Clare McDermott

Clare McDermott was not only a fine administrator in his many years as sports editor but he covered most sports whenever he got the chance. It was a long time ago but one of his most memorable efforts was at ringside in Lewiston, Maine, on May 25, 1965 for the rematch between Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston.

It ended in a first-round knockout after a short, sharp right hand punch from Ali suddenly dropped Liston to the canvas. Few of those at ringside saw the punch and most of the journalists doubted it was enough to floor the hulking Liston, who stayed down for more than 10 seconds, then rolled on his back after a feeble attempt to get to his feet. Ali was pictured standing over Liston daring him to rise, one of the great sports photos of all time.

Clare was a latecomer to our boxing fraternity in New York in the first half of the 1960s. Ronnie Batchelor covered the early Floyd Patterson championship fights with his inimitable colourful phrasing but was then posted elsewhere and I got the job as ringside reporter in 1963, covering the youthful Cassius Clay's early fights, then Liston's two minute demolition of Patterson in Las Vegas in July 1963 and later Clay's comprehensive surprise defeat of Liston in Miami in February 1964. The first of those was an easy job, shouting the result and then dictating the story down the phone to a deskman in our New York headquarters.

The Miami fight was much tougher to cover, with the Reuters phone outlet four rows back from ringside, so the US agencies and BBC TV were much closer to the unfolding drama. Liston wouldn’t come out for the seventh round claiming a shoulder injury and was later taken to hospital without explaining himself to the world press who I think numbered only 50 (of which 49 including me had tipped Liston to win).

I moved to London before the Maine rematch, which produced such raw and chaotic drama in less than one round. Even to this day the boxing experts at The Ring magazine have doubts about Liston’s character and his links to the Mafia. There's still speculation whether he threw both the Miami and Lewiston fights. ESPN has the films of the fights in that era, which it shows occasionally on cable TV. Worth watching if you get the chance. Otherwise read David Remnicks’ great book King of the World (Random House).

Before I retired from Reuters in 1995, I asked the company library to dig out our coverage of those old fights. They only came up with Clare's wrap on the Lewiston affair. I sent it on to him. My own effort on the Miami battle hasn't survived apparently, probably just as well. ■