Ezzard Charles used Sonny Liston as a sparring partner in 1954

Yes,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,in Pittsburg

Tom Tannas, Manager/Trainer for Ezzard Charles handled Sonny Liston for a short period.

 

I'd be interested to here about this too - wasn't aware of this to be honest - anyone who could unearth anything on this it would be greatly appreciated

 

cheers legend thats brilliant

 

Look Magaizne,,,,,,

From back in the day has an article about Sonny Liston, and his brief stay
in Pittsburg.

Tom Tannas the manager/trainer for Ezzard Charles was asked to take over
managing Sonny for that period.

They regarded Sonny as a 'Bear in a China Shop', that required much refining.
A strong guy, but not as powerful a puncher as he should be.

 

intresting charles is said to be 223lb at age 42 and no mention of being in poor health. No sign of wasting away at that point in his life then?

I think charles was a better fighter than Liston prime for prime.

 

Wow never knew this occured would be cool to see how it played out, I think Sonny would've taken it easy on the old Charles.

Prime for Prime Charles was the far superior boxer, but at no stage does he beat Sonny IMO.

 

would be a good fight. charles liked to mix it up a bit too much for his own good but he was tougher than -and hit harder than - any of the elite heavyweights liston beat. I would give charles of 1950-54 an excelent chance against prime 1960 Liston.

 

I think ezzard's power was on par with patterson. ezzard was tougher than floyd. Big cat williams was a knockout fighter at a lower level. He did not ice any elite heavyweights - where as charles scored stunning knockouts and knockdowns against rated heavyweights like elmer ray, walace, valentino, 180lb plus jimmy bivins and rex layne who he decked many times. Charles decked elite JJ walcott. Joe baksi, lee oma were also stopped inside the schedule by charles. Ezzard also sparked a few fringe guys over 210lb like johny haynes who could beat known fighters like lee q murry and rusty payne. Big cat hit hard but his world class power only crushed un known guys not anyone with a name.

 

Patterson was a great puncher but charles also did ice a lot of top genuine HW fighters. Elmer Ray was sparked with a single left hook and he was a solid #1 guy and a big HW. wallace was out and so was valentino. many of the heavyweights charles did not KO nobody else knocked out either. Nobody iced baksi, nobody iced Maxim just like patterson could not knock out chuvalo, bonnavena or machen. Ezzard did bounce rex layne around like a ball and he was a tough MF, tougher than henry cooper. Charles iced prime Archie moore way more cleanly than patterson ever did. Pattersons KO of moore was after a pretty unsatisactory effort by archie. Knocking out unbeaten ingo does elclipse much of Charles's HW KOs but this was not the form patterson brought into the ring against Liston anyway. over all I recon pattersons power is neglegable to ezzard at HW.

Big cat could hit a heavy bag way harder than charles but he just never did get the same steam onto an elite fighters chin. Rated fighters would not fear Big Cats power since he could only nail men who were of a lower level.