According to The Beatles’ photographer, John Lennon had anger toward Muhammad Ali after their first meeting. Harry Benson, the photographer who captured the band’s first US tour, revealed the details in an interview with Page Six to commemorate the 60th anniversary of those iconic photos.
Benson arranged the meeting, which took place in Miami on February 8, 1964. Ali was preparing for his fight against Sonny Liston, and The Beatles were getting ready for their big appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.
The Boxer Made The Band Members ‘Look Stupid’
The photographer thought it would be a good idea for the band to meet Ali, believing his outgoing personality would make for some interesting photo opportunities. But the vibe between the group and the boxer was anything but friendly; “Ali dwarfed them. Just Ali’s repartee, ‘You think you’re attractive? You’re not particularly attractive; you’re tiny, small, and little men. ‘Look at me!’ They didn’t like it, especially Lennon and Paul McCartney.
Benson stated, “He didn’t like their singing and told them…” Afterward, John told me, “He made us look stupid, and it’s your fault, Benson.”
Following the meeting, The Beatles stopped talking to the photographer for three months. Later, John Lennon shared that the band would rather meet Liston than the ‘loudmouth who’s going to lose.’
The Beatles Still Remembered Ali Fondly
Despite the tension, the group and Muhammad Ali did get together for some memorable photos, including one of The Beatles pretending to be knocked over like dominoes by the boxer’s punch and another of Ali lifting Ringo Starr while the others played on the ground.
George Harrison later described the experience in ‘The Beatles Anthology,’ noting, “Obviously, we were having an effect because everyone wanted to meet us, including Muhammad Ali. We were taken to meet him on our first trip. It was a huge publicity event. It was all part of being a Beatle, really: being dragged around and thrust into rooms full of pressmen taking pictures and asking questions.”
About the boxer, he shared, “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.”
McCartney Honored The Late Boxer
Ali died in 2016 from ‘ septic shock due to unspecified natural causes,’ according to his family’s spokesperson. Paul McCartney remembered him and their meeting fondly on X, writing, “I adored that man. He was wonderful from the first time we met in Miami, and I ran into him on numerous occasions over the years. In addition to his boxing prowess, he was a charming and humorous individual.
Barbara Tober, David Patrick Columbia, and Grace and Chris Meigher organized a screening of ‘Harry Benson: Shoot First’ at the Museum of Arts and Design, as well as a dinner at Robert, to commemorate the photographs’ 60th anniversary.
