Jack Johnson vs Sonny Liston

A guy that trained for nearly a year and a half for the fight and who was down to weight a year before it took place.

 

The O Brien affair was a no dec 6 rounder Johnson did not train properly for it and was described by reporters as being fat and puffing like a walrus after a couple of rounds.O Brien was described as looking in excellent shape.
The consensus was that if a decision had been given Johnson would have gotten it, as below par as he might have been .Jeffries commenting on the fight said O Brien could make anyone look bad for 6 rds.Denver Ed Martin had the best jab of the era , and a long with a telescopic reach it did not help him much against Johnson who took him out ,leaving him unconscious for several minutes.The idea that Johnson could not hit hard is also a fallacy, propogated by the hater.Those who faced him thought he hit plenty hard!

 

The O Brien affair was a no dec 6 rounder Johnson did not train properly for it,he was out partying the night before, and was described by reporters as being fat and puffing like a walrus after a couple of rounds.O Brien was described as looking in excellent shape.
The consensus was that if a decision had been given Johnson would have gotten it, as below par as he might have been .Jeffries commenting on the fight said O Brien could make anyone look bad for 6 rds.After his fight with Jack,Moran said he had it all to do to last the distance.

 

A guy who had sat in his saloon and on his alfalfa farm for 5 years, who was so bad in training that he cut off all but the friendliest of media to observe, who was so bad in training that Stanley Ketchell wanted to coldcokk him during ring introductions and save the white race of the indignity they were about to observe... that guy. - Seamus

A guy that trained for nearly a year and a half for the fight and who was down to weight a year before it took place. - Mcvey

A guy who was out of the ring for 6 years, fat and had no warm up fights who had just turned 35. How did Jeffries get into Liston vs Johnson match? Some might recall an older Ali got into shape for Larry Holmes. What happened there? - Mendoza

 

I suggest you visit Johnson's grave with a box full of Vaseline and as many little blue pills as your allowed to take. Enough already with these never ending excuses! O'brein who was on the decline was the better according to primary sources.

After beating tiny Tommy Burns, Johnson was shown up by a much smaller man who could not punch in O'brien, floored and by his own admission hurt by Ketchel, and knocked silly in 4 round extinction match with GB Smith. This all happened in his prime of 1909.

 

I think this fight basically comes down to who could establish their style, it’s an eras thing.
Johnson clearly was strong as an ox and a great judge of distance. If his opponent managed to break through to unload he simply tied them up eventually wore them out peppered them with uppercuts, and if distance was created later on when an opponent tired he’d unload and take them out which seemed to be the case with Burns and Jeffries.
On the other hand he would never have remotely faced an opponent like Liston. Similar height but probably giving away a stone, a ramrod jab, possibly the most powerful in the history of the division. A full arsenal of punches all of power and the ability to fight on the inside or outside also allied to a great chin.
On the surface you would think this is a no contest but if Johnson managed to maintain the distance and avoid the jab, and tie Sonny up on the way in, then he may be able to out hustle Sonny over the stretch in an ugly fight, even allowing for Liston’s strength on the inside.
However if Sonny managed to establish the jab, which would be an entirely new experience for Johnson, then it’s game over, Liston stops him.

 

I'll take Liston in this one.

 

Johnson KO 3

 

Being good at exercising and being good at boxing are two different things. Gunboat Smith, who was present, insisted that Jeffries was less than a shell of his former self in regards to the latter.

 

Congratulations! You just overtook Apollack for dumbest post on this thread!

 

Jeffries chose to have limited sparring and did not get into full training as early as he should have because,on the back of his announcement he was coming back, he went on a vaudeville tour and made an absolute fortune,his choice.Smith said the kd of Johnson v Ketchel was faked and that Jeffries thought the fight was in the bag for him until the fight was moved to Reno.Do you subscribe to those views?

 

Apollack is probably the foremost expert on Johnson.ps I haven't made a pick.

 

I have absolutely no issue with anyone picking Johnson (though I myself wouldn't). But to say he toys with Liston is laughable.

 

Liston would take Burns out inside of three rounds. Likely two, possibly one if Burns tried to fight back.

 

Then do you think Johnson would toy with Sonny Liston as Pollack said? Yes or No. No ducks please

Pollack is good writer and knows his stuff, but the fanboy side is showing.