A member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame, Neil Leifer has never forgotten his “lucky night” in Lewiston 60 years ago.
phantom punch
Posted inAndroscoggin County, Lewiston-Auburn, Maine, News
Muhammad Ali statue to reflect a ‘timeless’ pose for anniversary of bout with Sonny Liston in Lewiston
The statue is well on its way toward being unveiled May 25 to mark the 60th anniversary of Ali’s knockout of Liston at what is now called The Colisée, sculptor Zenos Frudakis said.
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Posted inAndroscoggin County, Lewiston-Auburn, Maine, News
Muhammad Ali statue under construction in Lewiston
The statue is set to be unveiled around the 60th anniversary of Ali’s knockout fight with Sonny Liston in May 2025.
Posted in175th anniversary, Local Sports, Sports
‘Fights smell bad’: A non-sportswriter covers Ali-Liston fight in Lewiston
“A Newsman Who Is Not A Sportswriter Ordinarily Finds Fights ‘Smell Bad,’” from the May 7, 1965, edition of the Lewiston Evening Journal.
Posted in175th anniversary, Local Sports, Sports
The night Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston made Lewiston the center of the sports world
“‘The Fight’ Will Be Argued About For Many Weeks,” by Lewiston Evening Journal Sports Editor Norman S. Thomas, as it appeared in the May 26, 1965, edition of the newspaper.
Posted in175th anniversary, Local Sports, Sports
The Journal broke the news that the Ali-Liston fight was to take place in Lewiston
“Clay-Liston Championship Match Set for Lewiston’s CMYC May 25,” from the May 7, 1965, edition of the Lewiston Evening Journal.
Posted inNation / World, National Sports
Muhammad Ali, boxing champion and worldwide icon, dies at 74
Muhammad Ali, the magnificent heavyweight champion whose fast fists and irrepressible personality transcended sports and captivated the world, has died. He was 74. Ali suffered for years from Parkinson’s disease, which ravaged his body but could never dim his larger-than-life presence. A towering figure in his prime, he still traveled and made appearances in his […]
Posted inLocal Sports
SUN JOURNAL EXCLUSIVE: Never-before-seen photos from Ali, Liston training camps
LEWISTON — One of the defining moments of this project came late in the process, when Sun Journal Chief Photographer Russ Dillingham unearthed four tan, tattered, vertical envelopes, each with a typewritten date and description near the top crease. These never-before-printed photos from the recently uncovered negatives offer a rare glimpse into what training was like […]
Posted inLocal Sports, sj-web
Clay stops Liston in one minute of first round
Clay Retains Heavyweight Title in Lewiston Arena Lewiston lived up to its reputation as a fast-knockout town last night at the Youth Center when heavyweight champion Cassius M. A. Clay put away Charles (Sonny) Liston in a minute of the first round. Ring record books list Lewiston City Hall as the site of the fastest […]
Posted inLocal Sports, sj-web
‘That was a very, very disappointing performance. That little flick, a phantom punch. Bah!’
Former Lewiston Evening Journal Sports Editor Fred Gage worked for WLAM radio in 1965, and called the fight for the local AM station. These are his recollections of the fight and circumstances surrounding the events, as told to current Sports Editor Justin Pelletier in 2005. “The event itself was kind of a disaster, but the […]