those and where was this photo taken?
Lewiston, ME, was in the news recently for all the wrong reasons. Lewiston was the site of last month’s deadly mass shooting (18 in all) and as the community has come together to support the victims, their families, and each other, we felt it appropriate to look back at a time when Lewiston was in the news for a better reason.
The date was May 25, 1965, and the occasion was Muhammad Ali vs. Sonny Liston II; the fight the previous year was actually Cassius Clay vs. Liston. Anyhow, after Boston backed out as host of the rematch due to a variety of reasons (read the Wikipedia link above) promoters found a willing host up the coast. It’s still the only heavyweight championship fight in state history.
And the fight was not without controversy. Phantom punch? Allegations of mafia ties to Liston? A dive by Liston? All sorts of crazy stuff. You’re able to watch the entirety of the fight in under three minutes on the video below.
The fight also yielded one of the most famous photos in the history of sport. Sports Ilustrated‘s Neil Leifer captured the image this week’s Fan Teaser came from. Read about that photo – as well one taken by the Associated Press’s John Rooney – here. You’re able to find both images (which should be pretty recognizable to most sports fans) below.
While digging around about this iconic event and photo we discovered a couple of fun facts.
- The referee of this fight was Jersey Joe Walcott, himself a former heavyweight champion.
- Sports Illustrated photographer Neil Leifer was the junior photographer that day for SI. The senior photographer, who relegated Leifer to the spot he was in, was Herb Scharfman who is the photographer visible between Ali’s legs in Leifer’s photo.
Just to review, The Fan Teaser comes courtesy of longtime buddy, Pat Schutte. The cropped photo below and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you Sunday.