Why Does This Forum Love Sonny Liston

As to the physiognomy arguments in this thread... (Tyson has a high BMI, and therefore has low stamina. Liston has long arms, and therefore hits harder than Tyson, etc.), I think their performances in the ring would be more relevant. Similar issue with the argument that young Foreman must have had great stamina because his better-conditioned older version had it over a decade later. Looking at their actual performances might make more sense...

 

What was Sonny gonna say, I threw the fight? Didn't Jake LaMotta deny throwing the fight with Billy Fox after everyone saw he did?

 

Nah, but his version of the story literally describes what happened. It's very believable. More beleivable that throwing the fight BS with no proof.

 

He was hit with a perfect punch in the perfect place. I often wonder if those who suggest punches don't look hard or damaging have ever been hit with one....

 

Seems sort of pointless to throw a punch that wasn't intended to do anything.

 

The trouble is the person threw the perfect punch seemed the most surprised person in the arena when Liston went down.

 

Even if that was the case, and I don't know if it was from memory, why would that be a surprise. Sometimes you don't even feel the punch you throw, particularly if it's a perfect one.

 

Top post.

 

Love how Liston's top detractors come out of the woodwork to wank each other off and parrot the same non-sense they do whenever his name comes up.

My God you people need a ****ing life

 

Just my opinion like anyone else’s but I’ll express it resolutely.

Ali’s chopping right hand in Lewiston was a legit, perfectly timed punch. And seriously, one of THE fastest punches if not THE fastest punch you’ll ever see.

The less often seen side view of the right hand best conveys just how fast that punch was, and it caught Liston lunging forward, coming into the punch for compound effect. It also appears that Liston didn’t necessarily see the punch coming due to his own extended left hand.


Reasonable to believe that punch could warrant a flash KD - but not an outright KO. Ali did, after all, wobble Liston in fight 1 via a combo that included at least one chopping right hand.

Ali never properly moved away from Liston for at least 6-7 seconds AFTER Liston hit the deck.

People have pointed to Liston’s first attempt to rise then falling back down.

They have cried fake re that particular and seemingly disingenuous moment.

I AGREE but I think it should be properly and contextually qualified by the fact that Liston could see that the circling Ali was about to buzz his tower yet again.

After Liston falls back down, there is the zooming Ali, impossibly close to Sonny yet again.

So Liston basically aborted an initially genuine attempt to rise for fear of being hit on the way up.

As crazy as Ali was acting, it wasn’t unreasonable for Liston to suspect that Ali might just clout him as he was arising.

For an expansion on the theme, see several years later, when Ali absolutely refused to retreat after the first KD of Ringo, showing absolute disdain for the ref and even slapping down the ref’s restraining arm.

Ali had Ringo badly hurt and he wanted to finish him ASAP.

IF Ali wanted Liston to get up so badly, why didn’t he give Liston the breathing space to do so?

Also notice that Ali begins celebrating “victory”, with arms raised even BEFORE 10 seconds had elapsed since Sonny hit the deck.

First it was maniacal screaming “Get up, get up” from Ali and then he seamlessly transitioned into “I’ve won, I’ve won” even before the expiration of 10 seconds.

That simply doesn’t make sense to me.

There were several players to blame for the chaos in Maine but imo, Ali was the most culpable.

There used to be rare footage of Liston training for the originally scheduled rematch in Boston - just days out from the fight. Liston looked to be in tremendous shape - citing his weight and looking to arrive in the ring at least as low 212 lbs.

He came across as very mean and edgy, looking to prove himself and gain redemption. Too bad that footage and accompanying IV is gone now.