Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali (Part 2)
Cassius had a very long reach and was absolutely brilliant at methodically wearing down those who stood in his way. His god gifted reflexes made it immensely difficult for many other professional boxers to sometimes even lay a hand on him. His speed when
combined with his immaculate and smooth footwork made him a lethal challenger.
The great Ali was a strategist when it came to moving around the ring. He had mastered the art of leaving his targets breathless. With sharp, animal-like instincts, Ali would know precisely when to begin the onslaught. Like a hunter, he would wait patiently
for that perfect opportunity to pounce onto his target.
Just as intelligent as he was when it came to timing his attack, he was equally clever when it came to laying back or maintaining his distance for the sake of defence. His quick reflexes and undivided focus allowed him to duck or move side to side, if and
when he was under attack. He had an amazing talent of just dancing or circling around the ring, making his adversary chase him. He did so by creating various angles between himself and the barrage of punches that came his way.
Not only did this protect him from being hit but it also tired the fighter throwing all those punches and jabs without achieving any result. Clays’ ability to dodge massive blows and hooks was commendable to say the least. In fact, he possessed marvellous
counter attacking techniques while he was on the move. This made him equally equipped in both the defending and striking department of the sport.
It would seem as though he would float around the ring, confusing and frustrating the person, trying to keep up with his constant shuffling. He would also talk while fighting -- further distracting his opposing combatants. His intention was to always drain
the boxer mentally and physically. Ali had a very strong lower body which made him capable of running around the squared space for longer durations. In his training, he would always spend a lot of his time building up his stamina. Consequently, he could last
a number of rounds without feeling exhausted.
After a string of undefeated fights, the world and The World Boxing Association felt like the ring master deserved a shot at the heavy weight title. At the time, the world heavyweight champion was the scary Sonny Liston. 25th February 1964 marked
the date that had been set for the two giants to battle it out for the heavyweight title. It was decided that the famous contest was to take place in the city of Miami, USA.
In the few commencing rounds, the challenger, the lion, absolutely put the Champion out of focus, dazzling him with his exceptional foot work and atrocious pace. Only a few rounds into the bout, Liston suffered a cut under his eye. When he was being treated
in his corner, some kind of sticky cut medicine was applied to his face. It happened so that part of the sticky substance had rubbed against the gloves of the Champ. Whether it was on purpose or by accident is still a controversy and really remains a mystery
till date.
This incident no doubt began to affect the young slugger’s vision. He began to change the tactics of his game and adopted a more defensive approach against the reigning king. Cassius clay patiently kept swaying in the ring simply trying to protect himself
from the damage the controversial Liston was trying to do to him. By half way through the match the deadly kid’s sight was returning back to normal.
Once he felt that his eye sight was restored almost completely, he really began pounding the heavy weight giant. The lion began hunting his prey, throwing massive blows from all angles. It could be seen that he was angry and furious.
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