

The world famous picture of Muhammad Ali, the greatest boxer of all time, knocking out the defending heavyweight world champion. Before this fight, Muhammad Ali had yet to make a name for himself. Ali had loads to prove going into this battle, and he came out victorious. This photograph shows how empowering he is over his opponent, Sonny Liston. The photographer puts us in a similar perspective of Sonny Liston. This picture is taken from a bug’s eye view and makes the reader feel minute by the way Muhammad Ali is triumphantly standing over them. This also expresses how commanding Ali is, with the reader’s viewpoint making him look so enormous. The picture is proving the dominance Ali has over his adversary, as he is now crowned the Heavyweight World Champion.

This photograph was executed very well because the shot was so effective in catching everyone’s emotion. This is taken as a medium shot because the reader can clearly see everything that’s going on in the image. The main focus of the picture is Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston, but it gives the feeling of how massive the arena is and the substantial amount of spectators attending this world event. In the foreground, the canvas is slightly present to add simplicity and space before the detailed mid-ground and busy background. The foreground is important in this photo because it shows how sprawled out Sonny Liston is, proving that Ali truly stunned him with his combination of punches. The mid-ground is Muhammed Ali himself and is also the main focus of this photograph. The picture shows the expression of Muhammad Ali in great detail, and how he is flexing his muscles taunting his opponent to get up. Each line and ripple are obvious in Ali’s arms, chest and legs. Although the main focus is Ali, the background is still in remarkable detail. The observer can distinctly read each facial expression of the press and fans until it fades to black. 

The only light source comes from above the boxing ring. The fight being televised means that there has to be proper lighting around the ring. The reader can tell the lights are from directly above the ring, because the shadows of Sonny Liston are explicitly below him, and his stomach is shining brightly. The reader can also see how the light reflects off the skin of the two athletes because they are sweating from giving such great effort during the short-lived fight. Everything around the ring is dimmed; the only lights shining are those straight into the ring to put emphasis on the fighters. 

This iconic picture stands out so vividly because the few colors that are in the scene pop so intensely. The color that stands out most dramatically is red, from each of the contestant’s gloves. Sweat and Vaseline cover their gloves, and the light pouring into the ring causes them to radiate color. The light helps to enhance the colors in the image and show how vibrant they are against the black background, and dark skin. All the other colors in the image are neutral colors, meaning they don’t glow like primary colors. However, Sonny Liston’s dark skin contrasts against the white canvas, forcing the downed fighter to stand out. The light reflecting off of Muhammad Ali’s skin gives him a natural gloss, and the thin highlight around Ali makes him shine in front of the pitch black background. 

Most images like the one displayed above, have a quote or anecdote to explain the picture. However, this historic portrait has no text, which is highly effective in getting the argument across. Instead of having the reader focus on the what the text says, the photographer wants the reader to understand the meaning by looking deep into the image. Of the people who know Muhammad Ali, they understand that he was not supposed to win this fight. With Ali and the crowd’s body language and facial expressions, the reader can instantly tell what this picture is about. This photograph stands for believing in yourself, and with enough effort, you can achieve your goals. The crowd and Liston are surprised with the outcome of the fight, but Ali is not. Muhammad Ali is looking down, flexing over his opponent, having a face that says, “I knew I could beat you.” This picture symbolizes the victory of the underdog. After the astonishing defeat of Sonny Liston, the young fighter, Muhammad Ali, will become the greatest boxer in the world. He went into this fight with low odds and returned successful, proving any goal can be achieved if you work hard enough.  