No matter where you've been all your life, you would have surely seen the above photograph somewhere.
But do you know the story behind it?
Muhammad Ali knocking out Sonny Liston
May 25 2015 was the 50th anniversary of when legendary Muhammad Ali knocked out Sonny Liston.
It was the first round of their heavyweight title rematch.
But it was a special fight for another reason, the famous photograph that was taken by photographer Neil Leifer.
Neil Leifer - The Photographer
Labelled my many as the most iconic photograph in the history of sport, it would never been snapped it if wasn't for some fortunate happenings in the lead up to the fight.
So what happened?
Well, Neil Leifer was only in position to take the photograph after he was shoved aside to this part of the ring by senior Sports Illustrated photographer Herb Scharfman!
At the time, Leifer was only 22.
Herb Scharfman wanted a spot by the judges' table, as he felt it gave him more room to take a great photograph. You can actually see Herb Scharfman in between Ali's legs, trying desperately to get a shot like Leifer!
Leifer posing with his photograph
“It didn’t matter how good Herbie was that day,” Leifer tells American writer Dave Mondy. “He was in the wrong seat.”
“If I were directing a movie and I could tell Ali where to knock him down and Sonny where to fall, they’re exactly where I would put them,” said Leifer, who went on to make films.
Leifer also benefited from his risky decision to shoot in colour, which wasn't common in those days.
And amazingly his photograph wasn't talked about then as much as it is today.
He actually shot 3 great pictures during that fight, but it was another that was featured on the first page of the four-page spread in Sports Illustrated of the fight.
His famous shot above was on page 4.
“I will never have a night like that ever,” Leifer said.
“I mean I’ve never had another one like that. The fight went two minutes and eight seconds and I got three great pictures.”
But it wasn't luck and it wasn't a fluke; Leifer went on to have a very succsessful sports photography career.
And the story gets better...
As a boy growing up in New York, Leifer would get free entry into Giants football games by pushing the wheelchairs of handicapped fans into the stadium!
Then, he'd just happen to position himself on the field with the rest of the photographers.
On his 16th birthday, he ended up selling several shots of the game winning touchdown in the 1958 NFL championship game to Sports Illustrated.
Naturally, they gave him a job, and he went on to take the snap shot above.
He went on to shoot nine summer Olympics, four soccer World Cups, the first 12 Super Bowls and every massive heavyweight title fight since 1959.
He took snaps of Ali 60 times, but never any that will be remembered like this one.
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Author
Dayne Hudson