Liston TKO7 Clark

Clark had real heart and when he took on the post-Ali Liston he was coming off 7 consecutive wins since his points loss to Folley including victories over McMurray, Leotis Marin and Eddie Machen, all on points. He had never been stopped and never would be again until '72 when Norton wore him down in the second to last round and then '76 when Shavers blew him out in his second to last fight. In '68 he was at his peak and a win against Liston would have seen him in and around the title argument.

Clark came out to match Liston and perhaps did not win a round because of this. He saw Liston - who was at that time carrying "a birth certificate" to prove that he was 36 (who knows?) - as old and ready to be taken out with pressure. Well, he was wrong.

"He came out a little fresh," Liston remarked of his man's opening salvo, "so I waited. I feel I was just getting warmed up [when I stopped him in the 7th]." Clark, who shows decent punching as well as incredible heart in this fight, also showed good chin, as Liston caught him on several occasions with very serious punches. He also covered his hurt well, though Dundee, colour commentating, was able to call it. Clark tried to assault the referee when the man in the middle raised Liston's hand at the end of the 7th, so determined was he to continue, but he had been severely battered and nothing left to even be able to move the ref with his push. It was a good stoppage.

Sonny looks a little ponderous, but still has that ability to comit quickly that befuddled so many supposedly elusive opponents. When Clark finally went on the move at the end of 5 his luck did not change. Sonny also demonstrated the punching that made him one of the best in the history of the division, both hands plus the jab.

But he couldn't continue the assault like he could in his prime years, and it must be admitted that the peak version would have had Clark out of there before the end of four. Still, only two other men ever stopped him, and that was well past Clark's peak.

Taken with McMurray victory, I think this win shows Liston was still very, very good. You wonder, if the powers that were had let him back in how Liston might have done. Not to be though.

"He was a good fighter...he took good shots..."

"Who do you want to fight now Sonny?"

"What's the guys name...Jerry Quarry...he said he would fight me."

"If you can beat him you're really back in the picture."

7 more victories brought Sonny no nearer to Quarry and no nearer to anyone else either - one of those victories was the destruction of scrap iron Johnson who gave Frazier so much trouble two years previously. Then he lost, then he beat Wepner, then he died.

 

You are right Q - he was a coming fighter in my view. Clarke would probably be considered a contender now with four belts to chose from. I also think that with proper advise and a calmer corner (they sent him out to score a KO by the looks, then started to panic when he started to get hit) he could have caused some real problems for Sonny.

I also think the fact that it's a stoppage win is impressive given that nobody other than world class fighters could do it - that, combined with this performance and the McMurray performance (better in terms of what Sonny seemed to have though he had less in terms of opposition) indicates to me that Sonny should still be considered world class at this point.

 

Good point, yeah, I missed that.

 

Bottom line.

All true, all to the nub of the matter. I would just add that Liston was seen as a stepping stone fighter because of these factors, though nothing could be further from the truth. Not very fair to these prospects.

 

Liston wasn't really any slower than he was versus Patterson. Whatever was going on versus Ali in I Liston is quicker against both McMurray and Clark.

Liston's problem in age was stamina. Think of Hopkins - he's lost a fraction of speed in his old age but because he never rellied upon it it doesn't matter as much as it would for, say, Calzaghe

He has problems sustaining attacks.

 

Freakishly he is supposed to have trained harder for Martin than any of the fights he won in the interim.

 

Liston certainly carried his power into the middle rounds here.

Do you thik Quarry would stop Liston, and if so, when? Because I don't see Quarry lasting the 15. He has a good chance in a 10 round fight.