Sonny liston is overrated.

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by ListontheTrash, Aug 9, 2024.


  1. Bokaj

    Bokaj Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Ha, ha, ha. Why waste all that text on postponements when it has nothing to do with anything? Liston didn't postpone anything, because the injury wasn't such that he needed to. He just quit so he didn't have to be KO'd as predicted. Then he quit again in the rematch for good measure.

    Let me give you a much shorter history lesson. Liston's cornerman said the injury was made up on the spot. The reporters were laughing at an X-ray that were supposed to show the injury and wondered whose shoulder it was. An X-ray doesn't actually show that kind of injury. The machine to detect those wasn't invented yet. So it was all a hoax.

    When he was interviewed at the hospital by Mort Sharnik, I think it was, not a word was said about any injury.

    Liston then didn't quite reach a full round without quitting in the rematch. You see a pattern yet?

    Just face it. Your hero was a quitter.

    You'll continue with your denial., for sure, but enough of my time has been wasted on it.

    Bye.
     
    Last edited: Sep 16, 2024
  2. BoxingFan2002

    BoxingFan2002 Well-Known Member Full Member

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    Yeah until he faced Chuvalo, Frazier, Bonavena, Norton etc.

    He then changed his claims.
     
  3. Cecil

    Cecil Boxing Addict Full Member

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    The article was 1975
     
  4. My dinner with Conteh

    My dinner with Conteh Tending Bepi Ros' grave again Full Member

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    What I find most strange about that article is that it was used in the Ring's "Best I Faced" series after Ali died, when they should have really used the one from about 18 months later, as it was more interesting anyway with Ali giving those fighters a 'rating' too and Ali'd had 5 or 6 more fights then and most certainly his toughest (Manila). He did say it, yes, but claiming Sonny was his toughest opponent, when he went on to have 14 more fights after in his career, isn't accurate. Just like at one time Henry Cooper was the 'hardest i've been hit' until he fought other big hitters.

    My theory why they used that one? After previous awarding Sonny the one single 'overrated' slot at heavyweight in their Greatest Fighters of All-Time article (in the mid-90s) maybe they felt they owed him one and there were better choices for that category. Funny in that article (from the 1990s) they said, "the mystique grows with the years", they were certainly correct there.
     
    BoxingFan2002, Cecil and Bokaj like this.
  5. Bokaj

    Bokaj Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    As for if Liston is overrated or not, he had one of the great runs at HW, albeit not a very long one. He also passes the eye test for me, so I wouldn't say overrated over all. By some, yes, but who isn't.

    Legacy wise it is devastating with back to back quit jobs in championship fights, though.
     
    Last edited: Sep 16, 2024
  6. Spreadeagle

    Spreadeagle Active Member Full Member

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    No,you have completely missed the point.According to you all fighters would enter into fights
    despite having any number of injuries.Liston and his team asked for this fight to be postponed
    but the authorities denied Liston such a postponement.Given the circumstances in which Liston
    faced Muhammad Ali Sonny showed commendable courage to enter the ring and also put up
    a decent fight against Ali.Please try and grasp ( if you possibly can ) the point I was making.
    Throughout history many fighters,many great fighters have had their fights postponed because
    of less trying circumstances.
    This is isn't particularly complicated but........ well ok let's it at that shall we ?
    Ok, here is the final ( I sincerely hope ) history lesson for you.The authenticity of Liston's injury
    was confirmed by Dr Alexander Robbins,chief physician for the Miami Beach Boxing Commission.
    A team of eight doctors at St Francis Hospital in Miami Beach also examined Liston's arm and
    they confirmed it was too badly damaged for Liston to continue.
    These findings were confirmed in a formal investigation by Florida State Attorney Richard Gerstein.

    So against this overwhelming weight of evidence you are countering this by the musings of an
    unnamed cornerman and that a group of reporters were cynical about the authenticity of the
    x-ray.Reporters who , because of all sorts of warped agendas, were rabidly anti-Liston.Do YOU
    SEE a pattern forming ?

    I sincerely hope you are never called for jury service.

    As for the second fight Sonny was caught by surprise by an extremely quick punch he didn't
    see coming.It's does happen you know,fighters who are normally iron-chinned stunned by punches
    they didn't see coming.

    Hmmm....Sonny Liston the man who fought several rounds with a broken jaw in only his eigth professional fight.The man was no quitter.

    I'd like to say that it was great having this discussion with you............but it wasn't.
    Mind how you go.
     
    SonnyListon> likes this.
  7. Spreadeagle

    Spreadeagle Active Member Full Member

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    Or more accurately Liston has been given the greater respect he deserves.In the latest ratings of their
    all-time heavyweight greats ( 2017 ) the Ring magazine placed Sonny Liston 10th.A worthy acknowledgement
    of Sonny Liston's greatness.
     
  8. Spreadeagle

    Spreadeagle Active Member Full Member

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    Yes,yes we know all that but you denied that Ali ever said that Sonny Liston was his toughest
    fight.Cecil's attachment from the Ring magazine proved you wrong.
     
  9. Spreadeagle

    Spreadeagle Active Member Full Member

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    Ok if Ali nominated Louis,Johnson,and Marciano as the three greatest heavyweight-champions
    then who am I,or anybody else,to argue ?
    However Ali was adamant that Sonny was one of the greatest heavyweight-champions of all time.
    His ratings of Louis,Johnson and Marciano doesn't invalidate his very high opinion of Sonny Liston.
     
  10. Spreadeagle

    Spreadeagle Active Member Full Member

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    Yes but again we are going over the same ground.Why does the heroism of Ali and Frazier cancels
    out the bravery shown by Sonny Liston.Your argument makes no sense.
     
  11. Spreadeagle

    Spreadeagle Active Member Full Member

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    Again you are repeating the same illogical nonsense you are showing in your other threads.
    Again I ask the same question....how does the heroism of other men cancel out the heroism
    of Sonny Liston ?
     
  12. Spreadeagle

    Spreadeagle Active Member Full Member

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    No because I am constanly refuting your abject nonsense.
     
  13. Spreadeagle

    Spreadeagle Active Member Full Member

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    So in what years did you work as a volunteer nurse and in what year did you graduate as
    a nurse.Just asking.
     
  14. BoxingFan2002

    BoxingFan2002 Well-Known Member Full Member

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    Then why he claimed toughest fights were Frazier and Norton?
    Maybe mentally it was the bout with Liston but physically hell no.
     
  15. Spreadeagle

    Spreadeagle Active Member Full Member

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    I think Cecil has already addressed this.He has provided empirical evidence that Ali did say that Liston gave
    him his toughest fight.This is what you denied.
    Nobody is disputing what Ali said later about his other opponents.That isn't the issue.
     
    swagdelfadeel likes this.