🥊Muhammad Ali was a master at drawing punches from his opponents to set up counters.
🤔Ali's low hand position and squared shoulders allowed him to catch Liston by surprise.
🥋Ali's footwork and head movement played a crucial role in setting up the phantom punch.
🔍Ali's ability to manipulate distance and timing made it difficult for his opponents to land clean punches.
🧠Ali's strategy of taunting opponents and leaving himself open was a calculated trap.
Did Sonny Liston take a dive for the mafia?
—There has been speculation that Liston took a dive, but there is no concrete evidence to support this claim.
Did Muhammad Ali actually throw a punch?
—Slow-motion footage later revealed that Ali's punch did connect.
Was Ali's punch hard enough to score a knockout?
—The force of Ali's punch, combined with Liston moving into the blow, likely contributed to the knockout.
Why did Ali square up his shoulders?
—Ali squared up his shoulders to prepare his rear hand and give himself the right distance for his punch.
What role did footwork play in Ali's setup?
—Ali's footwork allowed him to evade his opponents' jabs and create superior angles for his counters.
00:00In 1964, Muhammad Ali knocked out Sonny Liston in their rematch.
00:08Ali's knockout punch in the first round became one of the most iconic sports pictures.
00:22The knockout was highly controversial with claims of a mafia conspiracy and a phantom punch.
00:49Boxing experts debated whether Liston had taken a dive.
01:05This video analyzes how Ali set up his phantom punch and if it was hard enough to score a knockout.
01:51Ali drew punches from opponents and maintained a distance that was close but out of reach.
03:22Ali evaded over-extended jabs and drove opponents into hard counters.
04:36Ali squared up his shoulders, cross-stepped, and dropped his weight to align his punch with Liston's chin.
