On November 21, 1964, one of the most iconic boxing matches in sports history took place at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Florida. The fight was between the brash, young challenger, Cassius Clay (later known as Muhammad Ali), and the heavily favored, reigning heavyweight champion, Sonny Liston.

Clay, just 22 years old at the time, had won the gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. He turned professional soon after and quickly made a name for himself with his unorthodox boxing style, lightning-fast reflexes, and endless trash-talking. Despite his impressive record, many experts believed that Clay was no match for the powerful and intimidating Liston.

The fight began with Clay moving quickly around the ring, using his speed and agility to avoid Liston's punches. He also taunted Liston, repeatedly calling him a "big ugly bear." In the third round, Clay began to take control of the fight, landing several hard punches that seemed to rattle Liston.

Surprisingly, Liston refused to answer the bell for the seventh round, claiming that he had injured his shoulder. Clay was declared the winner by technical knockout, becoming the new heavyweight champion of the world.

After the fight, Clay famously declared, "I am the greatest! I shook up the world!" He would go on to become one of the most beloved and influential athletes in history, known not just for his incredible boxing skills but also for his social and political activism.

The Clay-Liston fight remains a landmark moment in sports history, marking the beginning of the reign of one of the greatest boxers of all time and cementing Ali's status as a cultural icon.