adminNEW YORK. — Fifty years on from the man then known as Cassius Clay beating Sonny Liston to become heavyweight champion of the world for the first time, new documents have come to light which reveal that the FBI long suspected that the shock result was really a fix.
The fight between reigning champion Liston and brash young upstart Clay — later renamed Muhammad Ali — took place on February 25, 1964, in Miami
Clay, just 22, entered the ring as a 7-1 underdog, but pulled off a shock victory which laid the foundations for his glittering career to follow.
The memorable match, named the fourth-greatest sports moment of the 20th century by Sports Illustrated, ended when Liston quit after the seventh round and Clay started jumping and waving his hands, yelling “I’m the champ!”
Now documents released to The Washington Times <http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/feb/24/was-rigged-by-mob/?page=1> under the Freedom of Information Act reveal that the FBI suspected the fight may have been fixed by a Las Vegas figure tied to organized crime and to Liston.
The memos, so sensitive that they were addressed directly to Director J. Edgar Hoover, show the FBI suspected Ash Resnick, a Las Vegas gambler with organised crime connections, of fixing multiple boxing matches, including the first Clay-Liston fight.
The key new evidence is an FBI memo dated May 24, 1966, that details an interview with a Houston gambler named Barnett Magids, who described to agents his discussions with Resnick before the first Clay-Liston fight.
Magids told them that Resnick strongly advised him against betting on Liston winning. The reports also reveal that Resnick and Liston both reportedly made over US$1 million betting against Liston in the fight. — Mailonline.
Online Reporter