It was February 18, 1964. The Beatles had arrived in America just eleven days earlier and had taken the nation by storm. They already had the number one record on the charts and several others quickly catching up.

They had appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show before 73 million awestruck and curious fans. It was the highest rated television broadcast in history. They had partied briefly in the Big Apple, done a quick concert in Washington, DC, and two more special concerts at the legendary Carnegie Hall.

Now they were in Miami Beach, Florida, soaking up the sun and relaxing after a second Ed Sullivan Show appearance. The boys requested to meet the world heavyweight champ- the surly, misanthropic Sonny Liston. But Liston quickly replied that he had no desire to meet “those bums.”

Interestingly, Liston was in the crowd watching their second Ed Sullivan appearance on February 16th. He was not exactly a “fan,” calling them “sissies” and saying “My dog can play drums better than that guy!” -referring to Ringo.

And so it was, the Beatles had to settle for “second best” and meet Liston’s challenger for the title, a brash 22-year-old named Cassius Clay. Clay and Liston were scheduled to meet for the heavyweight championship in a week on February. 25th (coincidentally, George Harrison’s 21st birthday).

See what happened here!