By Jonah Sharf
On February 25, 1964, Muhammad Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, defeated Sonny Liston by technical knockout, winning the heavyweight boxing title for the first time. A heavy underdog (7-to-1), Clay was just 22 years old going against the far more experienced Liston, handing him just the second loss of his career. In May of the next year, they would fight again, after Clay had converted and changed his name to Muhammad Ali. Ali won with a knockout in the first round, although many believed Liston took a fall for varying reasons. After the first fight, Clay declared to the world that he was “the greatest.”