10 Hilarious Instances of Banter in Sports

#1 Young Cassius Clay was pretty and full of poetry

When Muhammad Ali was still known as Cassius Clay Jr, he challenged Sonny Liston for the heavyweight title of the world.

The two opponents couldn't be more contrasting: while Clay was known for his wit and showmanship, Liston was a media-shy recluse.

Witty as he was, Clay outdid even himself with this poem that he wrote about the outcome of the fight. Here's an excerpt:

Now Liston disappears from view, the crowd is getting frantic

But our radar stations have picked him up somewhere over the Atlantic.

Who on Earth thought, when they came to the fight,

That they would witness the launching of a human satellite.

Hence the crowd did not dream, when they laid down their money,

That they would see a total eclipse of Sonny.

Of course, while nobody witnessed Liston being launched into space, it was clear that the defending champion was outmatched by young Clay.

Punished for several rounds by the taller and faster Clay, Liston refused to leave his stool at the start of the seventh round. Cassius Clay (soon to be Muhammad Ali) was crowned the new "Heavyweight Champion of the World".