What would have happened if Sonny Liston had kayoed Leotis Matin in 1969?

Post gave me fond recollections. My Ma would watch the fights with me as a teenager (still does, when we get to hang out), and she was/is just as you describe there (even when she was strongly rooting for the guy who scored the devastating KO, Pacquiao-Hatton for example).

May your Mom rest in peace.

 

Thanks for sharing and I too am sorry for the loss of your Mum.

 

At some point, Martin was like that nun, you know the one, the one that-she was singing 'Respect' on the film 'Airplane!' and no one wanted it but she just kept doing it and it was not musically wrong but it was still very bad.

 

How good is that? I know what you mean. Not to say yours or anyone else’s Mums, but sometimes the ladies scream for blood and mayhem more than us Dudes. Just an adrenaline thing without any true wish of malicious injury.

I must say it is lost to time and having not watched it real time - but yeah, there would’ve been some real concern before Liston finally stirred and came to.

 

Thanks Rich. Though a Liston fan I kept it objective - didn’t want to bend over backwards to prove same though - I realistically believe Liston would have some chance as small as it might’ve been at that stage of his career.

 

Leotis used to be Liston’s sparring partner also - which likely gave him some valuable insight into Sonny. He got Liston with that one shot though when Liston was shagged out.

Actually, Martin could be a good candidate for the other thread re ideal sparring partners. Although, punching on with the likes of Liston and Frazier wouldn’t be high on my bucket list - takes a special breed.

 

Liston was old and way past his peak by then. Liston demolishes Frazier.

 

I'm very sorry for your loss in 1970! That's one of life's wounds on the inside, the kind that never fully heal. And the older a person gets, the more of those that accumulate.

 

To answer the OP's question, IMHO, the next guy who could last into later rounds would have ended Sonny's career.

 

Not to be redundant but that’s precisely my point.

 

So are you saying that Frazier would have retired him?

 

My great great grandmother (grandfather's grandmother) died in 1970 at the age of 79, a few months before her 80th birthday. My grandfather (her grandson) himself died in 2020 at age 85. My grandfather always said that Ezzard Charles would beat Sonny Liston