Ali Defends Victory

May 27, 1965 - Muhammad Ali, suffering from a slight head cold, said today in Chicopee, Mass., that the unfavorable reaction to his title defense against Sonny Liston was from critics who “just hate to give me credit for being so good.”

“I expected them to do this,” Ali said. “If I knocked him out in five rounds Tuesday, they’d have said something was wrong. If I beat him on cuts, they’d say something was wrong.” The champion’s cold — “they left the air conditioning on last night” — failed to subdue him.

Ali again asked for a national poll so the public could select his next opponent. He allowed the public plenty of leeway.

“I’m challenging anybody in the universe,” the 23-year-old champion said.

Named as possible challengers were the former heavyweight titleholder, Floyd Patterson, and the Canadian champion, George Chuvalo.

“I think George Chuvalo would give me a better fight,” Ali said. “I think Patterson would be easier to knock out than Chuvalo. Chuvalo is a tough fighter. He’s never been down.”

Meanwhile, former heavyweight champion Jack Sharkey said today that Ali’s punch that knocked out Liston “couldn’t have broken an egg.”

“It wouldn’t have knocked out my grandson,” Sharkey added. 

The 62-year-old Sharkey said the final blow landed before he could get to his $100 ringside seat. “It looked like a slap to me,” he concluded.

Asked whether he thought Liston really wanted to fight, Sharkey said, “I don’t know what he wanted to do. I’m sure he wanted to get his dough. Liston at one time could take a punch. I saw Mike DeJohn hit him once in Syracuse, and DeJohn was a good puncher, but it never bothered Liston.”

As for a bout between Ali and Chuvalo, he said: “I officiated at one of Chuvalo’s bouts, and I would have to take Clay. Chuvalo’s a plodder who fights low in a crouch.”

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