ROTFLMAO--Holy smokes--man there are dudes on here that won't cut Sonny Liston ONE inch of slack--not ONE inch!! To them he's a vicious thug and that's IT! I suppose having read several books about him and having seen a few documentaries it's presented more layers to him--that's really all I'm saying. I've always been interested in Liston's story--in large part because I've always thought he had exceptional talent--really one of the most naturally talented fighters of any weight class! And that aura of menace--there really hasn't been any other fighter who could intimidate an opponent quite like Sonny Liston!! Yes he was a thug. Yes he had a long rap sheet. Yes, he certainly had a mean and violent streak. But there was another side to Liston that doesn't get enough attention. He wasn't a Hitler by any means. He could be generous, he had a great fondness for kids, and several folks said that he had a friendly side to him if he liked you. (Liston did have friends contrary to the way he's normally presented.) I just think the guy had a brutally tough upbringing that he never could quite shake completely--and he just seemed to have a foreboding cloud always hanging over him. That line by Harold Conrad is so on the mark: "Sonny Liston died the day he was born." It captures his story to perfection!! I've learned over the years to try as best I can to "walk in another man's shoes" before I pass any kind of judgement. It keeps me humble!
I feel bad for Hector Camacho Jr., and for Jesus Gonzalez. And Meldrick Tatylor. The first two had so much talent , so much going for them but it just didnt happen. The latter one, well , he reached the top, but look how he ended.
Holier then thou absolutely and you’d need to think very low of yourself to not feel that way about a petty criminal Liston as a boxer? He’s something though.
Sonny Liston grew up one of a couple dozen children in extreme poverty on a cotton plantation and took severe beatings from his father starting as a small child and went on to become the heavyweight champion of the world...I promise ,,you would have faired far worse in his shoes
AS IF I have a low opinion of myself? Bottom line is that you aren’t holier than thou and one does not have to think very low of themselves so as to not play themselves as being holier than thou. It’s different story altogether to unrealistically measure yourself against someone simply in order to make you feel better about yourself… …..and, as you clearly “perceive” Liston, you’ve used a low bench mark in order to try and elevate yourself. Hmmm. So he was a petty criminal? He did reform himself but certain sections of the establishment refused to forget (and refused to let Liston move beyond) his past misdemeanours. I guess you would’ve fitted in nicely amongst that crowd.
You promise? I did not have a couple dozen siblings, I did not live on a Cotton Planation but I did grow up in poverty surrounded by crime / abuse and I never once mugged a bystander for bus change. I like my odds, not being a HW champ though… I am a wee sized guy and not a tough person in the slightest lol I am however not a criminal and that was very easily available option.
What a weird way of phrasing all this. Let me say it like this for you? I do in fact think I’m a better person then someone who mugged innocent bystanders, did Heroine to such an extent it killed him… was unfaithful to his wife, had children outside his marriage, flagged down women at night disguised as a cop (which is just perverse and disturbing) and who was a leg breaker for the literal Mafia that’s not a strange opinion to have Joe Blow on average is a far better person or we’d be living in a Mad Max thunder dome.
When exactly did intelligent, concise expression become a weird way of phrasing things? Oh, but of course, it becomes so only when you read it. No way out here for you but Lord knows that you will keep trying. Advice: For actual improvement, try measuring yourself against yourself.
Great post! I would say Tony Ayala Jr. and Ray Leonard for me (although I could go on). Ayala Jr. because he was soooo talented and natural in the ring, even after almost 20 years in prison he made one heck of a comeback! Ray Leonard only because he was my favorite fighter, and after round 9 in the Norris fight I actually had to excuse myself from the room and go shed a few tears in the bathroom. The beating my hero took that night was something wicked.