Angelo Dundee was in Muhammad Ali’s corner for his first fight against Sonny Liston in 1964.
The bout took place on February 25, 1964, in Miami Beach, Florida. Ali, then still known publicly as Cassius Clay, entered as a major underdog against the reigning heavyweight champion. Dundee was Clay’s chief trainer and worked from his corner throughout the fight, which ended when Liston failed to answer the bell for the seventh round.
Dundee became especially important during the fourth-round crisis, when Clay complained that his eyes were burning and that he could not see. Dundee initially tried to keep the fight going, then helped Clay return to action after the problem eased. Clay went on to dominate the contest and win the heavyweight title.
A common mix-up is confusing Dundee with Bundini Brown, another prominent member of Ali’s team who served as a cornerman and motivational figure. Eddie Futch, Freddie Roach, and Cus D’Amato were all notable boxing trainers, but none was Ali’s trainer for this first Liston bout.