On This Day: The Mystery of the ‘Phantom Punch’
On 25th May 1965, a small ice-hockey rink in Lewiston, Maine, became the setting for the most controversial finish in boxing history. Muhammad Ali, defending his heavyweight title for the first time since changing his name from Cassius Clay, knocked out Sonny Liston in the very first round.
The fight lasted less than two minutes, but the debate over how it ended has lasted for sixty years.
The Punch No One Saw
The controversy centres on a lightning-fast right hand from Ali that sent Liston crashing to the canvas just 1 minute and 44 seconds into the fight. To the thousands in the arena and millions watching on closed-circuit TV, it looked as though Liston had fallen without being hit.
This blow became known as the "phantom punch." Ali himself later called it the "anchor punch," claiming he had been taught the move by film star Stepin Fetchit, who in turn allegedly learned it from the legendary Jack Johnson.
Chaos in the Ring
What happened next was pure theatre. Instead of going to a neutral corner, a furious Ali stood over the fallen Liston, screaming, "Get up and fight, sucker!" This moment was captured in what is now the most famous photograph in sports history.
The referee, former champion Jersey Joe Walcott, was so busy trying to usher Ali away that he failed to start a formal count. Liston eventually rolled over and got to his feet, and the two men actually resumed boxing for several seconds. It was only when the timekeeper and a ringside editor shouted to Walcott that Liston had been down for more than ten seconds that the referee finally stepped in and ended the match.
Fix or Finish?
The "phantom punch" immediately sparked theories of a fix. Many believed Liston, who had well-known ties to organised crime, had taken a "dive" for the mob. Others suggested he was simply terrified of Ali’s associates in the Nation of Islam, especially following the assassination of Malcolm X just months earlier.
However, slow-motion replays and ringside photographers tell a different story. They show Ali landing a perfectly timed, chopping right hand to Liston’s temple. While it didn't look like a haymaker, the speed and placement were enough to scramble the senses of the ageing Liston.
A Legend Solidified
Whether it was a legitimate knockout or a "stinkard," the result changed the course of boxing. Liston’s career as a top-tier fighter was over, and the era of Muhammad Ali was officially, and controversially, underway. It remains a haunting reminder that in boxing, the punches you don’t see are often the ones that do the most damage.
