Liston vs Frazier

I thought Liston's rep was based not only beating the Champion Patterson in1 round and defending against him for the same result when Patterson was number 2,but also on beating
Machen no 5
Folley no 1
Bethea no 8
Harris no 7
DeJohn no10
He also ko'd
Valdes who had been no 2 a year earlier.
Williams who was no7 a year later.
Hunter who was no 6 a year later.
That's 5 ranked contenders beaten in 2 years 4 by Ko.
I think his reputation is entirely justified!
On another tack Zora Folley had 96 fights and was stopped 7 times.
By
Liston.ko% 72.72%
Lavorante ko% 62.5%.
Fosterko% 83.3% when he was 39 ,
Jones ko%48.78%
Summerlin KO% 47.73%
Johnson.A suspected broken rib is given as the reason, I don't know if this was genuine.
Ali when he was 37.
Folley survived good punchers such as;
DeJohn
Cooper
Chuvalo
B Foster
Bonavena x2
Cleroux
Valdes

I think saying his jaw was glass is a bit harsh .

 

I wonder who started the rumour then? It’s been doing the rounds for years. Much like Sonny laughing during the time he got his jaw broke by the little fella.

 

I know who did. M M! Liston said he was laughing when his jaw was broke, I saw the interview,not that I can see it matters.

 

I think it would look like the Foreman/Frazier 2 fight. Liston didn't start as fast as young Foreman and had a more measured approach.

 

I’m starting to think they were both telling fibs.

 

Actually the last time Sonny fought Marshall Liston was having his 15th fight. And according to one report Marshall succeeded in making 22lb heavier Sonny look bad.

Jimmy Jordon, Pittsburgh post Gazette March 7 1956

“Marshall backing up most of the fight, did manage to land a few wild lefts and rights, all haymakers, high on Listons head as he fought with the finesse of an octopus reaching for its prey, but the only apparent damage he inflicted was a slight trickle of blood from the left nostril and a bit of blood from the lower lip of Liston.”

 

"Marshall, a last minute substitute for Harold Johnson, lost all but the first round and it was even. Johnson hurt his shoulder while training for the bout. (UP) From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette- "Liston apparently planned to coast through the bout, and (Referee) McTiernan warned him twice to get in there and fight." Liston had Marshall on the verge of a knockout on several occasions, but the safety-minded Detroit fighter found a way to survive."
Marshall did not win a single round!

 

Yeah in Sonnys 15th fight Marshall never won a single round. marshal was 22 pounds lighter, landed haymakers and cut Sonnys lips. The report says fans were “exiting early”. So the guy is right in saying Marshall succeeded in making Sonny look bad even if poor Marshall took a real thrashing.

 

So people were exiting early because Marshalll made Sonny look bad? You are also implying Sonny was thrashing him but Marshall was landing haymakers and cutting Liston? The way you describe it would this not be exciting if as described? Why would fans be leaving?

Sounds like a load of the usual made up chok shyte to me.

 

It's like the claim chok made that Ellis was carried to his corner. Out and out lies even when one of them is on damn film.

 

It’s no wonder I thought Ellis had been carried to his corner...Ellis barely made it to his corner, I would have swore he was carried back, but on reviewing it he merely sleep walked into the ropes under his own steam whilst absolutely senseless. The left hook effectively ended that fight because he could not continue.

However, there is no lie or misinterpretation about the last marshal fight. Links are widely available.

Roy Mchugh of the Pittsburgh Press wrote:

“Liston wins main event dud”

The third and latest meeting between Sonny Liston of St Louis and Marty Marshal of Detroit will create no demand for a forth. Their dreary 10 rounder at the gardens last night had the 2550 spectators exiting early”

“Ponderous and plodding Liston won the fight without losing a round and dealt out heavy punishment all through the last 4 rounds of the fight. But Marshal how ever he did it, succeeded in making Sonny look bad”

A separate report in another paper says the same thing about Sonnys 15th pro fight, a main event in Pittsburgh, but also added the stuff about Sonny having a cut lip and bloody nose.

Jimmy Jordon, Pittsburgh post Gazette March 7 1956


“Marshall backing up most of the fight, did manage to land a few wild lefts and rights, all haymakers, high on Listons head as he fought with the finesse of an octopus reaching for its prey, but the only apparent damage he inflicted was a slight trickle of blood from the left nostril and a bit of blood from the lower lip of Liston.”

 

Where is the mention of Marshall dropping Liston? I see nothing of it in that.

 

I have read that Marshall was credited with dropping Liston in one of their fights but it does not appear to be the last fight. Perhaps because the fight was a dud?

 

You've been engaged on this umpteen times.

 

I guess We shall have to wait for the film to turn up to know for sure.