What They Said About Sonny...

June 1962,,After his Knock-Out win over Floyd Patterson

Jack Dempsey;
"I picked Liston to win, but I hoped I was wrong. Nobody respects a tough
guy. But if he reforms, I could respect him.'

Jess Willard;
'Anybody has the right to be champion if he's good enough. But this deal
doesn't please me very much at all.'

Max Schmeling;
'Any man that wants to fight the champion as much as Liston did should
be good for boxing.'

Rocky Marciano;
'I know Liston's got a past but with a little direction he could be become a hero. The fight crowd likes a banger.'

Jersey Joe Walcott;
'Liston is not lily-white, but then I'm no Holy-Joe. He may make more
under-privileged guys on the other side of the tracks think about trying it.
I think he'll develop into a fighting champion, but then he may set us all
back 50 years in the boxing game.'

 

October 1962,

Jams J. Braddock;
'A fighter's a fighter. Character has nothing to do with it. He'll be good.
People will come to see him get beat.'

Gene Tunney;
'Sonny Liston is sure to turn over a new leaf as champion. The responsibility will
awaken him to the needs.'

Jack Sharkey;
'I liked Patterson to win, because he know's he's the champion and that makes a
difference. It remains to be seen what the other guy will do. It might create a new era in boxing,
having Sonny Liston as champion. Every fighter wants to lick a tough guy.'

Georges Carpentier;
'It's up to Sonny Liston to prove he's as big a champion as he indicates he might be.
The thing that struck me about the fight is that either Sonny Liston is terribly
strong or Floyd Patterson was imprudent. It was a completely unexpected outcome.'

Gunboat Smith;
'I was hoping that Liston would get his brains knocked out. He's got no business in
the ring. I think boxing will shut down all over the country. Maybe I shouldn't be saying this.
He might come and take a poke at me. But, I've fought bigger guys than he.
I fought Willard, and I had to look up twice to see him. He hit me, and I hit him
with everythig I had, with no detours, all the way from the dressing room. I blinded
him with footwork and got the decision. I was pulling for Patterson. You've got to have a
champion who's got class. Like Dempsey or Tunney. They got class.'

New York State Boxing Officials;
'We banned the fight from being held here because of Sonny Liston's personal history and past record.
Now we might just abolish prize-fighting completely.'

'The fight with Patterson was a complete farce, as another blow has been sent to the dying sport
of prizefighting.'

 

Ronald Coolidge, New York State Boxing Commission;

'Mark my words, something strange will happen. It is inevitable, as Liston has
way too many thugs around him. Some are probably living in his closet as I speak.
He and his group care not one bit about the responsibilites that a champion must carry
on his shoulders. If Sonny Liston wants to be a good champion, he sure has a alot of work to do.'

 

All quotes were made after the September 1962 fight with Floyd Patterson.

It seems New York State had a big problem with Sonny Liston, or really his
associates.
Yet, suprisingly, Sonny had his training camp at The Pines Resort, in the Catskills of
New York, during the summer of 1962.


Ezzard Charles;

'The fight game is in trouble, as the small-club venues are starting to fail in the
east. It will be big money fights from now on. Hopefully, Sonny may restore
some interest, either as the hero or the one people want to see lose. America
loves an underdog, and Sonny has been an underdog his whole life outside of the ring.
Just maybe, he can turn that into a positive. I know him, and he really wants to be
liked, and if he needs my help, I'll be here for him.'

 

Pretty much split 50/50 on Sonny.

I think what the older champions were trying to get across, was that if
Sonny did anything bad, it would diminish the previous champion group.

It appears, none had a high regard for Floyd Patterson or INGO either.