Venue: Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California, 23rd April, 1962.
Cassius Clay's first professional
engagement in Los Angeles proved almost as exciting as his
debut in New York, for the press at least as he rolled into
town full of fun and good-natured arrogance. One of the reporters
dispatched to cover a press conference at the sports arena
was Howard Bingham, a budding photojournalist who worked for
a black newspaper, The Sentinel. After the conference, he
saw clay and his brother Rudy standing on a street corner
and offered them a ride. Cassius Clay and Howard Bingham formed
a lifelong friendship that continues to today.
The meeting with George Logan was less significant. Clay
entered the ring as 6-1 on favourite. Logan threw lots of
left hooks and found himself hitting nothing more substantial
than air. Clay’s quicksilver hands cut his fragile brows
to ribbons and the referee stepped in with Logan struggling
to see the blur of leather flying his way. It was all over
in four rounds once more.
Watch video from Cassius Clay vs George Logan fight:
