Liston May Give Chance To Johnson: PHILADELPHIA (UPI)- Representatives of Sonny Liston and Harold Johnson began negotiations Wednesday for Liston to defend his heavyweight crown against the Lightheavyweight Champion. - This content is protected How do you think this would have played out? It would have been a battle between the two best jabbers in the division, with Listons 84" reach and superior power in his left hand giving him the edge in the Jab department. I think this would be a very tactical fight while it lasted, with Liston eventually breaking johnsons gaurd catching his chin and putting harold away in 4-5 rounds. Liston would have enjoyed a 35-40lb Weight Advantage in this fight, but Harold proved in his career he was very capable of picking apart much larger heavyweights. Incidently, Harold Johnson vs Sonny Liston was originally scheduled for March 6th 1956 but Harold pulled out with an injury 2 days before the fight was to take place. Harold used to beat up Sonny Liston in the philly gyms in the Early- mid 1950s during Sparring, so I think Harold would have defintley been the favorite over Green Liston here. But if Sonny had beaten harold in 1956 in just his 15th pro fight, it would have been one of the best wins in history for a fighter under 15 pro fights.
I am a huge liston fan, but your underating johnson here. He has a much different style than Floyd Patterson. Cus Damato refused to fight Johnson during Pattersons title reign. I do like Liston to take johnson out, but johnson is hall of fame master boxer worthy of a competitive fight.
There was a much, much ealier near meeting between them too. Would certaily have favoured Johnson in that one.
Harold Johnson could have outboxed a green Sonny Liston in 1956. Imagine if he had, with Liston going onto become the force that he was, Johnson would remembered much more fondly. :good I read a recent interview of his and he said that the people around him thought he was lying when he said that he had once been a world champion.
Harold told me personally that he used to spar with Sonny when Liston lived in Phila. and that Sonny couldnt touch him.
Thanx Robert. Thats what I read in in all my newspaper articles and from Chuck Hasson, Johnson beat up on Sonny in sparring in the early 1950s. In fairness, Sonny was very green at the time. I doubt Johnson would be able to do that to the fully grown and mature Sonny Liston of the late 1950s. Do you know Harold Johnson personally? did he ever talk about floyd patterson or rocky marciano?
I'm tempted to think that, but who knows. Johnson was one of the guys you just couldn't count out, and he sure was a helluva fighter at this stage of his career. Interesting to think that he was unlucky to lose that fight to Pastrano (a terrible decision IMO), but perhaps lucky that it prevented him from having to share a ring with Liston. I never thought of it that way. :think
I visit him at the vet. home sometimes. He still looks great physically but he is pretty much out of it. Alzheimer's
