One for Suzie!

Just read an old article in a 91 Ko magazine,by Allen Ressler,its about Sonny Liston.He describes the Wayne Bethea fight ,and how Bethea had never been knocked of his feet in his previous 27 fights."Liston snapped three lefts to the face,feinted a left hook,and crossed a booming right to Bethea's chin.Bethea's whole body quivered for a moment then he sagged,and for the first time in his career dropped to the canvas.He took the mandatory 8 count before arising,bewildered and obviously awed by Liston's tremendous power,defensive specialist Bethea tried desperately to cover up.But the ferocious man bearing down on him crashed through his defence and dropped him again with another jolting right to the chin.It surprised the crowd ,and Liston too when Bethea again manged to beat the fatal 10 count,he was reeling helplessly around the ring,not knowing where he was,when referee Bernie Weissman wisely stopped the uneven match,just in time to prevent a cold blooded murder.A day or two later Bethea announced his retirement,and startled the public when he said"Liston knocked out 7 of my teeth with that first right he hit me with". George Gainford who had been with Robinson was Bert Whitehurst's manager ,he recalled the Liston fights."Whitehurst came back to the corner after the first round ,his nose was badly swollen,and he kept shaking his head as if he couldnt beleive it"Whats the matter? I asked him ,"" His Jab ,it's like a sledge hammer".Gainford on Liston's jab ." Joe Lous had the greatest Jab I ever saw he could knock you dead with it.I never dreamed I'd live to see another fighter jab as well as Joe.But I was wrong Liston packs the same kind of terrific power in his".Interestingly the writer says there were rumours that Liston carried Whitehurst in the second fight ,so as not to scare away future opponents