the way i see it now is liston took ali lightly in the first fight and got straight up schooled. infact i believe he was the favourite for the rematch as well. in the second he came out looking to knock ali's head off, got dropped by a solid punch and jersey ****ed up because he was a much better boxer than a ref.
Walcott wasn't going to stop the fight - they continued on fighting when liston got up. it was Nat Fleischer who instructed Walcott to stop it. did you just conveniently forget about what actually happened lol.
Walcott knew better regardless of what Fleischer said. Fleischer was nothing but a ringside spectator. He didn't have the authority to instruct Walcott to do anything. Nat Fleischer knew better, for that matter.
In their first fight,Liston grossly underestimated the young Cassius Clay. Second time round,Liston was intimidated by Ali.
The second fight was most likely fixed. The first one not so much, Liston was probably having problems (alcohol,drugs, not training etc) and wasn't at top shape like Mike Tyson-Douglas. He also used some type of chemical on his glove to blind Ali for a while showing that he was trying to win.
"... this week Angelo Dundee, Clay's legendary trainer, finally dismissed that theory. Dundee, 82, revealed: 'People said Liston put liniment on his gloves to blind Ali, but that was a crock." http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/liston-didnt-blind-ali-6987354.html
In his 2008 autobiography “My View From the Corner,” ghosted by noted boxing historian Bert Randolph Sugar, Dundee recounted how he learned long after the Liston fight that two of Sonny’s earlier opponents, Eddie Machen and Zora Foley, had been nearly blinded by a mysterious caustic substance.
That's the easy journalistic hook that was pushed for years. Liston showed in other parts of his career that he was more than that. Whether it was fighting with a broken jaw or getting off the canvas to KO his opponent to absorbing bombs from Cleveland Williams. I cant say the first fight was fixed. Especially considering Liston did land some solid punches in that fight. The 2nd fight I am fairly certain was fixed. I cant say 100% but it just stinks.
You're right. "Liston was a bully" is a talking point that keeps getting regurgitated. It has no meaning. I've yet to see anyone define what they mean by it.