Liston vs Besmanoff film

carbon copy of marciano-savold fight

 

I wonder if the Mob poisoned him for Disobeying him and they were trying to show him a lesson but even a poisoned liston was too good for besmanoff. Or Maybe Liston had just come into the ring after banging 3 prostitutes in a row harry greb style and his leg strength was gone.


True Story: Liston vs Howard King. One of Liston's friends came up to him a couple days after the fight to congratulate him and Sonny Liston said "I had a dinner date with a lady friend at 9 so I had to end it extra early So I wouldn't be late".

 

Old Fogey.......ever notice liston did particulary well against taller fighter?

Liston was around 6' 1/2"


He beat


6'1 Johnny Summerlin twice
6'1 Emilio Brtko
6'3 Billy Hunter
6'4 Cleveland Williams twice- NY times terrell vs williams listed williams as 6'4
6'3 Nino Valdez
6'3 Mike Dejohn- Look Below
6'5 Chuck Wepner
6'3 Henry Clark
6'2 Amos Lincoln
6'2 Howard King
6'6 Gerad Zech




funny mike Dejohn quote about his height "Yes, I uppercutted him, but I didn't know he had a knee on the floor. I'm sorry about it but he's so tall I didn't realize he had a knee down." -Sonny Liston. Chuvalo claimed Dejohn was 6'5 in his bookk

 

Sonny's corner used to tell him that a good looking woman in the audience was "interested ",but he had to "look good tonight."He had a raging libido,an English reporter asked him what his interests outside Boxing were ,Mickey Duff who had brought him over for a series of exhibitions said Liston gave the newspaperman a stone stare and said" Broad Jumping",the reporter being English didnt get the idiom,he asked how far do you jump?" "from one broad to another",Liston replied.

 

Thanks Old Fogey. I had not seen this one before.

Liston did not really look impressive, and to those who say Liston looked slow in the Clay fight because he was old, well this one is from 1959 and i still think he's slow as ****. His jab was not that effective at all but he did get in some good punches in the 6th.

Of course, any fighter has his less impressive nights. Besmanoff seemed a little gun shy, but i haven't seen him before, maybe as Fogey said he's just weak on offense? Not an impressive performance but he got the job done and that's what it's all about.





I'm looking for the Howard King fight as well, i read that King sent Liston staggering into the ropes but didn't follow up.

 

he did look slow

 

There is no shame in methodically breaking a guy down.

 

i've always wondered about a liston /chuvalo matchup,george sure would have gotten his shots in against the liston of the besmanoff fight

 

Liston was not fast handed. He had size, skills, and range, but not speed.

 

Listons handspeed certainly was not slow

 

It was compared to other champs.

 

I disagree, listons handspeed in the late 1950s was no slower than lennox lewis or riddick bowes.