Liston's punching technique was similar to Ali's, very fast and "flicky", They quickly extended without tensing up until the fist was about to connect. I wish we saw more of that these days...
If Liston didn't have the misfortune to run into 'The Greatest' he would probably have dominated the division until about 1970. We would therefore be talking about him in the same breath as Louis and Marciano. If you read his sad life story you will see that he seldom had lady luck on his side. It's fun but always difficult to compare fighters of different eras. He was a scarey brute and a fearsome puncher.
@222therockers The training back then? They hit the bags, skipped rope, sparred, shadow boxed, did road work. Pretty much the same training as they do today.
@222therockers joe louis would knock wladimir out, and it is a fact like i am talking now... mike tyson said that even today would be very hard pick a fighter against prime louis. learns fucking boxing
@222therockers it is not about old era or modern era.... it is about who is better, styles..... plain and simple
marciano was too short and slow for vitali, but joe louis? lmao joe louis would counter punch this big retard during all the fight. joe louis had no problem with the brutal and natural strength of primo carnera, who was 260-284 pounds of NATURAL MUSCLE AND GIANT FRAME, OF COURSE MUCH STRONGER
@toby099 FOREMAN WAS A KID WHEN HE WAS THE SPARRING OF LISTON, HE WAS 18. HE WAS NOT EVEN PROFESSIONAL , AND STILL IT WAS CLOSE WHEN THEY SPARRED, FOREMAN IN HIS PRIME WAS BIGGER,STRONGER AND HARDER PUNCHER THAN LISTON.
@combatesdeboxeo but he was never the boxer Liston was. Liston could also move better than George. George only did well against guys that were willing to stand in front of him. He had difficulty with blokes who moved like Ali and Jimmy Young. I give Liston the edge.
a hard puncher for sure , but just look at his speed , slow and lumbering , tyson had the handspeed of a lightweight , and could bob and weave like one too , i dont think he'd of beat a prime tyson.
i agree with you to some extent, tyson is the only short aggressive fighter i can see having a chance against liston because of his head movement and speed, both marciano and frazier though would be absolutely destroyed by sonny.
@RNOB foreman says they used to have terrible sparring wars (foreman was pretty young) "sonny liston was the only man who ever stood up to me" I think he said.
lennox's talc chin would crumble under the might of big sonny's left hook you could just tell how dangerous liston's left punches were. too bad he didn't get to dominate his respective division for years like some guys have
People really feared this guy. I quoted this from wiki, "Marciano considered a comeback in 1959 when Ingemar Johansson won the heavyweight championship from Floyd Patterson on June 26, 1959. After only a month of training in three years, Marciano decided against it and never seriously considered a comeback again after witnessing Liston's destruction of Patterson."
@seanlgrimes yeah I agree with you right there and as great as Rocky Marciano was I think he was bit overrated just because he's the only undefeated heavyweight champion but never faced great competition(not his fault) while Sonny Liston was VERY underrated because Patterson was ducking him because he knew either way Liston was just a bad match-up for him. Don't get me wrong I love Floyd Patterson but he should of stayed at light heavyweight and he would of been more successful at that weight.
@Brownpride480 On the contrary. Floyd Patterson didn't duck Sonny Liston. His trainer, Cus D'Amato, did not want the fight because of Liston's mob ties in association with the IBC. D'Amato turned down many fighters from the IBC for this reason. When Patterson and D'Amato split, Patterson took the fight with Liston. He was clearly out-matched, BUT he was no coward. He went in there and took it like a man TWICE. Remember, Patterson also took the rematch. Now, that's bravery.
@johneykang He had that crazy reach too. You can see other boxers see they are out of range and the damn thing still gets them. That's a big advantage.
@combatesdeboxeo i don't think someone who is younger than 12 would know who sonny liston actually was except he's on the floor in a famous picture, but lewis, vitali, and wladimir would destroy him. .
@bphatboyjohn123 anyone who said " lewis,vitali and wladimir would destroy a prime sonny liston" knows simply shit about boxing or he is 12. george foreman and ron lyle would strongly disagree with your absurd opinion.
@combatesdeboxeo foreman hasn't fought either of them, so that doesn't matter, and they would kill him, their all way bigger stronger, and better champions. . .lol. . i know way more about boxing than u,
@bphatboyjohn123 , not only i know more on boxing than you(it is not even close), the fact is that you know absolutely nothing about boxing, and any old boxing fan is laughing on your ridiculous comment. bye kid
@combatesdeboxeo lol. i don't see anyone laught, yeah any "old" boxing fan, old people always go for people in their generation or the ones b4 them, they never debate for fights or any athletes that come after them, lol. liston was good, but those guys will kill him, i bet u think sulivan can beat them too huh, lol. .
@bphatboyjohn123 lol thats probably all you know liston for is the ali fight, the funny thing is he punches harder than lewis,and both klits. and has a better chin than all of them. just so you know he threw the asecond ali fight. liston would murder all the hws of today
@bphatboyjohn123 lol thats probably all you know liston for is the ali fight, the funny thing is he punches harder than lewis,and both klits. and has a better chin than all of them. just so you know he threw the asecond ali fight. liston would murder all the hws of today
If You watch Liston's fights consecutively from about 1957 on he beat everyone and then became champion, Also you will notice 1 he fought men bigger than himself; Cleveland Williams in his prime. He is sleeping walking in the first fight with clay. the official score card was even after 6 rounds, Clay magically gets a hernia; they knew about for months. do your homework, Dundee was scared of the shape liston was in for the originally scheduled fight in Boston.
I Spent years at the FIFTH ST GYM, thats was where Muhammad Ali trained with Chris and Angelo Dundee. Now Ali went on to become the biggest name in Boxing and perhaps even in Sports but The World Heavyweight Championship was taken from SONNY LISTON given To CASSIUS CLAY.
Now everyone at FIFTH STREET knew the truth, yet real Boxing People respect one another . We talked about it often, but we talked quiet, because most
Liston is perhaps the most underrated boxer. There's no way Ali legitimately beat him . In their first fight, Liston is supposed to have been knocked out by a punch no-one saw and then in the other fight refused to come out of his corner because his arm was numb. This from a guy who once got his jaw broke in a fight then went on to win it. If Liston hadn't been under pressure from the mob to lose, he'd be one of the greatest fighters of all time, if not the greatest.
@xnxnx A punch no-one saw??? Maybe you should watch it in slow motion mate. And that was their second fight in 1965, in their first fight liston didn`t come out for the seventh round, that was 1964 and quite clearly Liston was to slow for Ali and it appeared to me that he was trying his arse out to win.
@xnxnx hahahahah, you really are a joke with those kind of statements. Everybody could see the second fight, not first fight, second fight punch. I believe the punch was hard enough to knock him down, but not to knock him out. Liston probably did not want to be humiliated again and stayed down. In the first fight, Liston could not even touch Ali. Ali would pummel on him, with his speed and reflexes. Liston tried everythin even just jabbing, but he failed in every way. The fights were legit.
@xnxnx um the second fight is the one were liston got ko'd. and your right i doubt that liston got ko'd in that second one i just think he didnt want to fight. but ali is way better than liston and legitimatley beat him sonny just wasnt as good as him. he is one of the top 5 heavyweights ever though if gotta say
@xnxnx : You're a retard, Sonny was knocked out by a phantom punch in the SECOND fight, not the first one. Also after Sonny got his jaw broken he LOST the fight. Get your facts straight dumb ass.
In my opinion when comparing Sonny Liston to the greatest heavys of all time he'd be around 12th of all time, he lacked speed and most of all heart. Just quickly guys ahead of him are Ali,Tyson,Foreman,Marciano,Louis,Lennox,Mercer, both Klitchko's,HollyField and even Roy Jines Jr, in his prime!
I really don't know about mob ties or poor eating habits and drug use, but there's a reason he's not in my top ten!
The most bad ass boxer of the 20th Century. When he was on and the fix wasn't, He'd rank among the best ever. He was Iron Mike and Big George combined. And that's saying something!
@PunchProfessor no, foreman was harder puncher and stronger than sonny liston,with better chin and more heart, but liston was more skilled and better boxer overall.
Well friend I see you are a BIG~ Big George Forman fan.
I also have GREAT RESPECT for the Champ .
I would like for you to Make the same comment to big George, that you left here for me ..
Tell George that you found weakness in Sonny Listons CHIN and HEART.
George will set you straight as Sonny was his HERO.
Both fights with Ali was FIXED ~ don't come with that to messure CHIN and HEART, Liston had a MAFIA problem.I spent years with Ali in the gym I know the TRUTH
@PunchProfessor actually i like liston and foreman, and i pick both to beat tyson.and i pick a prime liston to expose larry holmes.liston was simply huge...
@sapling25 tyson would destroy liston??? are you kidding me tyson culdnt even handle holyfield or lewis, the only true contender tyson beat was the aging larry holmes. while sonny in his prime was literary breaking his opponents bones in his matches
9/10 fighters in history would have lost to Sonny, he's so underrated it's criminal. They say you can't beat Foreman if you go to him - I think the same is true for Liston as well, Frazier, Marciano and Dempsey would have got a swift beating just as bad from Sonny as they'd get from Foreman.
I'm 61 and have been following boxing for over 50 years. Sonny Liston was the most intimidating force ever to enter a boxing ring. Behind the ferocious power and never-ending glowering was a person who had a heart. Sadly, starting with his father's abuse, Sonny never was able to get on track in life. Minus the poverty, abuse, and hopelessness of his history, he might have become the model that the public wanted as their heavyweight champion. Rest well, Sonny -- we haven't forgotten you.
@50Emerald I remember reading a book on Ali and in this book it talked a little about Liston and how he was perceived as a monster because that's what the media and society wanted, a rough Negro boxer. Inside, however, Liston wasn't the monster the media and the people made him out to be... Liston was a lost child inside, but he didn't insist on trying to change the image the crowd saw him to be, instead he kept that image and used it to his advantage.
@marechalNekongo its aload of shit even when a champ gets all the title like sergio martinez or wladimir klitschko after the chageuv fight they end up taking one of the titles anyway just so some contender can be champ soon they will split the w ..b and c to make 3 titles lmao its aload of shit the champ should get to chooser if he wants to fight 12 or 15 just like dempsey tunney they chose to fight 10
The K bros are big thats about it. Guys like Areolla are tirmming down to the 230's and still looking fat. foreman was 220 in his prime and in his come back 270 fat. So what does that say. Lewis and the K bros were big though.
@suprapower101 Without a doubt! Skills pay the bills and speed kills! Heavyweights (And people in general) are getting bigger on average as nutrition improves etc. A lot of great heavyweights from history would weigh comfortably inside today's Cruiser limit. Liston did have size advantage over a lot of his opponents but despite this, he was such a tough/powerful individual, im certain he would do some serious damage if he were around today.
Liston is one of my favorite fighters. I think of the MMA, and while many of those guys would do damage to alot of todays fighters, good luck trying to take Liston down!
He was a brutal monster. Ali called him the devil. You have to know Liston took a dive in both fights with Ali.
Liston is one of my favorite fighters. I think of the MMA, and while many of those guys would do damage to alot of todays fighter, good luck trying to take Liston down!
He was a rutal monster. Ali called him the devil. You have to know Liston took a dive in both fights with Ali.
Flashinthepan Liston, was a big, strong, hard-hitting bum, but still a bum!His best attribute was intimidation. His only notable opponents(in addition to China chin Patterson & Ali)were Cleveland Williams, Nino Valdez, Zora Foley,& Eddie Machen. None of them were great fighters;Williams had suspect chin,Valdez had 18 losses, Foley was over 30, & Machen was ko'ed in the 1st by Johansson!He fought one great fighter before he(Ali)achieved his highest level of greatness & got his ass kicked twice!
@MultiGreat1 Funny thing is, I cut & pasted this comment, which I used to defend Marciano on, in a Marciano tribute video, where some jackass trashed the Rock out of nowhere, claiming Liston would've destroyed him. I only post positive things on the fighters I like, and never trash others, or say that so and so would have killed them, like so many other's do. It was a(one-time)bit of a parody, and I instructed the nitwit to come here 2C my post on his Idols tribute page. Guess he never showed...
@strictlycomments Good on you for not lowering yourself to their level. There are just too many immature idiots in the world today, most of 'em can be found on YouTube... But yes, I'm annoyed at immature fans, fans who trash-talk about others in order to glorify their own favourite idol(s). It's just plain wrong...
@MultiGreat1 (Cont) However I do know wut I'm talking about. I was a fighter & have utmost respect 4 anyone who has the guts 2 climb into a ring;win or lose!I always conducted myself as a gentleman outside the ring. Sonny was indeed a bum &a thug outside of the ring. I truly hope he made peace with God b4 he passed. His greatest attribute was indeed his intimidation against mostly smaller/lighter,athletically inferior opposition. Which, as I have stated in my prior comment, speaks for itself...
@JJHusker he would have won all, except the Ali fights. Remember Liston started boxing very late. His terrifying power is what made him what he was. Imagine he started boxing early like 16. Probably would be the greatest of all time.
Sonny Liston has the longest reach in boxing history, it was so rare that a boxer merely 184cm tall has the reach of 213cm. (Nikolai Valuev the Russian Giant has a reach of 216cm, but he's 213cm tall so comparing with Sonny Liston it's nothing)
when asked if he prefered to live in las vegas or denver, sonny replied and said that he would rather be a lamp post in las vegas than the mayor of denver.
does anyone has this note sheet? i want play this with tenor sax. if you want to trade i have 10 000 notes, couple hundred song names what i have are listed on my channel.
sonny liston was possibly 38 when he met cassius clay,,,,,sonny had only fought 5 rounds in 4 years,,,,grew old in ring,,,,,clay met him at a very advantageous time,,,if you think joe frazier in his prime kicked clays ass,,,can you imagine what liston in 1957/58 would have done,,in that vegas hotel where sonny slapped that bitch clay across the face and clay didnt retalitate,,shows you the inner strength of sonny and the fragile immature child clay was at the time,,,,sonny forever
i agree. sonny would've pounded marciano. marciano is the most overrated heavy EVER! the rocks lack of foot work n plodding style would make him a tailor made oppennent 4 liston. patterson was faster n a bttr boxer so i thnk patterson prob would've boxed his way 2 a decision but id give rocky a real chance in that 1 cuz i dnt think floyd was great by any means
There is something universally interesting about Sonny Liston. He was a man of so few words, but so many of us are drawn to him, long after he's been gone. RIP Sonny.
And just think, most of the footage of Sonny we see is of him in his thirties of older... Imagine what a terror he could have been had he fought for the title in his physical prime (probably in the mid-50's).
One of the scariest motherfuckers who ever inhabited the planet Earth...........without question! Every time I view video-clips of Sonny Liston, I gain even more respect for Muhammad Ali. Sonny Liston, George Foreman & Joe Frazier..........all MONSTERS from another world. Ali not only stood up to these monsters, he SLAYED them! PURE COURAGE! Sonny Liston was not only an extremely frightening & imposing individual........He also possessed great boxing ability to re-affirm his fearsome presence.
When Tyson went on his eating lennox lewis children rant, he brought up two all time greats by saying "Im Jack Dempsey Im Sonny Liston im cut from their cloth!" and Big George Foreman stated that Liston was the only person to both fight him toe to toe as well as being able to back him up. These statments speak for the greatness of Sonny Liston, Tyson was one of the most ferocious champions ever known and Foreman was the best of the best in the slugger stye the both praise sonny liston.
Look at the size of that heavybag, a 400lbs it looks like, and liston STILL needed someone to hold it steady for him. This guy could really hit - maybe as hard as Foreman.
Wow! Awesome punching power. What if the two fight with Ali had been on the up and up? Great video! In homage to Sonny, Zora Foley, Ernie Terrell, Eugene "Big Dadd Lipscomb", and Sam Cooke all righteous and all gone before there time.
Great 2 see all of these fans of Sonny! The people that were close to him always testify that he really was a good man to them & just didn't know how to relate well to outsiders. I hope he knows that there are a lot of us out there who greatly appreciate what he did as a boxer. Nuff Respect 2 THE NIGHT TRAIN.
@helltopo Ya ok buddy. I see how you think that because Sonny's arms are wicked long and Marciano's are short, but don't underestimate Rocky. You could take a sledgehammer to Rocky's chin and he would still be standing.
@seerauberjohnny yea thats right you did! george forman has said that the only person who ever stood with him an went toe to toe was liston an took every thing he had an couldnt take him out!
People say he couldnt match up against Tyson because he was much slower then Tyson, but he was 36 to 42 (depending on who you believe) in these fights. whereas Tyson in his "Prime" was 20-22. When Tyson reached 36 he had nowhere near this level of skill.
@BumDog007 Exactly, what's sad about Sonny's life (no only his early death) was the fact boxing commissions messed him around when he was younger, we never truly saw Liston in his prime. When he was, he was in jail, fighting 2 prisoners at once, by the time he was taken seriously he was nearly 40 years old.
@MrBumboclart it's true!! However much as i love sonny,lets not overlook the fact that he did-as you suggest have a lot of personal demons.Read Nick Tosches' book if you haven't already,for an emotive but on the whole balanced acount of this great fighter's life and times.
In this boxing fan's opinion, Sonny was the most intimidating boxer ever to step into the ring. It's too bad that his difficult personal history prevented him from being a fan favorite during his best boxing days. He was not heralded when he held the championship from September, 1962, to Februrary, 1964. A younger Sonny Liston might very well have beaten then-Cassius Clay in their first fight, February 25, 1964...
liston.........what a fuckin animal ! he'd scare the shit out of most of today's "top" pro's ............or fat shit bags as i say ! very interesting and hard life story also . much respect to the big man .
Awesome video! George Foreman, no doubt learned a thing or two from Sonny Liston: something like Ali and Larry Holmes. Liston and Foreman, both at peak would be an awesome, but old George may have been better than young George, because his head was right.
Nice video. I'm glad Sonny is getting some attention for something besides his two terrible fights with ali. By the way after the second ali fight sonny won 14 fights in a row. Sonny was alright. Tough guy who had a very tough life. God bless you Sonny RIP
In my opinion Sonny lost to Clay/Ali due to a mental block he had over fighting him. Sonny was afraid of nobody,but honestly believed that Clay was crazy the night of the famous weigh-ins. This reminded Liston of the mentally ill prisoners that howled during the night of his time in prison. Ali was taken the distance a few times by men that Sonny Liston clean out destroyed-Gerhard Zech to name but one.
@davidleealford It's just an opinion,Rab Steen's biography of Sonny believes the same thing, in boxing you gotta beat your opponent mentally before you can beat them physically, Sonny lost the fight at the first weigh in, not in the ring
@awwwboys yeah well writers like to play up the mental side, but in the first few rounds Liston showed no intimitdation. He was aggressive and throwing bombs.
What he realized after 5 rounds was Clay was a better athlete and extremely hard to hit. He quit due to frustration, not fear although he might have realized it wouldn't end well.
Here's respect to Charles Liston.
Something he was cruelly cut short on too many times.
custardaghost 2 days ago
what a great man
tinygangster666 2 weeks ago
Liston's punching technique was similar to Ali's, very fast and "flicky", They quickly extended without tensing up until the fist was about to connect. I wish we saw more of that these days...
DickieM92 1 month ago
If Liston didn't have the misfortune to run into 'The Greatest' he would probably have dominated the division until about 1970. We would therefore be talking about him in the same breath as Louis and Marciano. If you read his sad life story you will see that he seldom had lady luck on his side. It's fun but always difficult to compare fighters of different eras. He was a scarey brute and a fearsome puncher.
sarantakis 1 month ago
Even though he whooped my idol twice, I got huge respect for liston. A misunderstood man. May god rest his soul.
gibememoni 1 month ago
imagine if the guy throws the medicine ball a little bit lower in 1:14
ozenda2 1 month ago
Thanks for this great video. Fantastic to see big George with Sonny 2 legends.
tony29051 1 month ago
Ａｓ ｉｔ ｓａｙｓ ｏｎ ｈｉｓ ｇｒａｖｅ ‘ ＳｏｎｎｙＬｉｓｔｏｎ Ａ Ｍａｎ＇
bavwai 2 months ago
@222therockers The training back then? They hit the bags, skipped rope, sparred, shadow boxed, did road work. Pretty much the same training as they do today.
pugilistofpower 3 months ago
@222therockers joe louis would knock wladimir out, and it is a fact like i am talking now... mike tyson said that even today would be very hard pick a fighter against prime louis. learns fucking boxing
combatesdeboxeo 3 months ago
@222therockers it is not about old era or modern era.... it is about who is better, styles..... plain and simple
marciano was too short and slow for vitali, but joe louis? lmao joe louis would counter punch this big retard during all the fight. joe louis had no problem with the brutal and natural strength of primo carnera, who was 260-284 pounds of NATURAL MUSCLE AND GIANT FRAME, OF COURSE MUCH STRONGER
combatesdeboxeo 3 months ago
yeah telling the police to fuck off! What a badass!!!
0theunit01 3 months ago
sonny made big george foreman quiver in his boots!
toby099 3 months ago
@toby099 FOREMAN WAS A KID WHEN HE WAS THE SPARRING OF LISTON, HE WAS 18. HE WAS NOT EVEN PROFESSIONAL , AND STILL IT WAS CLOSE WHEN THEY SPARRED, FOREMAN IN HIS PRIME WAS BIGGER,STRONGER AND HARDER PUNCHER THAN LISTON.
combatesdeboxeo 3 months ago
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sarantakis 1 month ago
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@combatesdeboxeo but he was never the boxer Liston was. Liston could also move better than George. George only did well against guys that were willing to stand in front of him. He had difficulty with blokes who moved like Ali and Jimmy Young. I give Liston the edge.
sarantakis 1 month ago
Sonny was BADASS.
lordsalisbury1 4 months ago
3:28 Wow Liston and Foreman shadow boxing togethor i know they were sparring partners but never seen the two togethor on video
kamikazeCORP 4 months ago
it is a true story. the man was unstable. believe waht you will
danadana77 4 months ago
Sonny Liston is certainly one of the most underrated heavyweights of all time along with Larry Holmes.
Brownpride480 4 months ago
Sonny Liston would have had the Klitschko boys running for their mommy.
LedWhisky69 4 months ago
you have no clue Liston in the fifties was one of the fastest ever Tyson told cus crying i cant beat this man
danadana77 4 months ago
@danadana77 You don't need to lie and say he was crying. It's believable that he knew he could not beat Liston.
MultiGreat1 4 months ago
a hard puncher for sure , but just look at his speed , slow and lumbering , tyson had the handspeed of a lightweight , and could bob and weave like one too , i dont think he'd of beat a prime tyson.
grumpyguts1967 4 months ago
@grumpyguts1967
i agree with you to some extent, tyson is the only short aggressive fighter i can see having a chance against liston because of his head movement and speed, both marciano and frazier though would be absolutely destroyed by sonny.
toby099 4 months ago
0:29 sonny liston's like WTF am I doing here? classic!
HiralShah00 5 months ago
Sonny Liston vs. George Foreman
what a fight would be that!!!!
RNOB 5 months ago
@RNOB foreman says they used to have terrible sparring wars (foreman was pretty young) "sonny liston was the only man who ever stood up to me" I think he said.
andrelebaron 5 months ago 2
@andrelebaron no he said that about joe frazier
bguhuhrg 4 months ago
lennox's talc chin would crumble under the might of big sonny's left hook you could just tell how dangerous liston's left punches were. too bad he didn't get to dominate his respective division for years like some guys have
shizlgizngar 5 months ago 2
People really feared this guy. I quoted this from wiki, "Marciano considered a comeback in 1959 when Ingemar Johansson won the heavyweight championship from Floyd Patterson on June 26, 1959. After only a month of training in three years, Marciano decided against it and never seriously considered a comeback again after witnessing Liston's destruction of Patterson."
seanlgrimes 5 months ago 2
@seanlgrimes yeah I agree with you right there and as great as Rocky Marciano was I think he was bit overrated just because he's the only undefeated heavyweight champion but never faced great competition(not his fault) while Sonny Liston was VERY underrated because Patterson was ducking him because he knew either way Liston was just a bad match-up for him. Don't get me wrong I love Floyd Patterson but he should of stayed at light heavyweight and he would of been more successful at that weight.
Brownpride480 5 months ago
@Brownpride480 On the contrary. Floyd Patterson didn't duck Sonny Liston. His trainer, Cus D'Amato, did not want the fight because of Liston's mob ties in association with the IBC. D'Amato turned down many fighters from the IBC for this reason. When Patterson and D'Amato split, Patterson took the fight with Liston. He was clearly out-matched, BUT he was no coward. He went in there and took it like a man TWICE. Remember, Patterson also took the rematch. Now, that's bravery.
LedWhisky69 4 months ago
@LedWhisky69 Damn right I believe Patterson has one of the strongest heart for the sport.
Brownpride480 4 months ago
I'd pick Liston over Foreman, even though he had no heart.
He would have picked him apart with his jab, and Foreman would never have landed his haymakers. Foreman would also not be as reckless once he got hit.
They were both gruesomely slow, but Liston threw better, straighter punches.
TA152H01 6 months ago
@TA152H01 definitely. he wasnt the fastest boxer, but his jab was amazing and his gloves were loaded with dynamite.
johneykang 6 months ago
@johneykang He had that crazy reach too. You can see other boxers see they are out of range and the damn thing still gets them. That's a big advantage.
TA152H01 6 months ago
@TA152H01 hahahahahhahahahhahah
bphatboyjohn123 6 months ago
Sonny wanted to knock Andy Warhol out
toby099 6 months ago
liston was a fucking beast, this guy in his prime had all the tools to destroy the modern super hws, like lewis, vitali and wladimir.
combatesdeboxeo 7 months ago
@combatesdeboxeo hahahahhahaha
bphatboyjohn123 6 months ago
@bphatboyjohn123 wow great comment, you are not older than 12,
combatesdeboxeo 6 months ago
@combatesdeboxeo i don't think someone who is younger than 12 would know who sonny liston actually was except he's on the floor in a famous picture, but lewis, vitali, and wladimir would destroy him. .
bphatboyjohn123 6 months ago
@bphatboyjohn123 anyone who said " lewis,vitali and wladimir would destroy a prime sonny liston" knows simply shit about boxing or he is 12. george foreman and ron lyle would strongly disagree with your absurd opinion.
combatesdeboxeo 6 months ago 17
@combatesdeboxeo foreman hasn't fought either of them, so that doesn't matter, and they would kill him, their all way bigger stronger, and better champions. . .lol. . i know way more about boxing than u,
bphatboyjohn123 6 months ago
@bphatboyjohn123 , not only i know more on boxing than you(it is not even close), the fact is that you know absolutely nothing about boxing, and any old boxing fan is laughing on your ridiculous comment. bye kid
combatesdeboxeo 6 months ago
@combatesdeboxeo lol. i don't see anyone laught, yeah any "old" boxing fan, old people always go for people in their generation or the ones b4 them, they never debate for fights or any athletes that come after them, lol. liston was good, but those guys will kill him, i bet u think sulivan can beat them too huh, lol. .
bphatboyjohn123 6 months ago
@bphatboyjohn123 lol thats probably all you know liston for is the ali fight, the funny thing is he punches harder than lewis,and both klits. and has a better chin than all of them. just so you know he threw the asecond ali fight. liston would murder all the hws of today
messier991102 5 months ago
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@bphatboyjohn123 lol thats probably all you know liston for is the ali fight, the funny thing is he punches harder than lewis,and both klits. and has a better chin than all of them. just so you know he threw the asecond ali fight. liston would murder all the hws of today
messier991102 5 months ago
Liston would have completely destroyed Marciano.
MrRoyalFatness 7 months ago
Man there's not many better sights in boxing training than Sonny Liston jumping rope to Night Train
SayingNo 7 months ago
0325 Sparring with George Foreman
DET832 7 months ago
If You watch Liston's fights consecutively from about 1957 on he beat everyone and then became champion, Also you will notice 1 he fought men bigger than himself; Cleveland Williams in his prime. He is sleeping walking in the first fight with clay. the official score card was even after 6 rounds, Clay magically gets a hernia; they knew about for months. do your homework, Dundee was scared of the shape liston was in for the originally scheduled fight in Boston.
danadana77 7 months ago
I Spent years at the FIFTH ST GYM, thats was where Muhammad Ali trained with Chris and Angelo Dundee. Now Ali went on to become the biggest name in Boxing and perhaps even in Sports but The World Heavyweight Championship was taken from SONNY LISTON given To CASSIUS CLAY.
Now everyone at FIFTH STREET knew the truth, yet real Boxing People respect one another . We talked about it often, but we talked quiet, because most
Old Timmers know BOXING is BUSINESS !
Paulie D' The Punch Professor
PunchProfessor 8 months ago
Liston is perhaps the most underrated boxer. There's no way Ali legitimately beat him . In their first fight, Liston is supposed to have been knocked out by a punch no-one saw and then in the other fight refused to come out of his corner because his arm was numb. This from a guy who once got his jaw broke in a fight then went on to win it. If Liston hadn't been under pressure from the mob to lose, he'd be one of the greatest fighters of all time, if not the greatest.
xnxnx 8 months ago 2
@xnxnx A punch no-one saw??? Maybe you should watch it in slow motion mate. And that was their second fight in 1965, in their first fight liston didn`t come out for the seventh round, that was 1964 and quite clearly Liston was to slow for Ali and it appeared to me that he was trying his arse out to win.
gonyeah45 3 months ago
@xnxnx hahahahah, you really are a joke with those kind of statements. Everybody could see the second fight, not first fight, second fight punch. I believe the punch was hard enough to knock him down, but not to knock him out. Liston probably did not want to be humiliated again and stayed down. In the first fight, Liston could not even touch Ali. Ali would pummel on him, with his speed and reflexes. Liston tried everythin even just jabbing, but he failed in every way. The fights were legit.
michaelyouth 3 months ago
@xnxnx um the second fight is the one were liston got ko'd. and your right i doubt that liston got ko'd in that second one i just think he didnt want to fight. but ali is way better than liston and legitimatley beat him sonny just wasnt as good as him. he is one of the top 5 heavyweights ever though if gotta say
banofee999 3 months ago
@xnxnx When u said he broke his jaw in a fight n won are u talkin about the Marty Marshall fight? because if u r he lost that fight on a SD
HendrixDoors 3 months ago
@xnxnx : You're a retard, Sonny was knocked out by a phantom punch in the SECOND fight, not the first one. Also after Sonny got his jaw broken he LOST the fight. Get your facts straight dumb ass.
49kdonggyu94 2 months ago 3
In my opinion when comparing Sonny Liston to the greatest heavys of all time he'd be around 12th of all time, he lacked speed and most of all heart. Just quickly guys ahead of him are Ali,Tyson,Foreman,Marciano,Louis,Lennox,Mercer, both Klitchko's,HollyField and even Roy Jines Jr, in his prime!
I really don't know about mob ties or poor eating habits and drug use, but there's a reason he's not in my top ten!
ebagjim 8 months ago
The most bad ass boxer of the 20th Century. When he was on and the fix wasn't, He'd rank among the best ever. He was Iron Mike and Big George combined. And that's saying something!
oranger2525 8 months ago 10
@oranger2525
I really like your comment, man you sure said a mouth full ! ! !
SONNY LISTON was MIKE TYSON and Big GEORGE FORMAN COMBINED..
That is an accurate comment yet 99% of Boxing Fans will never know ! ! !
Paul D' The Punch Professor
PunchProfessor 8 months ago
@PunchProfessor no, foreman was harder puncher and stronger than sonny liston,with better chin and more heart, but liston was more skilled and better boxer overall.
combatesdeboxeo 7 months ago
@combatesdeboxeo
Well friend I see you are a BIG~ Big George Forman fan.
I also have GREAT RESPECT for the Champ .
I would like for you to Make the same comment to big George, that you left here for me ..
Tell George that you found weakness in Sonny Listons CHIN and HEART.
George will set you straight as Sonny was his HERO.
Both fights with Ali was FIXED ~ don't come with that to messure CHIN and HEART, Liston had a MAFIA problem.I spent years with Ali in the gym I know the TRUTH
Paul
PunchProfessor 6 months ago
@PunchProfessor actually i like liston and foreman, and i pick both to beat tyson.and i pick a prime liston to expose larry holmes.liston was simply huge...
combatesdeboxeo 6 months ago
@combatesdeboxeo
GOOD reply friend, I believe I would agree with your statements concerning Tyson and Holmes! ! !
Paulie D' AntuonoThe Punch Professor
PunchProfessor 6 months ago
@oranger2525 Yeah but Tyson and Big George would kill him in the ring!!!
sapling25 2 months ago
@sapling25 tyson would destroy liston??? are you kidding me tyson culdnt even handle holyfield or lewis, the only true contender tyson beat was the aging larry holmes. while sonny in his prime was literary breaking his opponents bones in his matches
middleastboxer21 2 months ago
@middleastboxer21 com on that wasnt his prime
mike tyson in his prime was really good sonny maybe better who knows but mike was definately a champ
sheepshitonastick 1 month ago
Poor bloke was unbeatable in the ring but destroyed by the press and the mob
krakenwave 8 months ago
He would have knocked out Mike Tyson.
He would have out pointed George Foreman.
He would have knocked out Joe Louis.
9/10 fighters in history would have lost to Sonny, he's so underrated it's criminal. They say you can't beat Foreman if you go to him - I think the same is true for Liston as well, Frazier, Marciano and Dempsey would have got a swift beating just as bad from Sonny as they'd get from Foreman.
MrBumboclart 8 months ago
@MrBumboclart
The comment you posted concerning SONNY LISTON is so right on ! ! !
"He is so underrated it's criminal "
I'd say Him at his best beats anyone of any era at their best .. He was the BEST EVER ! ! !
Paulie D' The Punch Professor
PunchProfessor 8 months ago
I'm 61 and have been following boxing for over 50 years. Sonny Liston was the most intimidating force ever to enter a boxing ring. Behind the ferocious power and never-ending glowering was a person who had a heart. Sadly, starting with his father's abuse, Sonny never was able to get on track in life. Minus the poverty, abuse, and hopelessness of his history, he might have become the model that the public wanted as their heavyweight champion. Rest well, Sonny -- we haven't forgotten you.
50Emerald 9 months ago
@50Emerald I remember reading a book on Ali and in this book it talked a little about Liston and how he was perceived as a monster because that's what the media and society wanted, a rough Negro boxer. Inside, however, Liston wasn't the monster the media and the people made him out to be... Liston was a lost child inside, but he didn't insist on trying to change the image the crowd saw him to be, instead he kept that image and used it to his advantage.
HonorGuard117 9 months ago
@HonorGuard117
King of the World by David Remnick? If not, seek it out and read it anyway. Best book on boxing evah
krakenwave 8 months ago
@krakenwave Haha, unbelievable. Yeah, you got it correct... I read that book years ago but it was a good read. I feel like buying it now...
HonorGuard117 8 months ago
@HonorGuard117
Do, Its a fuckin masterpiece. One of those "start reading and you'll be up all night" jobs.
krakenwave 8 months ago
1min 42 i fought they said liston never doubled up that jab
lee1990lee 9 months ago
Back in the day there was only one Champion, today well let see WBA, WBO, ABCDEFG, BUNCH OF CRAP ect... i miss round 13th and 15th, kongo salutes you
marechalNekongo 9 months ago
@marechalNekongo its aload of shit even when a champ gets all the title like sergio martinez or wladimir klitschko after the chageuv fight they end up taking one of the titles anyway just so some contender can be champ soon they will split the w ..b and c to make 3 titles lmao its aload of shit the champ should get to chooser if he wants to fight 12 or 15 just like dempsey tunney they chose to fight 10
lee1990lee 9 months ago
@lee1990lee' Couldn't say it better. Kongo salutes you...
marechalNekongo 9 months ago
See Liston's face with the little girl at the start. The guy loved kids, he really wasn't the evil monster he was made out to be.
toby099 9 months ago
he is realy good boxer
CsniperC 9 months ago
he is realy good boxer anyway
CsniperC 9 months ago
sonny liston most feared boxer fighter ever the guy would give you shivers just watching him jump the ropes.
boxing4life1000 10 months ago
I would have love to have seen liston make kimbo slice his bitch LOL
shotgunshawzy 10 months ago
Great tune. Great video. Great fighter.
tommurphy67 10 months ago
You fckn tell em Sonny 2.15., who the boss is. Legend. Doesn't matter what they say.
worldcoup 10 months ago
fcking long arms
bvim75 10 months ago 2
Agreed.
I read "The Devil Sonny Liston" Great book for fans of Liston.
smallsaves 11 months ago
In all of boxing history, I don't think there has ever been anyone as thick as Liston. Imagine how huge he would be if he lifted. Christ.
2pacinseattle 11 months ago
@2pacinseattle Yep, Liston was a beast and size can always be an issue when comparing heavyweights from different eras.
To think Sonny grew to a rock solid 218lb on poverty and prison food.IMO he would go through todays heavyweights like a dose o' salts.
nthnmonkey 10 months ago 27
@nthnmonkey a lot of HW's are fat though.
The K bros are big thats about it. Guys like Areolla are tirmming down to the 230's and still looking fat. foreman was 220 in his prime and in his come back 270 fat. So what does that say. Lewis and the K bros were big though.
suprapower101 9 months ago
@suprapower101 Without a doubt! Skills pay the bills and speed kills! Heavyweights (And people in general) are getting bigger on average as nutrition improves etc. A lot of great heavyweights from history would weigh comfortably inside today's Cruiser limit. Liston did have size advantage over a lot of his opponents but despite this, he was such a tough/powerful individual, im certain he would do some serious damage if he were around today.
nthnmonkey 9 months ago
The fucking bear! 85" is hard to beat.
Crussman499 11 months ago 9
@Crussman499
He outreached Patterson by 13 inches. Poor Floyd didn't stand a chance and he knew it.
krakenwave 7 months ago
@Crussman499 That man was a freak of nature. he would kill these losers from today i think.
Bxngexpert 4 months ago
Liston is one of my favorite fighters. I think of the MMA, and while many of those guys would do damage to alot of todays fighters, good luck trying to take Liston down!
He was a brutal monster. Ali called him the devil. You have to know Liston took a dive in both fights with Ali.
smallsaves 11 months ago
@smallsaves Please don't bring up a sport like MMA on an all-time greats video. Thanks.
MultiGreat1 11 months ago
Liston is one of my favorite fighters. I think of the MMA, and while many of those guys would do damage to alot of todays fighter, good luck trying to take Liston down!
He was a rutal monster. Ali called him the devil. You have to know Liston took a dive in both fights with Ali.
smallsaves 11 months ago
Flashinthepan Liston, was a big, strong, hard-hitting bum, but still a bum!His best attribute was intimidation. His only notable opponents(in addition to China chin Patterson & Ali)were Cleveland Williams, Nino Valdez, Zora Foley,& Eddie Machen. None of them were great fighters;Williams had suspect chin,Valdez had 18 losses, Foley was over 30, & Machen was ko'ed in the 1st by Johansson!He fought one great fighter before he(Ali)achieved his highest level of greatness & got his ass kicked twice!
strictlycomments 11 months ago
@strictlycomments You have no idea what you are talking about, lets leave it at that.
MultiGreat1 11 months ago
@MultiGreat1 Funny thing is, I cut & pasted this comment, which I used to defend Marciano on, in a Marciano tribute video, where some jackass trashed the Rock out of nowhere, claiming Liston would've destroyed him. I only post positive things on the fighters I like, and never trash others, or say that so and so would have killed them, like so many other's do. It was a(one-time)bit of a parody, and I instructed the nitwit to come here 2C my post on his Idols tribute page. Guess he never showed...
strictlycomments 11 months ago
@strictlycomments Good on you for not lowering yourself to their level. There are just too many immature idiots in the world today, most of 'em can be found on YouTube... But yes, I'm annoyed at immature fans, fans who trash-talk about others in order to glorify their own favourite idol(s). It's just plain wrong...
HonorGuard117 8 months ago
@MultiGreat1 (Cont) However I do know wut I'm talking about. I was a fighter & have utmost respect 4 anyone who has the guts 2 climb into a ring;win or lose!I always conducted myself as a gentleman outside the ring. Sonny was indeed a bum &a thug outside of the ring. I truly hope he made peace with God b4 he passed. His greatest attribute was indeed his intimidation against mostly smaller/lighter,athletically inferior opposition. Which, as I have stated in my prior comment, speaks for itself...
strictlycomments 11 months ago
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I wonder if Sonny would have won any fights without his mob connections?
JJHusker 11 months ago
I wonder if Sonny ould have won any fights without his mob connections?
JJHusker 11 months ago
@JJHusker he would have won all, except the Ali fights. Remember Liston started boxing very late. His terrifying power is what made him what he was. Imagine he started boxing early like 16. Probably would be the greatest of all time.
MultiGreat1 11 months ago
Too tough.
Legend.
Doesn't matter what they say.
Hero
worldcoup 1 year ago
Excellent video
BeorhtFrognostic 1 year ago
would have loved to see cassius clay assigned to sonnys cell in state prison,,,he would definitely have been sonnys bitch
nastylefthook1 1 year ago
Sonny wanted to knock out Andy Warhol
toby099 1 year ago
Sonny Liston has the longest reach in boxing history, it was so rare that a boxer merely 184cm tall has the reach of 213cm. (Nikolai Valuev the Russian Giant has a reach of 216cm, but he's 213cm tall so comparing with Sonny Liston it's nothing)
YangyStyle 1 year ago
when asked if he prefered to live in las vegas or denver, sonny replied and said that he would rather be a lamp post in las vegas than the mayor of denver.
Leroythebigwigbrown1 1 year ago
@Leroythebigwigbrown1 nah lol he said he said he would rather lamp post in denver than the mayor of philidelhpia. Check it out.
MultiGreat1 1 year ago
does anyone has this note sheet? i want play this with tenor sax. if you want to trade i have 10 000 notes, couple hundred song names what i have are listed on my channel.
who plays sax in this song??.
FlinckJanne1981 1 year ago
@FlinckJanne1981 I do not know but there's the possibility it's Maceo Parker, he played sax for James Brown later on that's for sure
BeorhtFrognostic 1 year ago
Comment removed
FlinckJanne1981 1 year ago
sonny liston was possibly 38 when he met cassius clay,,,,,sonny had only fought 5 rounds in 4 years,,,,grew old in ring,,,,,clay met him at a very advantageous time,,,if you think joe frazier in his prime kicked clays ass,,,can you imagine what liston in 1957/58 would have done,,in that vegas hotel where sonny slapped that bitch clay across the face and clay didnt retalitate,,shows you the inner strength of sonny and the fragile immature child clay was at the time,,,,sonny forever
nastylefthook1 1 year ago
ATTN Sonny fans: Read "The Devil and Sonny Liston" by Nick Tosches
manilagold 1 year ago
Liston & Patterson were the REAL reasons Marciano retired!
Shammed01 1 year ago
i agree. sonny would've pounded marciano. marciano is the most overrated heavy EVER! the rocks lack of foot work n plodding style would make him a tailor made oppennent 4 liston. patterson was faster n a bttr boxer so i thnk patterson prob would've boxed his way 2 a decision but id give rocky a real chance in that 1 cuz i dnt think floyd was great by any means
jmgnyg 1 year ago 2
There is something universally interesting about Sonny Liston. He was a man of so few words, but so many of us are drawn to him, long after he's been gone. RIP Sonny.
takfam07 1 year ago
Sonny is easy in top 10 of all time.
danceswithwolvesful 1 year ago
And just think, most of the footage of Sonny we see is of him in his thirties of older... Imagine what a terror he could have been had he fought for the title in his physical prime (probably in the mid-50's).
CLC407 1 year ago
Sonny would have Tyson in trouble in the first round and finish him in the 2nd. No comparison!!
1899sharkey 1 year ago
anyone know the name of this tune plainyg pls???
propergeezer 1 year ago
Comment removed
krakenwave 1 year ago
@propergeezer
Night Train (version) by James Brown. The original was slower and bluesier - both of which Sonny used to train to in the gym.
krakenwave 1 year ago
One of the scariest motherfuckers who ever inhabited the planet Earth...........without question! Every time I view video-clips of Sonny Liston, I gain even more respect for Muhammad Ali. Sonny Liston, George Foreman & Joe Frazier..........all MONSTERS from another world. Ali not only stood up to these monsters, he SLAYED them! PURE COURAGE! Sonny Liston was not only an extremely frightening & imposing individual........He also possessed great boxing ability to re-affirm his fearsome presence.
aliquippawill 1 year ago
look at his fucking arms at 1:14!!!!! ...and he could box like a mutha??? scary man. no wonder cops were afraid even with their pistolis.
TinQuasimodo 1 year ago
why all of you dont say the true,,sonny liston and george foreman was lovers,,,,,you cant lie forever,,,
14185641 1 year ago
Sonny Liston vs Mike Tyson= Sonny to win
DoctorCandEMT 1 year ago
horray for the ex con he uses his power for good now
MRCALIfornyay 1 year ago
When Tyson went on his eating lennox lewis children rant, he brought up two all time greats by saying "Im Jack Dempsey Im Sonny Liston im cut from their cloth!" and Big George Foreman stated that Liston was the only person to both fight him toe to toe as well as being able to back him up. These statments speak for the greatness of Sonny Liston, Tyson was one of the most ferocious champions ever known and Foreman was the best of the best in the slugger stye the both praise sonny liston.
Ricky42791 1 year ago
His physique was a gift from god.
DragonflyDawn 1 year ago
@DragonflyDawn what ever turns you on
EBTerriers 1 year ago
Look at the size of that heavybag, a 400lbs it looks like, and liston STILL needed someone to hold it steady for him. This guy could really hit - maybe as hard as Foreman.
MrBumboclart 1 year ago
Wow! Awesome punching power. What if the two fight with Ali had been on the up and up? Great video! In homage to Sonny, Zora Foley, Ernie Terrell, Eugene "Big Dadd Lipscomb", and Sam Cooke all righteous and all gone before there time.
GlenQuagmireful 1 year ago
Great 2 see all of these fans of Sonny! The people that were close to him always testify that he really was a good man to them & just didn't know how to relate well to outsiders. I hope he knows that there are a lot of us out there who greatly appreciate what he did as a boxer. Nuff Respect 2 THE NIGHT TRAIN.
ShadowBirdEric 1 year ago
his loss to ali was fake
AlienBusDriver 1 year ago
wow watch that heavy bag swing
trailstar1 1 year ago
Sonny would have destroyed Marciano if he had the chance.
helltopo 1 year ago
@helltopo Ya ok buddy. I see how you think that because Sonny's arms are wicked long and Marciano's are short, but don't underestimate Rocky. You could take a sledgehammer to Rocky's chin and he would still be standing.
Ant45078 1 year ago
sonny fans should check out the great song by mark knopfler: song for sonny liston. several versions are here on youtube.
yusufu9 1 year ago
damn,did i just see Sonny and big george shadowboxing each other? fantastic footage!!!
seerauberjohnny 1 year ago
@seerauberjohnny yea thats right you did! george forman has said that the only person who ever stood with him an went toe to toe was liston an took every thing he had an couldnt take him out!
theweavernator 1 year ago
Sonny,my Idol,R.I.P
GuapoYpoderosoLOCO 1 year ago
Here it is the ultimate work out.
thegmantube 1 year ago
great clips especially sonny and george foreman shadow boxing in the ring.
shaneboswell1234 1 year ago
People say he couldnt match up against Tyson because he was much slower then Tyson, but he was 36 to 42 (depending on who you believe) in these fights. whereas Tyson in his "Prime" was 20-22. When Tyson reached 36 he had nowhere near this level of skill.
BumDog007 1 year ago
@BumDog007 yeah but that was because of other reasons
theman1819 1 year ago
@BumDog007 Exactly, what's sad about Sonny's life (no only his early death) was the fact boxing commissions messed him around when he was younger, we never truly saw Liston in his prime. When he was, he was in jail, fighting 2 prisoners at once, by the time he was taken seriously he was nearly 40 years old.
RIP Sonny Liston
MrBumboclart 1 year ago
@MrBumboclart it's true!! However much as i love sonny,lets not overlook the fact that he did-as you suggest have a lot of personal demons.Read Nick Tosches' book if you haven't already,for an emotive but on the whole balanced acount of this great fighter's life and times.
seerauberjohnny 1 year ago
In this boxing fan's opinion, Sonny was the most intimidating boxer ever to step into the ring. It's too bad that his difficult personal history prevented him from being a fan favorite during his best boxing days. He was not heralded when he held the championship from September, 1962, to Februrary, 1964. A younger Sonny Liston might very well have beaten then-Cassius Clay in their first fight, February 25, 1964...
50Emerald 1 year ago
that clip at 2.15ish any other black man at that time would of been battered by the police for telling them off ha
cam123cha 1 year ago
Started his career too late bless him would have been much better for him if he started earlier
THOMASBANTON 1 year ago
liston.........what a fuckin animal ! he'd scare the shit out of most of today's "top" pro's ............or fat shit bags as i say ! very interesting and hard life story also . much respect to the big man .
punchdrunk750 1 year ago
that jab at 3:31 looks like it would hurt if it landed
MrKeepnit100 1 year ago
H2H Monster, almost invincible at his peak.
PlatinumDenom 1 year ago
Sonny's got four legs, on two of them he laces his boxing gloves.
BadBlueBoy213 1 year ago 20
Awesome video! George Foreman, no doubt learned a thing or two from Sonny Liston: something like Ali and Larry Holmes. Liston and Foreman, both at peak would be an awesome, but old George may have been better than young George, because his head was right.
PUGCAT 1 year ago
Liston-Foreman wold be great )))
GangstaOuttaRussia 1 year ago
Nice video. I'm glad Sonny is getting some attention for something besides his two terrible fights with ali. By the way after the second ali fight sonny won 14 fights in a row. Sonny was alright. Tough guy who had a very tough life. God bless you Sonny RIP
inxs07 1 year ago
In my opinion Sonny lost to Clay/Ali due to a mental block he had over fighting him. Sonny was afraid of nobody,but honestly believed that Clay was crazy the night of the famous weigh-ins. This reminded Liston of the mentally ill prisoners that howled during the night of his time in prison. Ali was taken the distance a few times by men that Sonny Liston clean out destroyed-Gerhard Zech to name but one.
awwwboys 1 year ago
@awwwboys bull he still showed fast jabs and combinations a plenty. He just met a guy who was lightening fast and couldn't be hit.
davidleealford 1 year ago
@davidleealford It's just an opinion,Rab Steen's biography of Sonny believes the same thing, in boxing you gotta beat your opponent mentally before you can beat them physically, Sonny lost the fight at the first weigh in, not in the ring
awwwboys 1 year ago
@awwwboys yeah well writers like to play up the mental side, but in the first few rounds Liston showed no intimitdation. He was aggressive and throwing bombs.
What he realized after 5 rounds was Clay was a better athlete and extremely hard to hit. He quit due to frustration, not fear although he might have realized it wouldn't end well.
davidleealford 1 year ago