Ali - Liston II "Pre-Fight Info'

Beep,

For the May 25, 1975 rematch in Boston.
Sonny Liston used for his chief sparring partners;
Amos Lincoln and Wille Ray Richardson

He did use a couple of secondary guys briefly;
Leroy Green (5-days)
Abe Davis (one-day)
Buster Reed (one-day)

 

One forgotten point,

After the fight in Lewiston, Maine.

Amos Lincoln had the last fight of the night, after the Ali-Liston fiasco.
While waiting for the circus atmosphere in the arena to clear out, an
Associated Press Reporter, Dave Guilland, asked Amos Lincoln a question.

'Amos, do you believe what just happened?

Amos Lincoln (Listons sparring partner) replied;
'I could have done that anyday I wanted to, for the last 6 weeks'

 

turpinr,

Faults in Sonny Liston's armor started to develop in 1960.
Easy blow-out fights in 1961, then the (2) Floyd Patterson, fights where it was
offensive bombardment.

Sparring partners were getting to him. If a sparring partner made him look bad,
his trainers (Willie Reddish and Milt Bailey) would get rid of them, instead of trying to work on improving Sonny.

He was, when working out, a perfect fighting machine, and a physical marvel.
But after 5 rounds, he sort of just lumbered through the motions.
To make him look good in sparring, the trainers erected a 10' x 10' boxing ring.

I do remember a couple of times at the Pines in the summer of 1962, a pretty tough kid
and football player, James McCarter just mauling Liston all over the ring in the later rounds of sparring.
He just kept wearing Liston down, by pulling on Sonny.

In late 1963, things were just too easy for Liston, and he just cruised.
The 12 hard years of boxing were wearing him out.

 

Beep,

Sonny Liston was prepping in Denver in March and April 65'.
He stayed in Denver thru Easter 4/18/65.
Sparring partners out there were;

Amos 'Big Train' Lincoln, age 30, 6' 3" 205 lbs. 30-5-1 (19 KO's)
Portland, Oregon

Don 'Toro Smith' Smith, age 27, 6' 3" 240 lbs. 6-4-1 (6 KO's)
Pittsburg, Pennsylvania

Chauncy Hudson (170 lb. amateur)
Denver, Colorado

Whoever was his main manager, no one knows, because no one visited him.
Archie Pirolli was his camp manager.

Then he left for Dedham, Massachussetts after Easter, 4/18/65.

For a guy that was going to take a pre-set 'dive', he sure didn't show it.
He was up running, at 5:30 AM, every morning.

 

DEEEVO,

The LA Times boxing reporter A. Kram, was reporting that Liston was getting tagged
over and over by Amos Lincoln.
Then it was reported that Amos Lincoln was paid extra money, to stay as a
stationary sparring partner for the last few sessions, to make Liston look good.

The Boston Globe had an article, stating 'slow flows the Maine syrup, and its name is Sonny Liston'.

Terry Downes, the British Middleweight Champ, reporting for a U.K. newspaper,
said 'Liston moved like a Freight Train pullling out of a rail-yard'.

After the fight, Terry Downes said of the Phantom Punch, 'I've hit my daughter harder'

 

JJJ,,
For all the money Sonny Liston was supposed to have gotten from the
Patterson II fight, Liston-Clay I and Ali-Liston II, plus the revenue he was due from
InterContinental Promotions, Inc.

And so-called 'betting money', the guy was so low on funds, that he had to
borrow $3000 from the bank to go to Sweden, the first trip in 1966.
He had to put up his black Cadillac up as collateral, so he could take his wife and
friend/sparring partner Foneda Cox.

Jack Nilon, his former manager, went along as an advisor.