Happy 50th birthday to this epic photo

On May 25, 1965, Muhammad Ali defeated Sonny Liston in the first round of a heavyweight bout that produced one of the strangest finishes in boxing history as well as one of sports’ most iconic moments, After the fight, the 23-year-old Ali called the punch that dropped Liston his secret: ''It was a phantom punch.''

''It was lightning and thunder — fast as lightning and booming as thunder from the heavens,'' Ali said.

Photo credit: AP photographer John Rooney