The Beatles were happy to meet a champion boxer and get their pictures in the papers, but the group let it be known they wanted to meet Liston and not, as John Lennon said, "that loudmouth who's going to lose." But Liston had no interest in wasting time with a rock group just one week before the big fight, so they agreed to settle for Muhammad Ali.

"Hello there, Beatles!" Ali said when he entered the gym. "We oughta do some roadshows together. We'll get rich!" As photographer Harry Benson furiously snapped photos, the five of them spent the next few minutes goofing around in the gym. Ali pretended to punch George Harrison, with the others looking like they were about to fall down like dominoes. The boxer lifted Ringo Starr into his arms, and then the entire band got on the ground like he'd just KO'd them all.