en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Goulet
1 correction found
It was actually the last fight for Cassius Clay before he chose the name Muhammad Ali.
This is backwards: Ali had already adopted the name Muhammad Ali in 1964, more than a year before the May 25, 1965 rematch with Sonny Liston.
Full reasoning
Reliable sources place Muhammad Ali's name change in 1964, not after the May 25, 1965 Liston rematch.
- The U.S. National Archives says that Cassius Clay "became a member of the Nation of Islam, announcing his name as Cassius X, then Muhammad Ali in 1964."
- Sports Illustrated says the Ali–Liston rematch was first set for November 16, 1964, and that by then the new champion had already announced both his Nation of Islam affiliation and his new name.
So the Lewiston fight was not the last fight before he chose the name Muhammad Ali; it took place well after that change had already been announced.
2 sources
- Muhammad Ali (January 17, 1942 - June 6, 2016) | National Archives
It was also around this time that Clay became a member of the Nation of Islam, announcing his name as Cassius X, then Muhammad Ali in 1964.
- Remembering one of boxing's most controversial fights: Ali-Liston II
A rematch, set for Boston Garden on Nov. 16, 1964, was postponed when the new champion (who in the interim had announced both his enrollment in the Nation of Islam and his new name) underwent emergency hernia surgery.