Faversham confronted me about his association with Malcolm X while stopping short of admitting he was a member of the Nation, i protested the suggested cancellation of the fight. As a compromise, Faversham asked the me to delay my announcement about my conversion to Islam until after the fight.
During the weigh-in on the day before the bout i who frequently taunted Liston during the buildup by dubbing him "the big ugly bear" (among other things), declared that i would "float like a butterfly and sting like a bee," and, summarizing his strategy for avoiding Liston's assaults, said, "Your hands can't hit what your eyes can't see."
I (still known as Cassius Clay until after the bout), however, had a plan for the fight. At the pre-fight weigh-in, my pulse rate was around 120, more that double my norm of 54. Liston, along with others, misread this as nervousness, and as such, was typically over-confident and unprepared for any result other than a quick knockout victory in his favor. In the opening rounds, my speed kept me away from Liston's powerful head and body shots, as i used his height advantage to beat Liston to the punch with my own lightning-quick jab.
By the third round, i was ahead on points and had opened a cut under Liston's eye. Liston regained some ground in the fourth, as i was blinded by a substance in my eyes. It is unconfirmed whether this was something used to close Liston's cuts, or deliberately applied to Liston's gloves for a nefarious purpose..
Whatever the case, Liston came into the fourth round aggressively looking to put away the challenger. As i struggled to recover my vision, i sought to escape Liston's offensive. I was able to keep out of range until my sweat and tears rinsed the substance from my eyes, responding with a flurry of combinations near the end of the fifth round. By the sixth, i was looking for a finish and dominated Liston. Then, Liston shocked the boxing world when he failed to answer the bell for the seventh round, later claiming a shoulder injury as the reason.I had indeed "Shook up the world!" just as i had promised.
In the rematch, which was held in May 1965 in relatively-remote Lewiston, Maine, i won by knockout in the first round as a result of what came to be called the "phantom punch.
After winning the title from Liston in 1964, irevealed that i was a member of the Nation of Islam and the Nation gave me the name Cassius X, discarding my surname as a symbol of my Ancestors' enslavement, as had been done by other Nation members.
In 1964 i failed the U.S. Armed Forces qualifying test because my writing and spelling skills were sub par. However, in early 1966, the tests were revised and i was reclassified as 1A. This classification meant i was now eligible for the draft and induction into the U.S. Army. This was especially important because the United States was engaged in the Vietnam War. When notified of this status, i declared that i would refuse to serve in the United States Army and publicly considered myself a conscientious objector.
In 1970, i was allowed to fight again. With the help of a state senator, i was granted a license to box in Georgia because it was the only state in America without a boxing commission. In October 1970, i stopped Jerry Quarry on a cut after three rounds. Shortly after the Quarry fight, the New York State Supreme Court ruled that i had been unjustly denied a boxing license. Once again able to fight in New York, i fought Oscar Bonavena at Madison Square Garden in December 1970. After a tough 14 rounds, i stopped Bonavena in the 15th, paving the way for a title fight against Joe Frazier, who was himself undefeated.
Me and Frazier met in the ring on March 8, 1971, at Madison Square Garden. The fight, known as '"The Fight of the Century," was one of the most eagerly anticipated bouts of all time and remains one of the most famous. It featured two skilled, undefeated fighters, both of whom had legitimate claims to the heavyweight crown. The fight lived up to the hype, and Frazier punctuated his victory by flooring me with a hard left hook in the 15th and final round. Frank Sinatra — unable to acquire a ringside seat — took photos of the match for Life magazine. Legendary boxing announcer Don Dunphy and actor and boxing aficionado Burt Lancaster called the action for the broadcast, which reached millions of people.
Frazier retained the title on a unanimous decision, dealing me my first professional loss. However, i won a more important victory on June 28, 1971, when the Supreme Court reversed my conviction for refusing induction by unanimous decision in Clay v. United States.
In 1973, after a string of victories over top heavyweight opposition in a campaign to force a rematch with Frazier, i split two bouts with Ken Norton (in the bout that i lost to Norton, i suffered a broken jaw), before beating Frazier (who had lost the title to George Foreman) on points in their 1974 rematch. This victory earned me another title shot — but this time against a seemingly-invincible Foreman.
In one of the biggest upsets in boxing history, i regained my title on October 30, 1974 by defeating champion George Foreman in their bout in Kinshasa, Zaire. Hyped as "The Rumble In The Jungle."
During the bout, i employed an unexpected strategy. Leading up to the fight, i had declared i was going to "dance" and use my speed to keep away from Foreman and outbox him. However, in the first round, i headed straight for the champion and began scoring with a right hand lead, clearly surprising Foreman. I caught Foreman nine times in the first round with this technique but failed to knock him out. I then decided to take advantage of the young champion's weakness: staying power. Foreman had won 37 of his 40 bouts by knockout, mostly within three rounds. Eight of his previous bouts didn't go past the second round. I saw an opportunity to outlast Foreman, and capitalized on it.
In the second round, the i retreated to the ropes - inviting Foreman to hit me, while counterpunching and verbally taunting the younger man. My plan was to enrage Foreman and absorb his best blows to exhaust him mentally and physically. While Foreman threw wide shots to my body, I countered with stinging straight punches to Foreman's head. Foreman threw hundreds of punches in seven rounds, but with decreasing technique and potency. My tactic of leaning on the ropes, covering up, and absorbing ineffective body shots was later termed "The Rope-A-Dope."
By the end of the seventh round, Foreman was exhausted. In the eighth round, i dropped Foreman with a combination at center ring and Foreman failed to make the count. Against the odds, i had regained the title.
After beating Foreman, i would have a successful string of title defenses. In March 1975, i faced Chuck Wepner in a bout that inspired the original Rocky. While it was largely thought that i would dominate, Wepner surprised everyone by not only knocking me down in the ninth round, but nearly going the distance. i eventually stopped Wepner in the fading minutes of the 15th round, but Wepner's display of courage and resilience gave Sylvester Stallone, then an aspiring writer, actor and director, the basis of the plot for the first of the Rocky franchise, which led to five sequels that have endured for 30 years. In May 1975, i faced Ron Lyle, who lost by technical knockout in the 11th round after a barrage of punches by me. Two months later, in July 1975, i won a 15-round decision against Joe Bugner who was criticized by the press for resorting to defensive tactics rather than mounting an attack.
In October 1975, i fought Joe Frazier for the third time. The bout was promoted as the Thrilla in Manila . The anticipation was enormous for this final clash between two great heavyweights. i believed Frazier was "over the hill" by that point, and my overconfidence may have caused me to train less than i could have. My frequent insults, slurs and demeaning poems increased the anticipation and excitement for the fight, but also enraged a determined Frazier. Regarding the fight, i famously remarked, "It will be a killa... and a chilla... and a thrilla... when I get the gorilla in Manila."
The fight lasted 14 grueling rounds in temperatures approaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit. i won many of the early rounds, but Frazier staged a comeback in the middle rounds. By the late rounds, however, i had reasserted control and the fight was stopped when Frazier was unable to answer the bell for the 15th and final round (his eyes were swollen closed). Frazier's trainer, Eddie Futch, refused to allow Frazier to continue. i, in one of the toughest fights of my entire career, was quoted as saying, "It was the closest thing to death that I could feel." Another version had me saying, "It was like death. Closest thing to dyin' that I know of."
In early 1976, i would go on to face journeymen fighters such as Jean-Pierre Coopman and Richard Dunn (my last knockout of his career), winning easily inside the distance against both. In April 1976, an out-of-shape my out pointed the tough, young brawler Jimmy Young, who went on to defeat George Foreman by decision and made me appear slow and immobile.
My next match after Dunn was a June 25th exhibition against the Japanese wrestler Antonio Inoki. Although widely perceived as a publicity stunt, the match would have a long-term detrimental affect on my mobility. Inoki spent much of the fight on the ground trying to damage my legs, while i spent most of the fight dodging the kicks or staying on the ropes. At the end of 15 rounds, the bout was called a draw. My legs, however, were bleeding, leading to an infection. I suffered two blood clots in his legs as well.
Nevertheless, in September, at Yankee Stadium, i faced Ken Norton in our third fight, with me winning a close 15-round decision.
In 1977, i faced only two opponents, defeating both by decision: the undistinguished Alfredo Evangelista, who gave me another 15-round challenge, and the devastating puncher Earnie Shavers, who nearly knocked me out in the second round. Shavers would be my final successful defense of my heavyweight title. Following the fight, my corner doctor, Ferdie Pacheco, left me entourage when it became clear to me that boxing was taking a significant toll on me, both physically and mentally.
Olympic champion Leon Spinks finally dethroned me by decision in February 1978. The fight was criticized by many fans, since Spinks was a relative rookie with only seven professional bouts in his career. However, i reclaimed his title for an unprecedented third time in their September 1978 rematch and then retired at age 37. i returned, however, to face new champion Larry Holmes in 1980. Despite my claim that Holmes would be "mine in nine" i was soundly defeated by Holmes. Angelo Dundee refused to let his man come out for the 11th round, in what became my first and only loss by anything other than a decision. My final fight, a loss by unanimous decision after 10 rounds, was to up-and-coming challenger Trevor Berbick in 1981.
