Feb. 28, 1962 - Cassius Clay of Louisville scored a technical knockout over Don Warner of Philadelphia in the fourth round of a scheduled ten-round bout tonight at Miami Beach Auditorium. “I would have let it go five, as I had predicted,” Clay said, “but he wouldn’t shake my hand. That made me mad.” Warner, 189 pounds, shook Clay, 195, in the third with a right to the chin and ran out of his corner when the bell rang for the fourth round. Unfortunately for Warner, he ran directly into Clay’s straight right and bounced back, through the ropes onto the ring apron. After a standing eight-count, Warner headed toward the Kentuckian but appeared to be tottering, and Referee Cy Gottfried stopped the fight at 34 seconds of the round. Clay said Warner was “tougher than I figured and he was doing pretty good until he ran into a few left hooks and right crosses in the second round.” “After the third, he got tired,” Clay added. “Any heavyweight that keeps up with me for four or five rounds will get tired, and that’s where they are in trouble.” Tonight’s victory was Clay’s 12th in a row.
