1962 S.I article. Ingemar Johansson on Sonny Liston

http://www.si.com/vault/1962/08/13/598006/ingemar-says-liston-is-too-slow

Good article here. Ingo study's film of Sonny Liston.

 

The Liston fights that Ingo was watching did not include the famous left hooking Liston was famous for. He noted the long strong Jab. That Sonny compensated for his speed by being first all the time.

It was intresting to read that Ingo felt Patterson had more chance if he used his speed and started with jabs. He recognised Floyd would only expose himself using hooks or standing off waiting. Which is kind of what he did.

He said Sonny can be hit with jabs, that what makes him look so good is he is always coming in, but if you do it to him he is the one who will look tired.

It's one thing noticing what will work and another being able to do it all, but two years later Ali achieved what Ingo was talking about. It was a combination of speed, jabbing and Sonny getting tired that beat him as much as the shoulder injury.

 

I agree Listons left hook was a great punch when it took out poor Bethea, but Ingo was watching the Besmanoff, Machen and Westphal fights. I assume those comments were made during critical moments when Sonny was less effective, which is possibly the best time to remark on the effectiveness of the over all use of a punch. Obviously Liston had a great left hook. That goes without saying.

Machen was able to keep turning Liston which effected Sonny's usual balanced poise. Maybe it was at those points those comments were made?

Liston certainly landed a great straight right on poor Wesphal!

 

Part of the business of looking invincible is that folks will want to study and research ways to beat a new champion. I remember when Tyson looked so dominant articles about how to beat him began to pop up.

Here is Some more evidence here that people were starting to Look for ways to beat Sonny Liston by 1964.

http://www.si.com/vault/1964/02/10/608210/the-four-who-baffled-liston

 

That is exactly right. This is all perfectly understandable taken in context of the times. As you say not everyone could forecast the future.

Too many people can't get past any popular opinion decided upon with the advantage of hindsight. Mcvey has long been a stubborn undisputed champion of this school of thought.

There is too much phoney outrage when anybody puts forth a view based on a moment in time (without the advantage of hindsight) that may conflict with a modern take on a vintage era.

 

More phoney outrage...

You are entitled to your opinion but there's little more to unearth other than the unsubstantiated mysteries. Then there's always that fool who wrote a book about Sonny via a sèance. He was in contact with the friendly ghost of Sonny Liston. Perhaps you can match that guy?

https://www.createspace.com/6146009

 

It really would have told us who was the greatest of that era. Between Liston, Ingo and Floyd. ironically even though he was knocked out by both of ingo and Sonny it was Patterson, not the other two, who could string a few defences together beating the most #1 contenders of the three.

A win over Ingo would have put Sonny firmly ahead of the pack. I favour Sonny but Ingo would have a realistic chance of winning one of a three fight series. Ingo has all the ingredients to be a bogey man -if he lands first. Ingo moves better than the George Gainford trained Bert Whitehurst who lasted 20 rounds against Sonny and ingos right hand was better than either Ali or Leotis Martin.

Sonny has that crushing power, the danger of being able to land from a further distance than most were used to -but nobody struggled to land blows on him. Whitehurst, a sparring partner of Ingo, did swat him quite a bit.

And I don't think Sonny fought enough power punchers either. Cleveland Williams did bang but was unable to connect as solidly on good fighters as he did on lesser men so his fleeting moments on the way to early crushing knockouts with Sonny were as significant as his moments against Ali and Bob Satterfeild who both flattened the big Cat too.

In many ways an Ingo v Liston fight could be like Foreman v Lyle. A real smash up.