Clay immortalised in bronze: 10ft-high Muhammad Ali statue unveiled

It was the punch of all punches — landed just one minute and 44 seconds into the first round, witnessed by fewer than 2,500 people, and frozen forever in one of the most iconic photographs in sport

Now, nearly sixty years after Muhammad Ali floored Sonny Liston in what became known as the “Phantom Punch”, the city where it happened is casting that moment in bronze.

The 1965 bout — a world heavyweight title rematch between Ali and Liston — had been hastily relocated to Lewiston’s Central Maine Youth Center (now The Colisée) after Boston and other cities refused to host it. 

What followed became a defining moment in boxing history. Ali’s short overhand right — thrown while moving backwards and timed as Liston advanced — struck just above the jaw and dropped him to the canvas. 

The blow was so swift and compact that many ringside didn’t see it land, fuelling controversy and decades of speculation.

The photograph that captured Ali towering over his fallen opponent, mid-shout, remains one of the most enduring images in 20th-century sport.

This weekend, Lewiston will unveil the United States’ first full-body statue of ‘The Greatest’. 

The 10-foot bronze sculpture, created by Philadelphia-based artist Zenos Frudakis, will stand outside Bates Mill No. 5 on Main Street, just steps from the site of the historic fight and positioned as a gateway to the city. 

Located just 200 feet from the Auburn Bridge, it is expected to be seen by more than 32,000 vehicles a day.

The statue was first sculpted in clay at full scale, then cast in bronze — a standard process for large public artworks. Photographs released ahead of the unveiling show the clay model in its final stages.

Frudakis is one of America’s most acclaimed figurative sculptors, known for creating large-scale public monuments of sporting and cultural icons. 

His past commissions include 10-foot statues of baseball legends Mike Schmidt, Richie Ashburn and Robin Roberts at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, as well as likenesses of golfing greats Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. 

A 7-foot sculpture of civil rights icon Nina Simone stands in her hometown of Tryon, North Carolina, while his bust of Dr Martin Luther King Jr. was installed — in defiance of apartheid — at the US Embassy in Pretoria.

Frudakis described his latest statue as capturing “Ali’s grace, strength, and moral courage.” He added: “He was a true original — a man who stood firm in his convictions and inspired the world through his words and actions as much as his fists.”

The statue’s unveiling comes as Lewiston continues to recover from the mass shooting that shook the city in 2023 — the deadliest in Maine’s history. 

“This is more than a tribute to a great athlete,” Lewiston-born artist Charlie Hewitt, who co-initiated the project with local architect and developer Tom Platz, said. “It’s a recognition of resilience, transformation, and dignity. To bring a monumental sculpture of a young Black Muslim man to a town with its own history of discrimination and exclusion is an act of healing and connection.”

Platz, who attended the fight in 1965 as a schoolboy, led the fundraising campaign, securing private donations from local businesses and residents. “Ali was a major part of Lewiston’s history,” he added. “This statue celebrates our roots in diversity, immigration, and resilience. There’s no better time to honour that.”

The original fight between Ali and Sonny Liston took place in Miami Beach in 1964. Ali — then still known as Cassius Clay — shocked the boxing world by forcing Liston to retire on his stool after the sixth round, claiming the world heavyweight title at just 22 years old. 

Soon after that victory, Ali announced he had joined the Nation of Islam and changed his name, a move that made him a deeply controversial figure in the eyes of much of the American public.

When the rematch was scheduled for the following year, several cities refused to host it due to security fears. Boston pulled out just days before the event, and Lewiston stepped in. 

With only 17 days to prepare, local promoter Sam Michael converted the Central Maine Youth Center into a boxing venue.  On 25 May 1965, under national scrutiny, the fight ended in less than two minutes when Ali landed a short right hand to Liston’s jaw. 

Liston collapsed to the canvas, and as confusion broke out in the ring, Ali stood over him shouting, “Get up and fight!” That moment was captured by Sports Illustrated photographer Neil Leifer in a frame that would become one of the most famous sports photographs of all time.

Ali’s career went on to include some of the most legendary bouts in boxing history, including the 1974 ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ against George Foreman in Zaire and the 1975 ‘Thrilla in Manila’ against Joe Frazier. 

Known for his speed, defiance and charisma, he became the first fighter to win the world heavyweight title three times, retiring with a record of 56 wins, five losses and 37 knockouts. 

Main photo: The moment Ali tells Liston to “Get up and fight!” is one of the most famous sports photographs of all time. Tens of thousands of prints, like this one from Amazon, sell every day. Other images, courtesy City of Lewiston/Frudakis Gallery.