
Titled “The Greatest Image in All of Sports History,” is the image of Muhammad Ali standing over Sonny Liston after he knocked him out. Taken by Neil Leifer, he titled the iconic photograph “Ali – Liston.” The photo shows the unorthodox fighting style that Ali made famous in the sport of boxing. Ali was always discriminated against by the public and most of his peers due to his race and unorthodox fighting style. Most critics would say Ali was the greatest boxer of all time due to the amount of discrimination he overcame to be the best during his time. This photograph is used a motivation to all athletes trying to become the best because of Muhammad Ali’s dominance. One can see the dominance of Ali through the color, framing, and facial expression captured in this photo showing his triumphant performance.

First, Ali’s dominance is captured by certain colors shown throughout the whole picture. The first color I noticed is the red boxing gloves Ali and Liston are wearing. The color red contrasts with every other color in this photograph. The red gloves are surrounded by either shades of white or shades of black, but no other colors are prevalent. The red gloves might represent violence, given that the color of blood is red and the boxers can only use their hands to beat their opponent. In contrast to that, next thing I noticed was the very vibrant white shorts Ali is wearing. There is no blood on his white shorts. His shorts look as if they are brand new and he hasn’t dripped an ounce of sweat. This shows the dominance of Ali in his triumphant victory over Liston because Liston never got a chance to dirty up Muhammad Ali due to being knocked out 2 minutes into the fight. The color is bright around the two figures in the ring and dark everywhere outside it, showing bringing into focus the two fighters. However, when one looks at the overall picture to notice the color, the framing of the picture becomes very noticeable to the viewer. 

Second, the photograph of Muhammad Ali standing over Sonny Liston uses perfect framing. Neil Leifer, the author of this visual text, describes how he had the best seat in the house when he captured this photo stating, “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,” (Bednall 1). The framing of this picture includes contrast and symmetry. First, the contrast inside the ring makes it very evident that the focus is on the two boxers. When looking at the two boxers, the contrast between the two bodies is insane. Ali’s body is towering over Liston as he lays motionless on the mat. The angle the picture is taken at gives the contrast inside the ring a sense of Ali’s dominance over Liston. Outside the ring, the contrast is dull and the crowd is all one color except for the photographers sitting ring side. Second, the photograph has asymmetrical and symmetrical symmetry. The picture is focused around the ring and the boxers inside of it. Inside of the ring, the symmetry is asymmetrical due to the two figures providing action. Outside of the ring, it is symmetrical due to the whole crowd being focused on the action inside the ring; therefore, the crowd shows no action. With that being said, the framing of the visual text leads the viewer to realize the facial expressions of characters creating an intense atmosphere.

Third, Neil Leifer captures the intensity of moment seen through facial expressions. When one first glances at the picture it is hard not to notice the facial expression of every character inside of it. The way Muhammad Ali is positioned, taunting Liston to get back up and screaming in his face, shows how intense the moment inside the ring is. Not only does Muhammad Ali face show the intensity, but it is also shown by him flexing his muscles and screaming into Liston’s motionless body, and showing the world he is the best in boxing. In the near crowd, most of the photographers seem unprepared and struggling to quickly capture the climatic seen. All of the reporters faces have a sense of awe on them as they look at the ring to see Sonny Liston lay on the mat. The crowd seems to be in shock due to the knock out only 2 minutes into the fight. The crowd member, in between Ali’s legs and behind the photographer, is a perfect example of the shock and awe of the moment. His mouth is spread wide open as he looks on and sees Ali standing over Liston. The intensity between the two figures in the ring give the whole crowd an intensified reaction of surprise, shock, and awe shown on all faces of the crowd.

In conclusion, the visual text marks Ali’s triumphant victory through the qualities of color, framing, and facial expression. This photograph captured by Neil Leifer is considered to be one of the greatest pictures in sport’s history. However, Leifer’s story to capturing the picture is extremely ironic. Leifer was put in this position by command from his superior photographer. It is ironic because his superior photographer is pictured between the legs of Ali, staring at Ali’s back, giving Leifer the perfect shot. The senior photographer wanted the side next to the judges table because it gave him more room to work with, but little did he know that the person he pushed to the crowded side of the ring would get the best shot of the fight. The photograph taken and published by Neil Leifer not only shows the dominance of Muhammad Ali, but the style in which Ali dominated.
