Cassius Clay successfully defended the WBC, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight titles by knocking out British challenger Brian London in the third round before approximately 13,000 fans at Earls Court Arena in London, England, on August 6, 1966. Although he had adopted the name Muhammad Ali two years earlier following his conversion to Islam, Clay was still billed and widely identified under his former name at the time.
The scheduled 15-round championship bout was Clay’s fifth defense since winning the heavyweight crown from Sonny Liston in February 1964. He entered with a perfect 24-0 record, installed as roughly a 15-1 favorite over Londo
