The fight that shook the world and launched Muhammad Ali’s (AKA Cassius Clay) career as the youngest heavyweight champion of all time, was believed by the FBI to be fixed by the mob. According to a document that recently surfaced, the FBI suspected the 1964 Clay/Liston fight to be rigged by the mob.
In their first fight Liston quit, claiming he injured his shoulder. In the rematch Liston went down to the infamous “Phantom Punch.” The punch shown in the video below has for years been sullied by match fixing rumours. FBI documents about the famous fight have surfaced, indicating that the FBI suspected mob involvement in the matches.
The FBI investigation focused on a man from Las Vegas with known mob ties, Ash Resnick. In an interview with a gambler named Barnett Magids two years after the fight, he told the FBI that he had inside information Liston was going to lose prior to the fight. Resnick first told Magids that Liston was going to wipe the floor with Clay and was a good bet, but told him to wait for better odds. In following conversations between the two just before the fight, Resnick advised Magids not to bet. He told Magids just to watch the game, he’ll see why. Magids also said in the interview that Resnick and Liston allegedly made $1 million each from the fight.
However Ali was never suspected of having any involvement with the supposed match fixing. And all doubts of his capabilities as a boxer were soon forgotten when he went on to become one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time.
