Muhammad Ali's Iconic Rematch with Sonny Liston Almost Happened in Boston

BOSTON, MA—The late three-time world heavyweight champion and cultural icon Muhammad Ali never fought in the state of Massachusetts, but it wasn't for a lack of planning.

In fact, the Boston Garden was originally set to play host to a re-match between "The Greatest" and Sonny Liston, a match that went down in the history books as one of Ali's most controversial and iconic victories of his illustrious career. Ali had shockingly defeated Liston in 1964 while still donning his birth name, Cassius Clay.

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The first bout in 1964 was won when Liston failed to answer the bell in the seventh round in a hard-fought affair.

“I must be the greatest," Ali declared after his win.

The second meeting, just a year later, between the two heavyweights did not finish in the same fashion.

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Ali, who was 23-years-old at the time, stunned Liston with what is now know as the "Phantom Punch," finishing him in around 90 seconds. Some say that Liston took a dive, while others say that Ali concocted the perfect punch at the perfect moment.

So what does this all have to do with the Boston Garden?

The fight was originally set to go down at the Garden, but the location was later switched to the Central Maine Youth Center in Lewiston, ME. There seem to be a few different explanations as to why that occurred.

The Portland Press Herald reports a combination of factors leading to the parting of ways between the fight and the arena. The Press Herald reported that the fight promoter, Inter-Continental, didn't have a state promoter's license. The bout had already been pushed back six months due to a hernia injury suffered by Ali.

In addition, then-Suffolk County District Attorney Garrett Byrne was reportedly attempting to bar the fight due to concerns over potential violence surrounding the assassination of Malcolm X earlier that year. Liston had also been arrested for carrying a concealed weapon shortly after the first fight.

Keep in mind that Ali had joined the Nation of Islam in 1964, shortly after the first Liston contest.

Boxing News and the New York Times also reported that extreme supporters of Malcolm X intended to kill Ali while he was in the TD Garden ring.

According to the book Muhammad Ali: A Complete Guide, The Inter-Continental promotion had been linked to organized crime, causing Byrne and other state officials to have second thoughts.

In the end, the promoters looked for other options until finding their way to Lewiston, ME. The fight ended up being the lowest-attended heavyweight title bout in the history of the sport.

Ali would go on to become a cultural phenomenon, political activist and illustrious boxing champion. He would with the heavyweight championship of the world three times, and would win 56 of his 61 professional fights. Ali died at the age of 74 in a Phoenix hospital Friday night.

Photo Credit:

By Unknown - [1] Dutch National Archives, The Hague, Fotocollectie Algemeen Nederlands Persbureau (ANEFO), 1945-1989 bekijk toegang 2.24.01.04 Bestanddeelnummer 924-3060, CC BY-SA 3.0 nl, https://commons.wikimedia.org/...