Who got the better of the Liston Foreman sparring sessions

I heard when Foreman started sparring with Liston, Liston was advised to take it easy on Foreman and not hurt him.

 

Liston originally used Foreman as a sparring partner when he was largely unknown, before he won the Olympics. This is from July 1968:

Sonny was chopping away at elusive George Foreman, a 19-year old Parks Job Corps trainee, who will be in the Olympic Trials early in September in Toledo.

In the first round Sonny held back, but some of his punches still hurt Foreman, who tried to ward him off with a left jab.

That jab began to irritate Sonny in the next round, but he continued to hold back as a fan in the audience yelled "don't hurt the kid, champ."

But in the third, anger got the best of Liston.

Foreman continued to pop with the left, but the punch that really steamed Liston was a crisp right to the button.

A few seconds later Liston zeroed in with a hook to the jaw and knocked Foreman into the ropes. Quick as a flash Sadler was on the ring apron, grabbing Foreman and keeping him from going back and getting clipped again.

"He can hit and knows where to hit at the right time," Foreman said after the cobwebs had cleared away.

https://ibb.co/MZrB3sP

 

Foreman would’ve been a teenager, so if he was being competitive, it’d be impressive.

 

Did somebody say baby … back?

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So foreman was saying the truth! Great info

 

Gold! Personally, until now, I hadn’t read a third party description of Sonny and George sparring,

 

Certainly fair to expect an obvious net advantage for Sonny over a young Foreman but I wouldn’t dismiss Liston’s own age and depreciations by 1968 - and Sonny was of course KO’d by Leotis Martin in the following year.

George was also a bit of a wunderkind - by 1970 he methodically dismantled the likes of George Chuvalo - a performance that arguably well belied his age and experience as at that time.

I know George boxed at least one exhibition match against Cleveland Williams - it would great if there was at least a write up for same.

 

I’m sure the forum would be curios… how did Sonny throw his jab what did your coach say? I just watched a couple clips to jog my memory and it looked like he just leaned into it on his front foot, similar to Ike Quartey (spelling? Nicknames Bazooka?) that’s one way of making your jab harder… for a price.

 

Pretty dull, by all accounts. Both men had actual fights coming up, and weren't going to risk getting hurt - Williams in particular was just days away from his crucial rematch with Mac Foster. The crowd were booing after the first round, and it seems to have spurred them to some faster action in the second before both corners warned them to dial it back for the final round.

As the Orlando Evening Star saw it:

A hush fell over the crowd - which was a little hoarse by now, anyway - as these two men of national note answered the first bell.

There were a few tentative catcalls midway in the round, then full-sounding booing after the first bell. They mixed it up fairly decently in the second round, then fell back to light glove dusting in the last chapter.

It was most interesting to watch, although there was the feeling that they both could have shown a little more since they were being paid for their time.

Referee Hanlon did most of the sweating.

https://ibb.co/J3f21FB
https://ibb.co/0t5zx75

 

Out of interest, why was that rematch with Foster crucial? Williams' days as a serious contender were over by that point.

 

Well, diminished as he was, Williams had been competitive in their first meeting in Foster's hometown. It didn't seem impossible that he might turn things around in a rematch on his own home turf - and in fact he did have Foster shaken in the third before getting stopped. Foster was ranked 6th or 7th in the world, so this fight was Williams's last real shot at reclaiming his place in the top 10.

 

Yes, he compared it to Quartey's. Yes you step forward with the jab to make it harder, but there's a little more to it than that.

You don't lean in when you throw the hammer jab, you maintain a good posture without reaching in or leaning forward too hard. The left hand is palm outwards towards the opponent and closes last split second. The motion often almost looks like someone is knocking on a door with their left hand. You can also add a twisting maneuver for extra pop and sharpness. What you absolutely shouldn't do is be tense or tighten up to add artificial power, it'll deliver the power naturally. Finally, you're also pushing off the ground with the rear foot not just the front foot to get even more power.

 

Great info...I would like to see a video of that in slow motion, I'd like to learn something to make my skills better.

 

Liston was pretty old by 68 , Foreman very raw but strong ... all we know is what Foreman has said and that is that Liston was the only guy that backed him up and that he learned a lot sparring with him ...

 

I remember that! I think George also said Sonny was one dangerous man, a man he couldn't back up.
and that was an old Liston