Sonny Liston as a referee

Sonny Liston actually refereed some bouts, including 1 world championship at super welter weight between Joey Giambra and Denny Moyer in 1962. He also refereed Cleveland Williams vs Ernie Terrell in 1962. Had Liston lived, he may have been a bigger, blacker Mills Lane. I could see him being a referee through the 70's and 80's eras.

http://boxrec.com/en/referee/9031

 

I could certainly see an older Liston doing what Lane did to Hopkins.

 

My Commanding Officer Doug Lord had Sonny ref a Curtis Cokes fight out in New Mexico.

 

Couldnt have been as bad as Jersey Joe

 

Watched it again recently. He actually did well I think considering the chaotic nature of what was happening.

Coulda done better but not as bad as I thought.

 

Probably right, still get a laugh watching him fumble around not knowing which way to turn though haha.

 

No. No ref worth his salt with confidence in his own ability would have deferred to a ringsider, regardless of whether he was nat fleischers old ass.

 

I wonder how those fighters felt, knowing the referee could beat their @ss if he wanted to. Typically the two fighters will be the best in the stadium, in those bouts the referee was the baddest man in the room.

 

What was that mate ???

 

This content is protected

8-28-98 bout against Robert Allen, one of the more amusing moments in boxing history, and I'd imagine that, as a Hopkins fan, it would have been even better for someone who was not one.

 

I don’t remember Mills lane been black.