On May 25, 1965, Muhammad Ali defeated Sonny Liston in the first round of a heavyweight bout that produced one of the strangest finishes in boxing history as well as one of sports’ most iconic moments — photos of Ali hovering over Liston on the canvas, shouting at his opponent to get up.
After the fight, the 23-year-old Ali called the punch that dropped Liston his secret: “It was a phantom punch.”
“It was lightning and thunder — fast as lightning and booming as thunder from the heavens,” Ali said.
Liston, who was a slight favorite going into the fight, said afterward that when he got up, he thought the fight was still on.
“No, I didn’t hear the count,” said Liston, who lost on a 12 count according to the timekeeper. “Didn’t you see us start the fight again? When (the referee) stepped in I thought the bell had rung.”
Fifty years later, the AP is making available the black-and-white shot by AP photographer John Rooney of Ali standing over Liston, which won the World Press Photo award for best sports photo in 1965. The same moment was famously captured in color by Neil Leifer of Sports Illustrated, one of the most well-known sports photos of all time.