Sonny was such a great sport, and a real class guy when he would congratulate his defeated opponent. Too bad he had the upbringing he did, as well as the legal troubles. Many fighters, including champ Patterson were afraid to fight him. That, and his mafia ties were reasons he didnt get a shot at title earlier
Isn't it a pleasure how those old time announcers let the action in the ring speak for itself, and didn't feel compelled to utter inanities a la most modern announcers?
@kingading I prefer the modern three man format myself. In Germany, where I lived (and boxed) for 18 years, they use the one man format. It doesn't work for me though.
Liston looks like a character from the Asterix comics, with his huge upper body and comparatively skinny legs. about the perfect physique for a fighter, contrasted with someone like John Tate, who was heavy in the thigh and backside. His reach was the same as Lewis', 84". Maybe he got it from his hours manually pulling a plough from the age of eight.
The only known record of listons birth,is his prison record.Which listed him 22 in 1950.So when he fought ali,he was at least 35!Remember ali was at his apex,but liston didn't have the reflexes,he then threw his shoulder out.Evidenced by the obvious pain he was in throwing the jab in the 6th.And liston's corner didn't cheat,liston rubbed his gloves because of his cut eye.That's why it got in ali's eyes.In the second fight,it was a legit knockdown,but liston's heart wasn't anymore,and stayed down
@JSavic I think the picture is distorted. It's old TV footage from the 50s and it's been squeezed into the frame a bit. It's a bit like one of those strange mirrors they have at fairgrounds. The proportions of the fighters' bodies change as they move around the screen.
marciano liston = not enough money for marciano to fight him. In this modern era Marciano couldn't have passed it up them he would have a loss on his record too.Liston would have dropped him in 6
willie took some clean, heavy shots. big strong guy, braver than most of listons opponents. funny how liston made much more effect with the same shots on other nights...funny how both folley and clay got stuff in their eyes...funny how liston quit in both clay fights...odd
Liston didn't quit during the second Ali fight. In fact, he got back up and kept fighting. Trouble was it took him 17 seconds to get back into it. Check out the Phantom Punch" vid on Youtube here (the longer one).
@choklab funny how clay ducked zora folley until he was past prime, funny how alis handlers wouldnt let him get near cleveland williams. Funny how for the first fight listons fists werent even clinched, funny how liston would have killed clay if it wasnt for the nation of islam.
@the crazyof the..cleveland williams was never a threat to the title, he looked impresive but even at his best was KOd by bob saterfield and all the name fighters he ever fought. the nation of islam beat liston? how so? if ali ducked folley why did he face cooper and terrell who beat folley?
@choklab alis management still ducked him, they knew he would get destroyed. The nation of islam would have killed liston if he touched ali. did you see the open handed jabs liston landed on ali in the first fight? it was barely even a push. Liston would have killed him it they werent fixed fights.
@thecrazyoftheinsane its true he never fought foley on the way up, maybe that was beacuse doug jones KOd him 1st? the italian mob behind liston were 100 times more powerful than the nation of islam. if a gagle of unorganized crackpots scared liston more fool him. those dudes in bow ties and shades would be sleeping with the fishes faster than JFK if they bothered liston. would you run from a poodle if you were walking with a wolf?
@choklab ok look ive give you a clear example of how thats not true. Ernie Terrell mob connect went to Alis manager and said to him if you dont throw the fight im going to kill you. Alis manager simply snapped his fingers and some guards from the nation came and beat the mobster with in an inch of his life, its on the Ali documentary, needless to say Ali didnt throw the fight, so i think your exaggerating a bit.
@thecrazyoftheinsane theres a lot of storys going around, thats what makes boxing so intresting. ask yourself if a hardened criminal like liston, a hard man even by boxing standards with syndicate baking armed to the teeth with polititians in their pocket should wimp out because hes worried about crackpots in bow ties and bowler hats? IMO I dont buy it.
@thecrazyoftheinsane even though boxing is the easiest sport to fix it doesn't happen at championship fights. too many eyes on it that night. But before is when the fix is in. Some fighters didn't get a shot at the title because they didn't mob up." Loose tonight and you can fight for the title next time" . There were many fighters that wouldn't go with the Mob program and they are hero's . Johnny Gonzales of Oakland Ca is one he couldn't get a shot at the title 100+wins
@choklab I dont think the big mafia mobsters gave a shit about Liston. They had better, more profitable interests to keep themselves occupied. Maybe a couple of second-rate mobsters owned a piece of Liston, but i dont think Sonny Liston was a major concern for the big-time mob bosses. I dont believe the nation of Islam scared Liston off either, but they were a bit more menacing and serious than you suggest, AND they actually DID have an interest in Clay/Ali.
@JoeFraze even second rate mobsters cant do anything without the first rate guys backing, the mob had more peices of liston than there was to have of him. organised crime is like a rust, once it gets in it takes over. guys at the top run unions but down the chain they have bums knocking off parking meters. there is no intrest too small, the greed is such they would kill for anything. Liston was still valuable to them until he stopped making them money.
thats easy marciano wouldve been destroyed...annihlated....smorginborged....and thats not even a word.... floyd couldve beat marciano and marciano comes at you...weight difference...reaach....power....sonny liston wouldve won in 2-3 rounds...round 1 i give rocky survivng because of his heart...
one would think liston would destroy him with his wide arsenal of punches. He's taller, bigger, and the marciano. I believe he punches harder too. By the time Liston came in the picture Marciano was already a little old. Liston's jab would decimate Marciano, though I usually route for Marciano, there's just no way he could've took on Liston or Foreman.Liston is just too big and strong.. His jab would have kept the rock off.
Anybody else I think Marciano could've given a fight to or beaten.
IT COULD HAVE HAPPENED. RM RETIRED IN EARLY 56' AND BY 58' LISTON WAS ON TOP, EVENTUALLY BEATING ALL THE TOP TEN. ROCKY WOULD HAVE BEEN A LITTLE OLDER BUT IT COULD HAVE HAPPENED. I GOT THIS CRAZY FEELING THAT THE ROCK COULD HAVE BEATEN ALL THE GREAT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPS. THIS IS MY LIST:
1) MUHAMMAD OR ROCKY
2) JEFFERIES
3) LOUIS
4) JOHNSON
5) DEMPSEY
I STOP AT MUHAMMAD BECAUSE DURING THIS TIME DON KING CAME ALONG. I STOPPED WATCHING MY FAVORITE SPORT BECAUSE OF HIM.
@merfissa Liston was not a big name by the time Rocky retired. He did not have a lot of fight experience. And Rocky, by his own admission, was losing desire to fight. And desire was a big part of what made Rocky so difficult to beat. Had they met in 1955, I am sure Rocky would have won, as Liston was not a polished fighter at that point. Had they fought in, say, 58, Liston probably wins because Rocky would have been out of the ring close to three years.
This is really old school boxing. No movement. Just the jab. Like the Klitschkos these days.
Tyson in his prime would have dropped them all... believe man
CaptnElmo66 4 days ago
Angelo Dundee was one of Bemanoff's seconds!
Lava1964 3 months ago
Sonny was such a great sport, and a real class guy when he would congratulate his defeated opponent. Too bad he had the upbringing he did, as well as the legal troubles. Many fighters, including champ Patterson were afraid to fight him. That, and his mafia ties were reasons he didnt get a shot at title earlier
loyaldude10 3 months ago
what a great fight
ColombianBoxeador 4 months ago
Guys, the German is out of gas in round one! Look at his footwork! And the ref is bigger than both of them...
Allrightteam 4 months ago
Comment removed
Allrightteam 4 months ago
look how small and young sonny looks here.he looked worn out against Ali,bloated,slow swollen looking
dempsey981 6 months ago
I was supposed to have been born on this day. Instead I was 32 days late. Been late ever since....
chanctonbury63 7 months ago
Isn't it a pleasure how those old time announcers let the action in the ring speak for itself, and didn't feel compelled to utter inanities a la most modern announcers?
kingading 9 months ago 4
@kingading I prefer the modern three man format myself. In Germany, where I lived (and boxed) for 18 years, they use the one man format. It doesn't work for me though.
MADMAC572 2 months ago
Besmanoff was a tough german heavyweight contender from Munich...impossible to hurt...also fights against Muhammad Ali and Archie Moore.
galvano7 9 months ago
Liston looks like a character from the Asterix comics, with his huge upper body and comparatively skinny legs. about the perfect physique for a fighter, contrasted with someone like John Tate, who was heavy in the thigh and backside. His reach was the same as Lewis', 84". Maybe he got it from his hours manually pulling a plough from the age of eight.
madmax8903 9 months ago
Besmanoff was tough, taking all that he did from Liston and still fighting back.
chunkyscotty 10 months ago
please post some more liston fights
carlitoboxe 1 year ago
The only known record of listons birth,is his prison record.Which listed him 22 in 1950.So when he fought ali,he was at least 35!Remember ali was at his apex,but liston didn't have the reflexes,he then threw his shoulder out.Evidenced by the obvious pain he was in throwing the jab in the 6th.And liston's corner didn't cheat,liston rubbed his gloves because of his cut eye.That's why it got in ali's eyes.In the second fight,it was a legit knockdown,but liston's heart wasn't anymore,and stayed down
TheGatorfan93 1 year ago
Sonny weighed-in @ 210lbs for this fight vs. 218lbs for the first Ali fight. But, boy, does he look skinny here !
JSavic 1 year ago
@JSavic I think the picture is distorted. It's old TV footage from the 50s and it's been squeezed into the frame a bit. It's a bit like one of those strange mirrors they have at fairgrounds. The proportions of the fighters' bodies change as they move around the screen.
JoeFraze 1 year ago
@statixification facing ali, its a great one if you ever come across it i suggest you watch it.
thecrazyoftheinsane 1 year ago
marciano liston = not enough money for marciano to fight him. In this modern era Marciano couldn't have passed it up them he would have a loss on his record too.Liston would have dropped him in 6
tellthetruthg 1 year ago
willie took some clean, heavy shots. big strong guy, braver than most of listons opponents. funny how liston made much more effect with the same shots on other nights...funny how both folley and clay got stuff in their eyes...funny how liston quit in both clay fights...odd
choklab 2 years ago
Liston didn't quit during the second Ali fight. In fact, he got back up and kept fighting. Trouble was it took him 17 seconds to get back into it. Check out the Phantom Punch" vid on Youtube here (the longer one).
420Slaterson 2 years ago
@choklab funny how clay ducked zora folley until he was past prime, funny how alis handlers wouldnt let him get near cleveland williams. Funny how for the first fight listons fists werent even clinched, funny how liston would have killed clay if it wasnt for the nation of islam.
thecrazyoftheinsane 2 years ago
@the crazyof the..cleveland williams was never a threat to the title, he looked impresive but even at his best was KOd by bob saterfield and all the name fighters he ever fought. the nation of islam beat liston? how so? if ali ducked folley why did he face cooper and terrell who beat folley?
choklab 2 years ago
@choklab alis management still ducked him, they knew he would get destroyed. The nation of islam would have killed liston if he touched ali. did you see the open handed jabs liston landed on ali in the first fight? it was barely even a push. Liston would have killed him it they werent fixed fights.
thecrazyoftheinsane 1 year ago
@thecrazyoftheinsane its true he never fought foley on the way up, maybe that was beacuse doug jones KOd him 1st? the italian mob behind liston were 100 times more powerful than the nation of islam. if a gagle of unorganized crackpots scared liston more fool him. those dudes in bow ties and shades would be sleeping with the fishes faster than JFK if they bothered liston. would you run from a poodle if you were walking with a wolf?
choklab 1 year ago
@choklab ok look ive give you a clear example of how thats not true. Ernie Terrell mob connect went to Alis manager and said to him if you dont throw the fight im going to kill you. Alis manager simply snapped his fingers and some guards from the nation came and beat the mobster with in an inch of his life, its on the Ali documentary, needless to say Ali didnt throw the fight, so i think your exaggerating a bit.
thecrazyoftheinsane 1 year ago
@thecrazyoftheinsane theres a lot of storys going around, thats what makes boxing so intresting. ask yourself if a hardened criminal like liston, a hard man even by boxing standards with syndicate baking armed to the teeth with polititians in their pocket should wimp out because hes worried about crackpots in bow ties and bowler hats? IMO I dont buy it.
choklab 1 year ago
@thecrazyoftheinsane even though boxing is the easiest sport to fix it doesn't happen at championship fights. too many eyes on it that night. But before is when the fix is in. Some fighters didn't get a shot at the title because they didn't mob up." Loose tonight and you can fight for the title next time" . There were many fighters that wouldn't go with the Mob program and they are hero's . Johnny Gonzales of Oakland Ca is one he couldn't get a shot at the title 100+wins
tellthetruthg 1 year ago
@choklab I dont think the big mafia mobsters gave a shit about Liston. They had better, more profitable interests to keep themselves occupied. Maybe a couple of second-rate mobsters owned a piece of Liston, but i dont think Sonny Liston was a major concern for the big-time mob bosses. I dont believe the nation of Islam scared Liston off either, but they were a bit more menacing and serious than you suggest, AND they actually DID have an interest in Clay/Ali.
JoeFraze 1 year ago
@JoeFraze even second rate mobsters cant do anything without the first rate guys backing, the mob had more peices of liston than there was to have of him. organised crime is like a rust, once it gets in it takes over. guys at the top run unions but down the chain they have bums knocking off parking meters. there is no intrest too small, the greed is such they would kill for anything. Liston was still valuable to them until he stopped making them money.
choklab 1 year ago
@JoeFraze
choklab 1 year ago
Would love to have seen Liston vs Marciano.
merfissa 3 years ago 7
thats easy marciano wouldve been destroyed...annihlated....smorginborged....and thats not even a word.... floyd couldve beat marciano and marciano comes at you...weight difference...reaach....power....sonny liston wouldve won in 2-3 rounds...round 1 i give rocky survivng because of his heart...
WetWilly9 3 years ago
At all,Marciano was a harder puncher than Liston,I'm convinced about that.
You have Marciano not surviving 3 rounds??
Well,look at this fight,if Willy Fuckin Besmanoff can survive at least 7 rounds against liston why not Rocky.
I can imagine Suzy Q knockin out Liston as well...
RespectChamp 2 years ago
@RespectChamp your an idiot, im convinced about that.
thecrazyoftheinsane 1 year ago
one would think liston would destroy him with his wide arsenal of punches. He's taller, bigger, and the marciano. I believe he punches harder too. By the time Liston came in the picture Marciano was already a little old. Liston's jab would decimate Marciano, though I usually route for Marciano, there's just no way he could've took on Liston or Foreman.Liston is just too big and strong.. His jab would have kept the rock off.
Anybody else I think Marciano could've given a fight to or beaten.
TommyGun7111 2 years ago
@merfissa and frazier n foreman
ichristian7575 1 year ago
@merfissa
IT COULD HAVE HAPPENED. RM RETIRED IN EARLY 56' AND BY 58' LISTON WAS ON TOP, EVENTUALLY BEATING ALL THE TOP TEN. ROCKY WOULD HAVE BEEN A LITTLE OLDER BUT IT COULD HAVE HAPPENED. I GOT THIS CRAZY FEELING THAT THE ROCK COULD HAVE BEATEN ALL THE GREAT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPS. THIS IS MY LIST:
1) MUHAMMAD OR ROCKY
2) JEFFERIES
3) LOUIS
4) JOHNSON
5) DEMPSEY
I STOP AT MUHAMMAD BECAUSE DURING THIS TIME DON KING CAME ALONG. I STOPPED WATCHING MY FAVORITE SPORT BECAUSE OF HIM.
ELVIS4221 4 months ago
@merfissa Liston was not a big name by the time Rocky retired. He did not have a lot of fight experience. And Rocky, by his own admission, was losing desire to fight. And desire was a big part of what made Rocky so difficult to beat. Had they met in 1955, I am sure Rocky would have won, as Liston was not a polished fighter at that point. Had they fought in, say, 58, Liston probably wins because Rocky would have been out of the ring close to three years.
MADMAC572 2 months ago
Good fight!
caseyjones2222 3 years ago
coool
mrtvmanSucks 3 years ago
Nice footage. Fight happened on 12/9/59. Liston had matchstick legs back then. He was about 27. Thanks for the post.
NicholasGuerrera 3 years ago 2
@NicholasGuerrera No one really knows how old he was. 27 would be a guess,There were some who thought he was considerably older
Nickcat5 10 months ago
cool.5/5.
jjmm112 3 years ago