1960s Timeline

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Mar 23

Clay Still Champ in NY

Mar. 23, 1964 - The New York State Athletic Commission, in opposition to a move underway in the World Boxing Association, said today it...

Mar 22

WBA Seeks to Take Clay’s Title

Mar. 22, 1964 - The World Boxing Association began immediate steps today to take the world’s heavyweight championship title away from...

Mar 21

Patterson Tormented by Clay’s Taunts

Mar. 21, 1964 - Floyd Patterson thinks he can beat Cassius Clay. “I’m faster and can hit harder than Clay,” Patterson said at his camp in...

Mar 20

Cassius Clay Speaks Out

Mar. 20, 1964 - Heavyweight champion Cassius Clay, rejected today by the U.S. Army, said he hopes to fight again within three months and...

Mar 18

Clay Fails Selective Service Mental Test

Mar. 18, 1964 - Heavyweight champion Cassius Clay was reported today to have failed the arithmetic section of a Selective Service...

Mar 16

Clay’s Manager Rejects Free Fight with Patterson

Mar. 16, 1964 - Cassius Clay’s manager, Bill Faversham (right with Angelo Dundee), rejected today a proposed winner-take-all heavyweight...

Mar 14

Cassius Clay Now “Muhammad Ali”

Mar. 14, 1964 - Cassius Clay arrived in Chicago last night for a meeting with “my honorable teacher, the honorable Elijah Muhammad,”...

Mar 13

Clay Takes Army Exam

Mar. 13, 1964 - A drowsy Cassius Clay sprawled on a living room sofa of his home in Louisville this afternoon. The heavyweight champ...

Mar 13

Jack Dempsey Speaks out on Liston and Clay

Mar. 13, 1964 - “A real champion doesn’t quit sitting on his pants in his corner,” Jack Dempsey said today. He was talking about Sonny...

Mar 12

Doug Jones Wants Shot at Clay’s Title

Mar. 12, 1964 - Doug Jones of New York, recently rated No. 1 challenger for Cassius Clay’s heavyweight championship, today started...

Mar 8

Cassius Clay Goes Home to Louisville

Mar. 8, 1964 - A subdued Cassius Clay returned home to Louisville yesterday, and a crowd of 400 greeted him at Standiford Field....

Mar 7

Patterson Offers to Fight Clay for Free

Mar. 7, 1964 - Former heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson offered today to fight for free against new champion Cassius Clay in order to...

Mar 6

Cassius Clay to Add “X” to Name

Mar. 6, 1964 - The new heavyweight boxing champion confirmed today that he was changing his name to “Cassius X Clay” to conform with...

Mar 4

[VIDEO] Mar. 4, 1964 | Cassius Clay and Malcolm X Interview

Mar. 4, 1964 - Cassius Clay told African and Asian delegates to the United Nations today that he “couldn’t wait” to visit their...

Mar 3

[VIDEO] Mar. 3, 1964 | Cassius Clay and Sam Cooke Interview

Mar. 3, 1964 - Cassius Clay, the world heavyweight champion, spent two hours in a Columbia Records studio at 799 Seventh Avenue today...

Mar 1

Cassius Clay Visits Harlem

Mar. 1, 1964 - Cassius Marcellus Clay, heavyweight champion of the world, paid a surprise visit to Harlem this afternoon. After...

Nov 8, 2023

Cassius Clay Ordered to Report for Selective Service Exam

Nov. 8, 1963 - Cassius Clay, who is signed for a heavyweight title fight with Sonny Liston, has been ordered to report for a selective...

Aug 10, 2023

Joe Louis Ranks Cassius Clay Behind Floyd Patterson and Doug Jones

Aug. 10, 1963 - Joe Louis (right with Sonny Liston) has put Cassius Clay in his place — third place among the heavyweight contenders. The...

Aug 6, 2023

Liston Postpones Fight Against Clay — Clay Calls Sonny “Scared”

Aug. 6, 1963 - Heavyweight champion Sonny Liston has postponed until “sometime next year” his proposed September Philadelphia title...

Jul 31, 2023

Cassius Clay Recording L.P. Album

July 31, 1963 - The self-proclaimed greatest, prettiest, and most colorful fighter in the world, Cassius Clay, will cut his first...