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Today in History - May 25 | What Muhammad Ali was shouting in the most famous sports photo of all time

Nick Pearson
Nick Pearson

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Muhammad Ali cemented his boxing career by knocking Sonny Liston down in the first round of their second bout on May 25, 1965.

For most boxing aficionados of the time, Ali's first victory of Liston was seen as a fluke.

Attribution: AP
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Sceptics had accused Liston of taking a dive in the first fight, and Ali was eager to prove himself.

The second fight had a far more clear winner.

Attribution: Getty
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Ali landed a fast right on Liston and knocked him down.

Fearing people would think Liston had taken another dive, Ali stood over him and shouted "Get up and fight," and "nobody will believe this".

Attribution: AP
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By the time the referee declared a winner, many in the crowd had not yet taken their seats.

Liston to his death rejected any suggestions of a dive.

Attribution: Nine Archives
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Ukrainian political dissident and former military leader Symon Petliura was shot dead in a bookshop in Paris on May 25, 1926.

Petliura had presided over a genocide of Jewish Ukrainians several years earlier, with as many as 200,000 people murdered.

Attribution: Public Domain
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His assassin, Sholem Schwarzbard, had 15 members of his family killed in the pogroms, including his parents.

His defence before a French court was that Petliura deserved to die and he was avenging the deaths of thousands of people.

Attribution: Public Domain
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Though not a legally valid argument, the jury sided with Schwarzbard.

After an eight-day trial, he was acquitted.

Attribution: Public Domain
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