Muhammad Ali was prepping for his big fight with Sonny Liston when The Beatles posed funny pictures with the late boxing legend in 1964. The fab four originally wanted to pose with Liston, not Ali because they thought he was a “loudmouth who’s going to lose”.

February 18, 1964. The Beatles were in Miami, Florida and at the height of Beatlemania. The band was in town to film their second appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. Before filming, the band was herded into Miami Beach’s 5th Street Gym for a photo op with a 22-year old boxer named Cassius Clay. Clay was prepping for his big fight with Heavyweight Champion Sonny Liston, but he was still considered an underdog and was anxious for press attention.

The Beatles were happy to meet the boxer who changed his name to Muhammad Ali a month later. The boys were glad to get their pictures with Clay in the papers, but they wanted to meet Liston and not Clay. John Lennon even called the boxer “that loudmouth who’s going to lose”. However, Liston wasn’t interested in wasting time with a rock group just one week before the big fight, so the Beatles agreed to settle with Clay.

Cassius Clay entered the gym and said "Hello there, Beatles!" The band and the boxer exchanged greetings and Clay told them "We oughta do some roadshows together. We'll get rich!" Photographer Harry Benson took photos of the five of them as they goofed around in the gym for a few minutes. Clay pretended to punch George Harrison, with the others looking like they were about to fall down like dominoes. Clay lifted Ringo Starr in his arms and the band got on the ground and posed like they were just KO’d by the boxer.

George Harrison once said in the documentary Anthology series, "We were taken to meet him on that first trip. It was a big publicity thing. It was all part of being a Beatle, really – just getting lugged around and thrust into rooms full of press men taking pictures and asking questions. Muhammad Ali was quite cute. He had a fight coming up in a couple of days with Sonny Liston. There is a famous picture of him holding two of us under each arm.".

The Beatles were in London recording Can’t Buy Me Love when Cassius Clay’s fight with Liston happened. In one of the most shocking moments in boxing history, Liston surrendered after seven rounds in the ring with Clay. "I'm the greatest... I shook up the world!" said Clay who changed his name to Muhammad Ali a month later.

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