainted himself with infamous mobsters Meyer Lansky, Vincent Alo ("Jimmy Blue Eyes"), and Charles Tourine. The report also stated that Resnick "was investigated in the alleged fixing of the first Clay-Liston fight in Miami."
Regardless of its legitimacy, Clay's storied bout against Liston undoubtedly was the beginning of the heavyweight's champion rise to fame.