
 
 REPOST
The tale of an unexpected encounter between 20th century legends -
a meeting which created a new template for global celebrity.
February 1964: The Beatles fly into Miami, sparking Beatlemania as
they prepare to perform on The Ed Sullivan Show.
Meanwhile in a low-rent Miami gym, the underdog Cassius Clay trains
to fight reigning champion Sonny Liston for the world title. The
 pundits
 say Clay hasn't a hope. Quite unexpectedly, the
paths of these 
legendary figures cross.
British photographer Harry Benson arranges for The Beatles to
visit 
Cassius Clay in the gym. Clay picks up Ringo and swings
him around the 
ring as if he's no heavier than a toddler,
as the other band-members lie
 at his feet. Clay pretends to
knock all four Beatles down with a single
 punch. The resulting
images remain in the memory long after this brief 
encounter.
The Beatles triumph on TV. Cassius Clay amazes all the
boxing writers
 by defeating Liston. They suddenly both find
themselves on the cusp of a
 new kind of stardom - they're
young, outspoken and able to capture the 
global imagination.
John Wilson reports from Miami on the background to this
unique 
encounter, with the memories of three people who
were there at the time:
 photographer Harry Benson, who
was travelling with the Beatles, writer 
Robert Lipsyte, who
was covering the fight for the New York Times as a 
rookie
reporter, and fight doctor Ferdie Pacheco, then working
at the 
gym in Miami. All witnessed the moment when
Cassius met The Beatles.
John also taps the memories of Paul McCartney.
  
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