In This weeks boxing news an article titled “Liston in Newcastle” mentions Sonny Listons 1963 famous visit to the city. Ahead of the first Clay fight, At New St James’s hall before a packed audience Sonny put on an exhibition then took the microphone: “Good evening all you Cassius Clay fans! I’m just as anxious to get to him as he is to get to me. You come to the fight and I won’t keep you long. It will be a matter of catching up with him and giving him the medicine!” He also said, tongue in cheek but as it turned out prophetically: “if it goes more than five rounds, I’m gonna quit!”
Yeah, Liston quitting on his stool against the fast but light hitting Clay showed that he had no heart but he’s always given a free pass for it or it’s conveniently ignored because he’s either past his prime or that it was against Clay who was to became one of the greatest Heavyweights ever.
No, many critiqued him quitting. But he did have a shoulder injury, verified later. The second fight it was the circus environment & ddeath threats he took to heart that had him not get up.
At least he wasn’t shown up by a young 19 year old Cassius Clay with only 4 pro fights who clowned on Johansson and made him look silly. Clay was thrown out of Johansson's camp for doing so. Johansson was Heavyweight Champion at the time.
The guy did fight half a dozen rounds with a broken jaw. And Clay did have 15 stoppages in 19 fights by the time he met Liston. He could lay some serious damage on opponents in his own way.
Liston was a bully and was feeling sorry for himself after 4 rounds. Decided to sit it out rather than get stopped which would have happened.
Scorecards after 6 rounds, Liston vs Clay: 1964-02-25 : Sonny Liston 218 lbs lost to Muhammad Ali 210½ lbs by RTD at 3:00 in round 6 of 15 Location: Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida, USA Referee: Barney Felix 57-57 Judge: Bernie Lovett 58-56 Judge: Gus Jacobson 56-58 Unofficial AP Scorecard: 56-58 Unofficial UPI Scorecard: 56-58 World Heavyweight Title (2nd defense by Liston)
Nah, the main damage he did to opponents was psychological. He would try to unravel them mentally and play on their weaknesses. Liston may well have hurt his shoulder but once Clay started with his head as well, Liston couldn’t take being humiliated and quit.
Here's Ali inflicting psychological damage on an opponent about 18 months later. Williams' feelings must have been really sore after this treatment. http://i.imgur.com/btBK4Ue.gifv
Liston seems to have had an injury going into the fight, and he seems to have been so confident in his ability to take out this young Louisville heavyweight, that he went ahead with it anyway, and got drunk the night before!
Liston was of course over confident as Ali was considered a joke at that time......but liston never ever shoulda have quit