Sonny Listons height and reach

[UniversalPart]

It's clear now......Sonny was on PED's. No other explanation.

[Surf-Bat]

Originally Posted by Robbi

George Foreman is 6' 3 to 6' 4. Liston is proably around 6' 0. Even though it doesn't look 3 inches of a difference in the photo....it is. It happens when people stand next to each other, the gap is shorter than it is...if that makes sense.

Hi Robbi.
I don't know. All I can go by is what I see, what has been written and what people who stood next to the man on a daily basis have told me. He looks 6'1. The official record says 6'1. The people who knew him say 6'1.

I'm gonna say 6'1

[Leftsmash]

Originally Posted by Bill1234

Sonny was not a normal built man. He obviously had the upperbody of a bodybuilder, but on top of that he had massive fists (15.5") and his arms were huge all around.



I do belive that Sonny had very long arms, but I think his very broad shoulders added to his reach measurments and made it a bit deceiving. Cleveland Williams, for instance, has a listed shorter reach, yet his arms seemed to be at least as long as Liston's when they fought.

Note how broad Sonny is:


He still clearly has very long arms, but not quite as long as the 84" reach would have one thinking.

Thanks for the reply, I did always wonder about the true stats, as someone mentioned earlier, I have seen the same fight where Tyson's reach was listed almost like Ali's reach in one of his earlier bouts, I've always felt Holyfield was about the same height as Liston, he's usually 6'2 listed though.

[JeanPaulValley]

Originally Posted by The Kurgan

Liston was actually older than 44 when he faced Ali. I've heard he was born in 1830.

How? They said he was around 38 when he died?

[JeanPaulValley]

Liston did have the biggest fist ever in HW history I think. Plus,Lenny Lewis reach.

[The Kurgan]

Originally Posted by JeanPaulValley

How? They said he was around 38 when he died?

Liston always lied about his age.

[Legend X]

Sonny Liston was born in 1917.
He was 46 when he fought Clay.
He was 53 when he died.

[Leftsmash]

Originally Posted by Legend X

Sonny Liston was born in 1917.
He was 46 when he fought Clay.
He was 53 when he died.

Woah, I always thought he only shaved off 5 years but man the 13 years off his listed age.

[The Mongoose]

Originally Posted by Legend X

Sonny Liston was born in 1917.
He was 46 when he fought Clay.
He was 53 when he died.

Than how the hell was he getting the senior discount prior the Clay fight?

[bigjake]

Originally Posted by Robbi

Liston's reach is nowhere near 84". Wladmir Klitschko's is listed as 81" and he stands 6' 6".

liston was a freak of nature,has nothing what so ever to do with klitschko's height

[fists of fury]

Originally Posted by Surf-Bat

Love this pic because it gives an idea of Liston's reach and overall dimensions. His shoulders are just about at the same height as Foreman's, yet his arms go beyond the picture (whereas you can see GF's hand). Though GF is craning his neck a bit forward, it's still obvious that he wasn't much taller than Sonny. 6'1 seems about right for Liston.

Really, really interesting picture this is. It clearly shows just how long Liston's arm is. I know that that is in all likelhihood a young Foreman, but Sonny just looks overall more massive there to me.
Impressive pic.

[fists of fury]

I remember a few years ago, someone here posted a claimed life-sized picture of Liston's fist on the board. I held my own fist up to it, and mine looked like that of a 12 year old child's by comparison.

I don't remember who posted the pic and I don't know if it was an actual life-sized representation of Liston's fist or not (as was claimed) but if it was...holy shit. That thing was a ham.

I do have a life-sized fist of Gerrie Coetzee...he actually had it moulded for me, and I tell you that his fist is massive as well. I can't imagine getting hit by a fist that large. I think I'll post a pic of it here soon.
Anyway, his fist measurement was around 12" or so...considerably smaller than Liston's. Yet it's still massive.

[Legend X]

Originally Posted by Leftsmash

Woah, I always thought he only shaved off 5 years but man the 13 years off his listed age.

Well, there's still a lot of dispute surrounding it.
Some say he was born in 1932, some say 1930, some say 1925, 1927, 1928. Some say 1917 or 1919.

Some reports say he started boxing in prison, but Liston himself said in an interview that he went to a boxing gym as a kid.
There's been speculation that he was one of several boxers who used the name 'Sailor Liston' in the late 1930s and 1940s.
He spent a lot of time in jails in the deep south.

[Legend X]

Originally Posted by fists of fury

I remember a few years ago, someone here posted a claimed life-sized picture of Liston's fist on the board. I held my own fist up to it, and mine looked like that of a 12 year old child's by comparison.

When you were 12 ?

[fists of fury]

Originally Posted by Legend X

When you were 12 ?

I wish!