Muhammad Ali: Shuffle first used 50 years ago today in The Greatest’s masterclass against Cleveland Williams in Texas
Popular and charismatic champion was already World Heavyweight Champion when he produced masterclass
TODAY marks 50 years since the inimitable ‘Ali Shuffle’.
Muhammad Ali, the most charismatic and entertaining sportsman of all-time, turned in what many believe to be the finest performance of his career with his knock out of Cleveland Williams on November 14, 1966.
And like with many of his fights, it was the manner in which he won which will live long into the memory.
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Jersey Joe Walcott, the great champion of the early 1950s, is allegedly the first man to produce the famous shuffle.
But it was Ali who popularised it and is remembered for it.
He would move his feet in lightning-quick fashion to bamboozle his opponent, before unleashing a flurry of punches.
Nowadays, the move is actually used in fitness programmes to get your heart rate up and for a quick burst of cardio.
Ali — who was originally Cassius Clay — came to the world’s attention with his stunning upset of Sonny Liston on February 25, 1964.
It was assumed no man could beat the ‘The baddest man on the planet’, when the two warriors met at the Convention Center in Miami Beach.
Ali came into the bout undefeated, and just outclassed the fearsome Liston, who refused to re-emerge for the eighth round.
Many had written the then 22-year-old off as just another easy opponent for the champion, but he proved them all wrong — and let them know.
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Williams was the opponent for the seventh defence of his title.
Brits Henry Cooper and Brian London were among the fighters he overcame en route to meeting with the big Georgian at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas.
The 35,460 spectators — which was then a world-record for an indoor event — witnessed a masterclass.
Williams was considered one of the hardest punchers in the division.
And he had some back story, having lost a kidney and part of his small intestine just two years earlier as a direct result of being shot at point-blank range by a Texan policeman.
He lost over four stone and the bullet, which was lodged in his right hip joint, caused partial paralysis of some of the muscles.
Williams regained his strength by tossing heavy bales of hay on his manager’s cattle ranch and won all four fights in the lead up to the meeting with Ali.
But his opponent was simply on top of his game.
Sports Illustrated claim Williams was “lucky to survive the first round” — but it was Ali’s second round antics that defined the occasion.
The champion began toying with his man and danced around with his quick, nimble feet, knocking him down three times.
Somehow, Williams made it out again for the third round, but he was unmercifully battered and the referee stopped the fight.
Legendary sports broadcaster, Howard Cosell summed it up perfectly when he said: “The greatest Ali ever was as a fighter was in Houston against Williams.
“That night, he was the most devastating fighter who ever lived.”