My granddad believes Charles could have defeated Liston

Did Liston even lose during his prime? Post-prime he lost to the greatest heavyweight who ever lived. Are these the strikes you are holding against him?

Can we now discuss Charles' two losses to Walcott, to puddin' Rex Layne, to Nino and light heavy Johnson? What was Charles' actual career record at heavyweight? I reckon he had about 20 losses in that division.

 

The fight was also in Cuban Miami. I've been all through this before, fight reports mention Nino on the verge of being knocked out on a few occasions but bravely mauling his way back against a tired Charles using his size to smother Ezzard. He managed to outwork and rough up Charles later in the fight. But it was always close and hard fought. Ezzard had put weight on for the fight and had said beforehand he was changing his style and going for a knockout. It was just an experiment that went wrong. Charles was the better fighter.

 

his actual prime was 1960. One year where Sonny beat real contenders. Before that liston was building up to that level. 1961, 62, 63 was only minutes of fighting where nobody was hitting him back.

So did anyone beat him the one year where he was in his prime? No. But it's nothing much to go on is it? Harris, Machen and Foley. Good but not great fighters.

Anybody not called Sonny Liston recording those results on paper really would not be granted certain success against a prime Charles. A goodly number of Charles victims could beat Harris. I am certain of that. Bivins, Ray, Moore, Louis, Walcott, Baksi, maxim...

For Sonny to be a sure thing over Charles Sonny has to have beaten somebody better than Charles. well I don't see him beating anyone in 1960 that Charles victim Archie Moore could not beat. And that's just off the top of my head. So, far from Sonny beating guys better than Charles, in truth, The guys Charles beat were better than guys Liston beat.

yes I have already discussed them. Layne lost all the rest of the fights he Had with Charles and was decked a few times and knocked out in the process. That one decision laynne got over Ez was in his own hometown with Jack Dempsey scoring a ludicrously unusual number of drawn rounds. It is well documented.

Walcott? Charles already beat clearly twice. The last fight could have went either way. No shame in that. You fight a man as good as Walcott that many times there is a chance of getting unlucky once.

Did Liston beat anybody better than Walcott?

Nino? It's not a blot. just a blip. He fought 8 times that year.


Harold Johnson? Ez beat him in most people's view. It was just a close fight.

 

I strongly suspect that judges Gottfried, Feingold and Jacobson were not Cuban. Neither the United Press nor the Associated Press reports suggest that Valdes came close to being stopped or that the decision was unfair.

As for Harold Johnson, close as it was, no one but Charles and his manager were calling it a robbery. The Associated Press described Johnson outboxing Charles despite being hampered throughout by blood from a cut above his eye.

 

if you locate more reports you will discover more about it. Check out Ninos interview too.

Watch the fight yourself. It was a good technical boxing match. Very cagey. Charles won more exchanges and seemed in charge. The film does not support that Charles was outboxed.

This content is protected

 

I think Liston wins but would not count Charles out, he just knows how to fight