The Mob's Control of Prizefighting Molded Sport's Evolution
Incredibly absorbing documentary about the mob's decades-long control of prizefighting. Most notable - the film uses modern technology to highlight the so-called " phantom punch " that sent Sonny Liston to the mat. This knockdown -- further screwed up by the referee, a former boxer himself -- marked the beginning of the end of both Liston's boxing career and the mob's influence over the sport. (Some even believe the mob murdered Liston.) The two fights between Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston for the World Heavyweight Championship were among the most watched and controversial fights in the sport's history. The phantom punch ended the second fight between Muhammad Ali (then still known as Cassius Clay) and Sonny Liston.