The finest example printed of the most famous sports image of all time shows Muhammad Ali towering over a knocked-out Sonny Liston during their May 25, 1965,
championship match. This exceptional piece is number 88 of only 350 copies signed by Ali and famed photographer Neil Leifer.
Ali was a heavy underdog when he met Sonny Liston for the
heavyweight championship on February 25, 1964, at Miami Beach, FL,
but he won the fight when Liston failed to come out for the 8th round,
claiming a shoulder injury. In the very first minute of the first round of
their May 25, 1965, rematch at Lewiston, ME, Ali knocked Liston out
with a punch that few observers even saw, and only photographer Neil
Leifer managed to capture the moment perfectly. Leifer is among the most heralded sports photographers of the modern era, his work having appeared on more than 200 Sports Illustrated, Time and People magazine covers, the most covers ever published of one photographer's work in Time, Inc. history. He has photographed his favorite subject, Muhammad Ali, on almost 60 different occasions in addition more than 20 private photo sessions with the champ. This piece represents Leifer’s quintessential work. When Sports
Illustrated published its special issue, "The Century's Greatest Sports
Photos," this photograph was used as the cover. "This image represents
the way people want to remember Ali: strength, confidence and
braggadocio" (Leifer). "Sports photography is a matter of being in the
right place. You've got to be in the right seat. A great example is the
Liston-Ali picture. The photographer you see between Ali's legs is
Herbie Scharfman, the other Sports Illustrated photographer. It didn't
make a difference how good he was that night. He was obviously in the
wrong seat. What the good sports photographer does is when it happens
and you're in the right place, you don't miss" (Leifer, interviewed by
Larry Berman). The visible image area measures 20” by 21”. Exquisitely framed to museum standards with overall dimensions of 33” by 34”. Includes an attached folio on reverse from Bauman Rare Books, NYC.
Pre-certified by PSA/DNA.