WORLD-WIDE OPINION Liston-Clay Fight Condemned

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30762, 28 May 1965, Page 13

WORLD-WIDE OPINION Liston-Clay Fight Condemned

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright)

LONDON, May 27. A storm of. criticism mounted today after the controversial Cassius Clay-Sonny Liston heavy-weight title fight on Tuesday night. In Maine, where the fight was held, the State Government was asked to investigate the fight, while in New York a World Boxing Association commissioner, Mr Abie Green, described it as “the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

He said that unless the Federal Government passed a law to strengthen the W.8.A., boxing will be “scandalised into oblivion.”

British boxing reporters led some of the most caustic condemnations of the fight. Peter Wilson, of the “Daily Mirror” declared: “Liston shamed a sport that rescued him from the gutter ... he must never darken a boxing ring again.” The “Daily Mail” said: “Fight? This was a fraud on the fans. This was no oneround knock-out. It was a oneround lie-down.” Nearer The Grave Desmond Hackett, in the “Daily Express,” said: “The boxing gangsters have gone too far. The long untidy count over the writhing body of Liston may be continued until the big fight game itself is counted out.” In the “Daily Telegraph” Donald Saunders said: “Professional boxing tottered one step nearer the grave.” Typical of the world-wide press reaction was a cartoon in Manila. The “Philippines Herald” carried on its front page cut-out pictures of the heads of Cassius Clay and Sonny Liston superimposed on a photo of an actor and actress holding movie Oscars. This text accompanied the photo: “Oscar-winning drama. “Clay. We made it baby! "Liston: Shhh ... They might hear us.” Arabs Pleased However, the Arab world hailed Cassius Clay’s victory as a “remarkable achievement by the first Moslem heavy-weight champion in boxing history.”

Baghdad Radio sent Clay this message: “1 want to congratulate you on your new and great victory. I also wish you continued success and hope Islam will always be your guiding torch.” The punch that knockedout Liston also received attention. In Tokyo it was described as a a karate-type blow by Japanese karate experts. The New York JournalAmerican sport columnist. Jimmy Cannon, called it: “An effete loop of a right hand that didn’t seem destructive enough to crush a grape. . . . College girls have taken worse beatings in dormitory pillow fights.” Milton Gross, in the New

York Post, said it was “a sort of downward chop which was followed by a left hook.” But in the midst of all the condemnation, Clay remained jubilant. He told reporters: “Didn’t I tell you so? Didn’t I say history will be written.

Man From Mars “I’d like to have a national vote on who the people would like me to meet. Then we might go down to Cape Kennedy where they send the spaceships to Mars and those other places and see if they have someone to stand up against .u;.” The reaction of Mr E. J. Waltham, secretary of the British Boxing Board of Control, was less enthusiastic. “I found myself avoiding people today. We mustn’t minimise the harm this has done to boxing,” he said.

Asked how he would have handled the knock-down situation, Mr Waltham, an experienced referee, replied: “I should have told Liston, ‘Get up. Otherwise I shall disqualify you and you will ios? your share of the purse’.” However, Mr George Russo, chairman of the Maine Boxing Commission, was perfectly satisfied with the fight. He had “no intention” of calling an inquiry, he said. “Little Mixed Up” He was “completely satisfied” with the manner in which the fight was staged, but added he thought the outcome was “a terrible disappointment.” A member of the Maine Boxing Commission, Mr Duncan McDonald, conceded that the referee, Jersey Joe Walcott, “got a little mixed up” when Clay landed the short right that sent Liston sprawling to the canvas. Mr McDonald wondered why Walcott did not suspend the count of time-keeper, Mr Francis McDonough, when Walcott was unable to get Clay to a neutral corner. “Walcott could have suspended the count and started over again if he wanted to,” said Mr McDonald. “He had the power to do that. It’s right in our record book.”

“If anyone was to blame for the fiasco," said Mr McDonough, “it was that bum Clay. If Clay had gone to a neutral corner instead of running around like a maniac,

all the trouble would have been avoided.”

The former heavy-weight champion, Rocky Marciano, said he thought Liston “just sort of took the easy way out.” Liston, back in his home town of Denver, Colorado, told reporters he thought he received a "fast shuffle” in the ring. He did not expand on the remark. The Last Word What ought to be the last word came from Albany, New York, wh?re people had gathered in a theatre to view the fight on closed-circuit television and got an extra bout for their money. After Liston’s knock-out, there was a short scuffle between two men in the audience.

One of the men complained loudly: “Your head was in my way and I missed the whole thing.”

Twenty Nominated.—Hawke’s Bay has nominated its entire training squad of 20 players for the All Black Rugby trials.

Tennis Defeat.—The Canterbury player. Miss S. Rich, was easily beaten by the United States No. 2, Miss B. J. Moffitt, 6-1, 6-1, in the second round of the Surbiton (Surrey), tennis tournament on Wednesday.