On this day in year 1971 of the common era (CE) the body of former world heavyweight boxing champion Charles "Sonny" Liston (40) is found by his wife Geraldine at their Las Vegas home; he had been dead for an estimated 6 days; foul play suspected. Sonny Liston is the man who Muhammed Ali (then fighting as Casius Clay) knocked out in the first round of their second match with his famous “phantom punch,” so fast we could not even see it (possibly because it never happened). Their first fight ended in a decision when Liston refused to get up from his stool in the 7th round, effectively throwing the fight. Sonny Liston is also the man of whom George Foreman said: “The most dangerous thing I ever did in my life was agree to spar with Sonny Liston.” He was a true powerhouse…and perhaps the greatest heavy weight of the twentieth century.
Also on this day in 1971 CE, the Harlem Globetrotters lose 100-99 to the New Jersey Reds, ending a 2,495-game winning streak.
