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1965 Muhammad Ali vs. Sonny Liston Boston Garden Poster Signed by Sonny Liston - Only One Known (PSA/DNA)
On May 25, 1965, in Lewiston, Maine, World Heavyweight Champion Muhammad Ali made his first defense of the title he had taken from Sonny Liston the year before. His opponent was again Liston and in this fight Ali again stopped Liston, this time in the first round. Many felt Liston threw the fight and that controversy lives on to this day. The fight was originally slated for Boston, but as the date approached, Liston was involved in yet another arrest and there were fears that the promoters were tied to organized crime. Massachusetts officials, most notably Suffolk County District Attorney Garrett Byrne, began to have second thoughts and Byrne sought an injunction blocking the fight in Boston because Inter-Continental Promotions was promoting the fight without a Massachusetts license. Inter-Continental said local veteran Sam Silverman was the promoter. On May 7, backers of the rematch ended the court battle by pulling the fight out of Boston and moving it to Lewiston. Offered here is an incredibly rare on-site poster for the scheduled fight in Boston. Rarer still it has been signed boldly by Sonny Liston. Given the fact that the fight was moved to Lewiston only days before the fight it is unlikely there were on-site posters for that venue. This is one of the very few posters that survived from Boston and is likely unique signed by the challenger. The poster is cardboard picturing both fighters, has some edge and corner wear and is not creased, but does have some compressions from handling and minor soiling, measuring 22x28." There is an LOA from JSA on the Liston autograph. Bold, clear and as good as it gets, it also comes with full PSA/DNA LOA.
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