Opened in 1957, the Miami Beach Convention Center has been the heart of Miami Beach for almost fifty years. It served as the site where Cassius Clay (later known as Muhammad Ali) defeated Sonny Liston for his first Heavyweight Championship of the World in 1964. In 1968, the Miami Beach Convention Center hosted the Republican National Convention and more than 20,000 delegates; while in 1972, more than 45,000 delegates visited the facility during both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions.