Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York. 13th April, 1963.
Cassius Clay was the biggest
attraction among boxing's rising stars, and a return to New
York seemed sure to add to his momentum. But the fight with
Doug Jones was a strange affair in which little went to plan.
The build up was hit with a newspaper strike that went on
for 113 days. Shorn of his usual audience of hacks Clay rattled
around the many Tv and radio stations making his prediction
for a win in the sixth round. A choice he rapidly changed:'I'm
changing the pick I made before.' he sang, 'Instead Jones
goes in Four.'
The Garden sold out for the first
time since Joe Louis and Rocky Marciano there in 1951. 'They're
dusting off the seats where the pigeons used to sit,' Clay
proclaimed happily.
Come fight night, he produced
the worst performance of his career thus far, while Jones
was inspired. When Clay failed to make good on his call of
a fourth round win, the famously raucous New York crowd turned
against him. The bout went the distance with little to inspire.
The judges gave Clay a narrow win scoring it five to four
in his favour, with one round shared. The referee came down
with an unlikely eight to one verdict for Clay with one even.
Many of the crowd began to call the fight a fix.
Trying to save some face, Clay
claimed his prediction had been correct after all. First he
had called six rounds, and then four which added up to 10.
No one was fooled, but Clay remained philosophical. His next
three fights would contain enough drama for a lifetime.
