Keith M. Pollari
The memory is quite clear to me. It was February 25,1964. Mounds View was playing Basketballat Alexander Ramsey High school. This was the day when a brash young boxer, Cassius Clay was going up against Sonny Liston. There didn’t seem much hope that the 22 year old olympic champion from Louisville was going to have a chance against Liston. Liston was known as a thug so Cassius had a goodfollowing who hoped he could defeat the hoodlum who certainly wasn’t the peoples favorite. Liston proclaimed that he would knock out the loudmouth in the first round. The 7 to 1 odds against Clay didn’t stop him from making public remarks about how he was going to defeat the Champ. He said he was “a little special” and taunted taunted Liston in every way prior to the fight.
Meanwhile back at Alexander Ramsey the basketball game was in progress. The Mustangs section was not that full and someone was sitting alone in the upper corner of the bleachers. He had a transistor radio and was intent on the broadcast of the fight. In minutes a group of us huddled in the corner listening to the fight. There were frequent cheers from the dozen or so that were listening. At the beginning of the 7th round when Liston didn’t come out and it was declared a TKO. I remember that at that moment a Ramsey player made a great shot and people didn’t understand why all the cheering from the Mounds View section. Muhammad Ali was one of the most recognized person on Earth and he is now going to be the one of the most remembered persons on Earth
Rest in peace Champ!
|