Muhammad Ali vs. Sonny Liston II: A Controversial Encore
The Louisville Sponsoring Group's statement to the W.B.A. in the form of a press release, August 27, 1964
On loan from Lonnie Ali.
WBA vs. a Rematch
Speculation of a rematch between Muhammad Ali and former champ Sonny Liston began nearly the moment the fight ended. Sports journalists and boxing fans assumed Liston would not want to give up so easily on his title, especially with the first fight ending because of his refusal to continue. As speculation became more rampant, the World Boxing Association (W.B.A.) began to examine the conclusion of the first fight with more scrutiny.
Once a formal agreement for a rematch was signed on July 17, the W.B.A. publicly condemned the fight, stating that the organization would strip the title of World Champion from Muhammad Ali should he move forward with the fight. Their condemnation came from a specific clause in the agreement of the first Ali vs. Liston fight in February: should Muhammad Ali defeat Sonny Liston for the title of World Champion, then Inter-Continental Promotions would have rights to promote his very next fight. While this type of agreement was not unheard of, it was controversial in the eyes of the W.B.A. because Sonny Liston owned stake in Inter-Continental Promotions.
