Liston crushed Patterson twice, it's immortalized in a line of a Billy Joel song, added to Liston's mystique as the baddest man on the planet and virtually unbeatable. Was the actual outcome of the first or second fight a surprise? Was it expected that Liston would have no problems?
Fight 1 prefight, the Public thought would be competitive. Fight 2, the Public didn't give Patterson much chance and neither did Patterson.
Liston was favored in both fights. Prior to the first fight, some felt that Patterson had a chance based on his speed. I remember polling my classmates on the day of the fight, and almost everyone picked Patterson. In retrospect, I'm sure that was based on wishful thinking rather than cold, objective analysis. In a 1962 Ring Magazine article by Roy Harris entitled "I Fought Them Both" he gave an analysis based on his fights with both Patterson and Liston, who stopped him in 12 rounds and 1 round, respectively. He concluded that Patterson's speed may frustrate Liston for a while, but Liston would catch him and stop him in five or six rounds. In the early part of the radio broadcast, several ATGs were polled for their predictions. I recall Joe Louis picking Patterson, but few others. The actual quick ending wasn't really a surprise, although it had been generally expected to last a while longer. Regarding the second fight, virtually no one thought Patterson would turn the tables as he had with Johansson three years earlier. The real surprise in both fights is that Patterson never really utilized his speed to his advantage but instead fought Liston's fight.
No, his win was not a surprise at all. Those in the know had a certain foreboding for Floyd...Liston was a mencing force that couldn't be denied. I really don't think that his winning in the 1st on both occasions was that big a surprise really.