The Clay-Liston Fight was a Watershed Moment for Journalist and Author Robert Lipsyte

Published

2 years ago

July 2, 2023

Rick Assad

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Two lives unknowingly became intertwined on February 25, 1964, at the Miami Beach Convention Center when Cassius Clay faced the reigning heavyweight champion Charles “Sonny” Liston, a 7-1 betting favorite over the brash 22-year-old challenger from Louisville, Kentucky.

Seated ringside was Robert Lipsyte, who was covering the match for the New York Times, seven years after graduating from Columbia University with an English degree.

Clay, who would shortly change his given name to Muhammad Ali, was thought to be in over his head.

“The regular boxing writer, Joe Nichols, terrific guy, also covered horse racing which he was more interested in,” Lipsyte said. “His feeling, as was the general feeling, was that Cassius Clay would be knocked out in the first round and he did not think it was worth his time to go all the way down to Miami Beach for less than one round.”

Lipsyte, who had two tours at the Times beginning in 1957 and running through 1971, and 1991 through 2003, was looking for his big break.

“He kind of looked around the newsroom and he pointed to me and he said, “the kid on the night rewrite, he’s not doing anything, send him.” That’s a bit of a legend,” he said. “The point was they were ready to move me up. The fight was in February. The decision was probably made in October to send me down. Those decisions are certainly made long in advance. And so, I had a number of months to go to every boxing match I could go to, interview fighters, read everything.”

Getting this assignment wasn’t lost on Lipsyte, who would become one of the vaunted Sports of the Times columnists, and during his long career would be highly decorated, including winning the Margaret A. Edwards Award from the American Library Association for lifetime contribution to Young Adult Literature in 2001. Previously he was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 1992 and won the A.J. Liebling Award for Outstanding Boxing Writing from the Boxing Writers Association of America in 1995.

“I was enormously inexperienced compared to Joe Nichols, but I had a little sense of boxing when I went down there. I was very excited. Even if the fight was going to be over in 10 seconds, I had never been to a heavyweight championship fight,” he admitted. “Remember this was 1964 when boxing was very important and it was still a major sport in America and really a heavyweight fight held the same prestige as the Super Bowl now. It’s hard to believe.”

“Think about the excitement of being in the arena for a heavyweight championship fight. The Super Bowl. A Broadway opening. Think of anything that has that kind of crackle and electricity,” said Lipsyte, a New York City native. “I was totally thrilled to be there.”

Like every writer, Lipsyte, who has published roughly two dozen books of non-fiction and fiction including “SportsWorld: An American Dreamland,” “The Contender,” and “An Accidental Sportswriter: A Memoir,” arrived in South Florida several days before the fight.

“I had spent a week now down there, most of that time with Clay and I really liked him a lot which was not necessarily the consensus and my thought was that I hoped he wouldn’t get hurt too badly because I really liked him,” he said. “I hoped he would stay around and I could interview him some more.”

At the time, Lipsyte was 26 and part of the younger generation of sportswriters.

“Most of the sportswriters down there were older experienced guys, like Joe Nichols would have been, and then there were the younger guys,” he said. “The younger guys gravitated to Clay’s camp and hung out there. The older guys went to Liston’s camp where his entourage included Joe Louis who was the hero of their young manhood.”

On the night of the fight, the overwhelming majority of scribes concurred with the Las Vegas oddsmakers and favored Liston.

“Up until the very moment that the two fighters came into the ring, beside my excitement to be there, was this feeling I really hoped he would be able to dance away enough so he would not get hurt,” Lipsyte said. “Then the moment the two fighters came into the ring, I suddenly had this thought that Cassius Clay is much bigger than Sonny Liston.”

Lipsyte’s concern for Clay’s safety quickly dissipated as he dominated the action which resulted in a sixth-round stoppage and technical knockout victory when Liston failed to come out for the seventh round.

“In our minds, we had created this David versus Goliath narrative but actually it’s really not quite true,” he said. “Clay was taller. He was broader and he took command of the fight almost immediately and it changed everything. I would say only one or two of the 100 reporters at ringside gave him a chance to win.”

Compared to many of the veteran sportswriters at the clash, Lipsyte was a pup.

“I was young and inexperienced and I went along with what the experienced big shots were saying,” he said of Liston’s menacing stare and potent punching power. “I assumed that because Liston was terrifying. He could make you pee in your pants at a press conference.”

Looking back on what Clay and later Ali meant to him, Lipsyte is grateful for that time and opportunity.

“I always say that when Cassius Clay beat Sonny Liston it was as much of a career move for him as it was for me. It changed everything. Suddenly I was no longer this young newcomer, a feature writer at the paper,” he said. “I was immediately the boxing writer. Being the boxing writer at that point meant the Muhammad Ali writer. That was the biggest story in sports for a long time and I covered it. I got more out of it right away than he did. It absolutely made my career.”

Even though Clay had been the newly-minted heavyweight champion, he had tough sledding because of his unpopular stances.

“He was excoriated for becoming a member of the Black Muslims,” Lipsyte said. “There were all kinds of rumors that the fight was fixed in some way. It took a while for the Muhammad Ali we think about now. A lot of people and certainly a lot of very important older sportswriters like Red Smith, Jimmy Cannon and Arthur Daley, if they didn’t despise him, they certainly wrote as if they did. He refused to go into the Army. He repudiated the Christianity of his parents. At the middle of the civil rights movement in America, he was a segregationist. He was so many things that white America was either afraid of or hated because they were afraid of.”

No one is perfect and that includes Ali. Still, Lipsyte recited an example of his kindness.

“He and I had a midnight plane ride back to New York,” he recalled. “There was a little old lady and she took a picture. She clicks and he reaches out. “Your lens cap was on,” he said. “I wouldn’t want her to have missed taking a picture of the champ.”

Lipsyte mentioned a second incident of Ai’s generosity.

“I pulled up next to him on the plane with an economy ticket,” he noted. “I sat down next to him. I told him I had to get back in my seat. He said, “don’t worry, you’re with the champ,” and of course nobody bothered us the whole time. What I remember was his generosity, his spirit, his kindness and his sense of who he was and the world’s sense of who he was. It all was encapsulated for me in that little story. That was him.”

Another time when Ali seized center stage was at the Atlanta Olympics.

“That moment when he lit the Olympic torch in 1996, it’s the first time I have ever cried at a sporting event,” Lipsyte remembered, “and later finding out that hot wax was dripping on his hand and burning him but he never let on. He just held that flame in his quivering hand. It was kind of a testament to his gallantry.”

Though Lipsyte covered many boxing matches, his favorite sport is baseball, and in a curious way he finds much about the sweet science that he doesn’t much care for.

“I never liked boxing. This is something I’m struggling with right now. Boxers are my favorite athletes,” he stated. “They’re the best athletes to talk to and in the old days you had access. I love boxers. They’re fun to write about. I hated boxing.”

Asked if he keeps up with boxing, Lipsyte said that he hasn’t for a long time.

“I don’t follow boxing. The last time I followed boxing was when one of the heavyweight champions, one of the Klitschko brothers [Vitali] was mayor of Kyiv,” he said. “I kind of lost interest. The whole thing didn’t make sense anymore.”

Living on Shelter Island in Long Island, New York, Lipsyte turned 85 on January 16 and has several grandchildren and outside interests to occupy his time.

“I’m very busy. I’m still writing. I have a great family. At my age, I’m playing with the house’s money,” he said. “I go to memorials for my friends and that’s it. The last birthday that really rocked me was 30. That was the end of childhood.”

As a wise elder, Lipsyte can lay claim to being present at many unforgettable sporting events, including what Sports Illustrated ranked fourth on its list of greatest sports moments of the 20th century, the night Clay shocked the world, and two iconoclasts were launched.

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Rick Assad

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Jorge Garcia is the TSS Fighter of the Month for April

Published

5 hours ago

April 28, 2025

Arne K. Lang

Jorge-Garcia-is-the-TSS-Fighter-of-the-Month-for-April

Jorge Garcia has a lot in common with Mexican countrymen Emanuel Navarrete and Rafael Espinoza. In common with those two, both reigning world title-holders, Garcia is big for his weight class and bubbled out of obscurity with a triumph forged as a heavy underdog in a match contested on American soil.

Garcia had his “coming of age party” on April 19 in the first boxing event at the new Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, California (roughly 35 miles north of San Diego), a 7,500-seat facility whose primary tenant is an indoor soccer team. It was a Golden Boy Promotions event and in the opposite corner was a Golden Boy fighter, Charles Conwell.

A former U.S. Olympian, Conwell was undefeated (21-0, 16 KOs) and had won three straight inside the distance since hooking up with Golden Boy whose PR department ballyhooed him as the most avoided fighter in the super welterweight division. At prominent betting sites, Conwell was as high as a 12/1 favorite.

The lanky Garcia was 32-4 (26 KOs) heading in, but it was easy to underestimate him as he had fought extensively in Tijuana where the boxing commission is notoriously docile and in his home state of Sinaloa. This would be only his second fight in the U.S. However, it was noteworthy in hindsight that three of his four losses were by split decision.

Garcia vs. Conwell was a robust affair. He and Conwell were credited with throwing 1451 punches combined. In terms of punches landed, there was little to choose between them but the CompuBox operator saw Garcia landing more power punches in eight of the 12 rounds. At the end, the verdict was split but there was no controversy.

An interested observer was Sebastian Fundora who was there to see his sister Gabriela defend her world flyweight titles. Sebastian owns two pieces of the 154-pound world title where the #1 contender per the WBO is Xander Zayas who keeps winning, but not with the verve of his earlier triumphs.

With his upset of Charles Conwell, Jorge Garcia has been bumped into the WBO’s #2 slot. Regardless of who he fights next, Garcia will earn the biggest payday of his career.

Honorable mention: Aaron McKenna

McKenna was favored to beat veteran campaigner Liam Smith in the co-feature to the Eubank-Benn battle this past Saturday in London, but he was stepping up in class against a former world title-holder who had competed against some of the top dogs in the middleweight division and who had famously stopped Chris Eubank Jr in the first of their two encounters. Moreover, the venue, Tottenham Hotspur, the third-largest soccer stadium in England, favored the 36-year-old Liverpudlian who was accustomed to a big fight atmosphere having fought Canelo Alvarez before 50,000-plus at Arlington Stadium in Texas.

McKenna, from the small town of Monaghan, Ireland, wasn’t overwhelmed by the occasion. With his dad Feargal in his corner and his fighting brother Stephen McKenna cheering him on from ringside, Aaron won a wide decision in his first 12-round fight, punctuating his victory by knocking Smith to his knees with a body punch in the 12^th round. In fact, if he hadn’t had a point deducted for using his elbow, the Irishman would have pitched a shutout on one of the scorecards.

“There might not be a more impressive example of a fighter moving up in class,” wrote Tris Dixon of the 25-year-old “Silencer” who improved his ledger to 20-0 (10).

Photo credits: Garcia/Conwell photo compliments of Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy; McKenna-Smith provided by Mark Robinson/Matchroom

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Chris Eubank Jr Outlasts Conor Benn at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Published

2 days ago

April 27, 2025

David A. Avila

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Feudal bragging rights belong to Chris Eubank Jr. who out-lasted Conor Benn to
emerge victorious by unanimous decision in a non-title middleweight match held in
London on Saturday.

Fighting for their family heritage Eubank (35-3, 26 KOs) and Benn (23-1, 14 KOs)
continued the battle between families started 35 years ago by their fathers at Tottenham
Hotspur Stadium.

More than 65,000 fans attended.

Though Eubank Jr. had a weight and height advantage and a record of smashing his
way to victory via knockout, he had problems hurting the quicker and more agile Benn.
And though Benn had the advantage of moving up two weight divisions and forcing
Eubank to fight under a catch weight, the move did not weaken him much.

Instead, British fans and boxing fans across the world saw the two family rivals pummel
each other for all 12 rounds. Neither was able to gain separation.

Eubank looked physically bigger and used a ramming left jab to connect early in the
fight. Benn immediately showed off his speed advantage and surprised many with his
ability to absorb a big blow.Chris Eubank Jr Outlasts Conor Benn at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Benn scrambled around with his quickness and agility and scored often with bigcounters.

It took him a few rounds to stop overextending himself while delivering power shots.

In the third round Benn staggered Eubank with a left hook but was unable to follow up
against the dangerous middleweight who roared back with flurries of blows.

Eubank was methodic in his approach always moving forward, always using his weight
advantage via the shoulder to force Benn backward. The smaller Benn rocketed
overhand rights and was partly successful but not enough to force Eubank to retreat.
In the seventh round a right uppercut snapped Benn’s head violently but he was
undeterred from firing back. Benn’s chin stood firm despite Eubank’s vaunted power and
size advantage.

“I didn’t know he had that in him,” Eubank said.

Benn opened strong in the eighth round with furious blows. And though he connected
he was unable to seriously hurt Eubank. And despite being drained by the weight loss,
the middleweight fighter remained strong all 12 rounds.

There were surprises from both fighters.

Benn was effective targeting the body. Perhaps if he had worked the body earlier he
would have found a better result.

With only two rounds remaining Eubank snapped off a right uppercut again and followed
up with body shots. In the final stanza Eubank pressed forward and exchanged with the
smaller Benn until the final bell. He simply out-landed the fighter and impressed all three
judges who scored it 116-112 for Eubank.

Eubank admitted he expected a knockout win but was satisfied with the victory.
“I under-estimated him,” Eubank said.

Benn was upset by the loss but recognized the reasons.

“He worked harder toward the end,” said Benn.

McKenna Wins

In his first test in the elite level Aaron McKenna (20-0, 10 KOs) showed his ability to fight
inside or out in soundly defeating former world champion Liam Smith (33-5-1, 20 KOs)
by unanimous decision to win a regional WBA middleweight title.

Smith has made a career out of upsetting young upstarts but discovered the Irish fighter
more than capable of mixing it up with the veteran. It was a rough fight throughout the
12 rounds but McKenna showed off his abilities to fight as a southpaw or right-hander
with nary a hiccup.

McKenna had trained in Southern California early in his career and since that time he’s
accrued a variety of ways to fight. He was smooth and relentless in using his longer
arms and agility against Smith on the outside or in close.

In the 12 th round, McKenna landed a perfectly timed left hook to the ribs and down went
Smith. The former champion got up and attempted to knock out the tall
Irish fighter but could not.

All three judges scored in favor of McKenna 119-108, 117-109, 118-108.

Other Bouts
Anthony Yarde (27-3) defeated Lyndon Arthur (24-3) by unanimous decision after 12 rounds. in a light heavyweight match. It was the third time they met. Yarde won the last two fights.

Chris Billam-Smith (21-2) defeated Brandon Glanton (20-3) by decision. It was his first
fight since losing the WBO cruiserweight world title to Gilberto Ramirez last November.

Viddal Riley (13-0) out-worked Cheavon Clarke (10-2) in a 12-round back-and-forth-contest to win a unanimous decision.

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 323: Benn vs Eubank Family Feud and More

Published

4 days ago

April 24, 2025

David A. Avila

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Next generation rivals Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr. carry on the family legacy of feudal warring in the prize ring on Saturday.

This is huge in British boxing.

Eubank (34-3, 25 KOs) holds the fringe IBO middleweight title but won’t be defending it against the smaller welterweight Benn (23-0, 14 KOs) on Saturday, April 26, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. DAZN will stream the Matchroom Boxing card.

This is about family pride.

The parents of Eubank and Benn actually began the feud in the 1990s.

Papa Nigel Benn fought Papa Chris Eubank twice. Losing as a middleweight in November 1990 at Birmingham, England, then fighting to a draw as a super middleweight in October 1993 in Manchester. Both were world title fights.

Eubank was undefeated and won the WBO middleweight world title in 1990 against Nigel Benn by knockout. He defended it three times before moving up and winning the vacant WBO super middleweight title in September 1991. He defended the super middleweight title 14 times before suffering his first pro defeat in March 1995 against Steve Collins.

Benn won the WBO middleweight title in April 1990 against Doug DeWitt and defended it once before losing to Eubank in November 1990. He moved up in weight and took the WBC super middleweight title from Mauro Galvano in Italy by technical knockout in October 1992. He defended the title nine times until losing in March 1996. His last fight was in November 1996, a loss to Steve Collins.

Animosity between the two families continues this weekend in the boxing ring.

Conor Benn, the son of Nigel, has fought mostly as a welterweight but lately has participated in the super welterweight division. He is several inches shorter in height than Eubank but has power and speed. Kind of a British version of Gervonta “Tank” Davis.

“It’s always personal, every opponent I fight is personal. People want to say it’s strictly business, but it’s never business. If someone is trying to put their hands on me, trying to render me unconscious, it’s never business,” said Benn.

This fight was scheduled twice before and cut short twice due to failed PED tests by Benn. The weight limit agreed upon is 160 pounds.

Eubank, a natural middleweight, has exchanged taunts with Benn for years. He recently avenged a loss to Liam Smith with a knockout victory in September 2023.

“This fight isn’t about size or weight. It’s about skill. It’s about dedication. It’s about expertise and all those areas in which I excel in,” said Eubank. “I have many, many more years of experience over Conor Benn, and that will be the deciding factor of the night.”

Because this fight was postponed twice, the animosity between the two feuding fighters has increased the attention of their fans. Both fighters are anxious to flatten each other.

“He’s another opponent in my way trying to crush my dreams. trying to take food off my plate and trying to render me unconscious. That’s how I look at him,” said Benn.

Eubank smiles.

“Whether it’s boxing, whether it’s a gun fight. Defense, offense, foot movement, speed, power. I am the superior boxer in each of those departments and so many more – which is why I’m so confident,” he said.

Supporting Bout

Former world champion Liam Smith (33-4-1, 20 KOs) tangles with Ireland’s Aaron McKenna (19-0, 10 KOs) in a middleweight fight set for 12 rounds on the Benn-Eubank undercard in London.

“Beefy” Smith has long been known as one of the fighting Smith brothers and recently lost to Eubank a year and a half ago. It was only the second time in 38 bouts he had been stopped. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez did it several years ago.

McKenna is a familiar name in Southern California. The Irish fighter fought numerous times on Golden Boy Promotion cards between 2017 and 2019 before returning to the United Kingdom and his assault on continuing the middleweight division. This is a big step for the tall Irish fighter.

It’s youth versus experience.

“I’ve been calling for big fights like this for the last two or three years, and it’s a fight I’m really excited for. I plan to make the most of it and make a statement win on Saturday night,” said McKenna, one of two fighting brothers.

Monster in L.A.

Japan’s super star Naoya “Monster” Inoue arrived in Los Angeles for last day workouts before his Las Vegas showdown against Ramon Cardenas on Sunday May 4, at T-Mobile Arena. ESPN will televise and stream the Top Rank card.

It’s been four years since the super bantamweight world champion performed in the US and during that time Naoya (29-0, 26 KOs) gathered world titles in different weight divisions. The Japanese slugger has also gained fame as perhaps the best fighter on the planet. Cardenas is 26-1 with 14 KOs.

Pomona Fights

Super featherweights Mathias Radcliffe (9-0-1) and Ezequiel Flores (6-4) lead a boxing card called “DMG Night of Champions” on Saturday April 26, at the historic Fox Theater in downtown Pomona, Calif.

Michaela Bracamontes (11-2-1) and Jesus Torres Beltran (8-4-1) will be fighting for a regional WBC super featherweight title. More than eight bouts are scheduled.

Doors open at 6 p.m. For ticket information go to: www.tix.com/dmgnightofchampions

Fights to Watch

Sat. DAZN 9 a.m. Conor Benn (23-0) vs Chris Eubank Jr. (34-3); Liam Smith (33-4-1) vs Aaron McKenna (19-0).

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