PALS: SONNY LISTON & INGEMAR JOHANSSON!!

When things were looking dour for former heavyweight champion Sonny Liston, an offer came from Sweden. Ex-champion Ingemar Johansson offered Liston a profitable deal to engage in four bouts sometime in 1966 & 1967.
In between fights, Johansson and Liston spent much time together touring Sweden and putting on exhibitions that allowed the public to see and converse with the real Sonny Liston.
It's a story that few have heard, but one that many would benefit from hearing. Watch this video to get the details.

[@baller15g]

I hate how people today dismiss Liston. He was a true fighter. And would devour heavyweights in an era .

[@ET-RAMBLINGS]

True!!

[@EminiMagic]

And was well out of his prime before ever becoming a boxer, what might he have been had he fought in his twenties.

[@ryanarch9934]

I agree Sonny liston is the toughest fighter to ever walk this earth. His story is rarely told, his accomplishments and greatness never acknowledged. Its always Ali Foreman and Frazier not to discredit there greatness but Sonny is forgotten. Sonny listons life is the most tragic of any fighter. Brutalized by his father permanenty scared physically and mentally. Sonny was harrassed by the police, vilanized by the media put down rejected his whole entire life. All he ever wanted was for his own people to accept him, the black community rejected him and the white media portrayed him as monster. History needs to reconcile the injustice and degradation and finally give this man the acknowledgment he deserves. Sonny was a good man he spoke respectfully when interviewed he never needed to do much talking he spoke with his hands. Mike Tyson always identified with Liston as they were both from the gutter. Always a legend an unmatched force of pure intimidation and power, Prime liston beats any boxer any era nobody man enough to stand toe to toe with big bad Sonny liston.

[@frankpaya690]

It's sad that liston historically is remembered for those two humiliating fights with Muhammad Ali & not for his fights against Cleveland Williams.

[@sonnyliston8475]

Right, Liston was strong as Bull, had tremendous skills, a reach that bordered to the freakish and an iron chin.

[@bjornsundberg1947]

Thanks for remembering Ingemnar Johansson and Sonny Liston. Ingemar had a lot of business going on at that time and my father was involved in some. He moved to Florida and ran o Motel among other things. Before that he bought a fishing boat (the most modern Sweden had ever seen). Yet, I didn't know that Ingo and his business friends promoted Liston's fights in Sweden, so I appreciate very much to hear about it. Ingemar remains the greatest Swede within boxing, though he never really was as good as Liston was.

[@ET-RAMBLINGS]

Thanks, Mr Sundberg. The story of Johansson and Liston in Sweden was eclipsed by Cold War drama, Vietnam plus all the attention focused on Muhammed Ali. Now, decades later, we have Ken Brook's excellent biography of Johansson that details this story plus his life before and after boxing ... including the Florida motel episode.

[@bjornsundberg1947]

@@ET-RAMBLINGS Hi I'm so grateful that people abroad remember our Ingemar, though his boxing career was rather short.

[@frankpaya690]

@@bjornsundberg1947 He was much more famous than most other people in Sweden ever were. To get that far- or anywhere close, is something few people ever achieve in their lifetime.

[@bjornsundberg1947]

@@frankpaya690 Yes Frank you're right and it makes me glad to hear, because a lot of people in Sweden has forgotten our late champ Ingo.

[@kjetin99]

Bra skrivet! Ingemar ”slarvade” bort returmatchen i Polo Grounds. Ingemar var världsmästare i 359 dagar för att vara exakt. Lite för många exos med brorsan Rolf och snabba cash med reklam åtaganden tyvärr. Ingemar behövde inte förlorat någon match mot Floyd to be honest.

[@Arthvr451]

Wow, I´m into boxing for 25 years, and here I hear for the first time that Johansson and Listen were friends. Amazing. Thank you for sharing this!

[@ET-RAMBLINGS]

American news reports at the time did mention that Johansson was promoting fights for Liston, but they gave no details. It's a great story that's told in detail in Ken Brook's excellent biography of Johansson.

[@bjornsundberg1947]

Yes, Ingemar was known in Sweden for his funny and intelligent comments. After his devastated KO loss against Floyd in their 2nd bout a Swedish journalist asked Ingemar. "How did it feel to wake up and learn that you were no more the champ" and Ingemar immediately replied "I've woken up so many times before realizing that I was not champion of the world.

[@ET-RAMBLINGS]

Björn, thanks for this!! Mr. Johansson was very popular here in the U.S. and appeared on television often, but few knew about his sense of humor.

[@Ditka-89]

That’s actually pretty funny lol

[@k8eekatt]

"I like money, but not that much", a rare streak of wisdom!

[@frankpaya690]

I never saw that picture of the two of them comparing fists, they look about the same, I'm going to have to dig out my book from the '70s, super fists the story of the heavyweight champions, that has the tale of the tape from every heavyweight from Sullivan through Foreman and see what size Johansen's fist was.

[@abudujana13]

Thanks for the video and information, ET

[@mortimerzilch2608]

GREAT POST !!! tons of blockbuster information that is fascinating, and buried in the mist of the unknown past. Thanks a lot....many many people should watch this. Good job.

[@ET-RAMBLINGS]

Thanks!!

[@abudujana13]

Thanks for the video!

[@viciousdogs87]

That was amazing brother I thank you very much.

[@lesglover6515]

This was an excellent video thank you for making it! I had no idea such well-known people were pallbearers at Sonny liston's funeral. That just goes to show you there was a lot more to that man than most people know. I would love to see a true movie made about him and see all the crap he had to go through so people would understand why he was maybe a little more menacing than they were comfortable with. I think he was very misunderstood I would have loved to have met him in real life. I wouldn't have wanted to fight him though!! Sit across a dinner table and have a chat, absolutely so.

[@darenkitchens7522]

Excellent story, thanks for sharing

[@davidminotti8253]

Very nice story . Thank you for educating me . You also have a great narrators voice

[@ET-RAMBLINGS]

Thanks, David.

[@mariaorsic9763]

Really great honest interesting video! Thank you!!!

[@chriso1585]

Never heard about this before, great stuff!

[@MrBradfordchild]

Fantastic ! I love hearing more about Sonny! Great doco!! Being a professional tenor sax player for 40 years, I was excited to see him with a saxophone, but alas, it's staged because the fingers don't go in quite those positions. Non players would think they do. Dammitt!

[@elialeiba1344]

Amazing video

[@AIRRAID2]

Thank you so much . A swede.(subbed👍🏻)

[@ET-RAMBLINGS]

Thanks!!

[@giuseppegumina5576]

Liston Number One Forever ❤

[@user-tm2xl8jx9q]

I've always liked watching Boxing and Reading about the sport, Ring Magazine,, Boxing Illustrated, and a couple of other magazines since the Early 1960,s , Friday night Boxing was One of my favorites, And On The Weekend, ABC, WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS, But this is the first time im hearing about Sonny Liston and Ingomar Johansson having gotten together in the late 1960,s to promote some exebitions 🙏👍👍👍

[@korvstopparen]

really nice havent heard about this. Im a swedish guy from Halmstad a town on the west coast south of Gothenborg where Ingo is from. I wasnt born at the time though

[@IgnatiusCheese]

Ingo is underrated he was more interested in good food and poon than his rematches with Floyd and retired before 30

[@harryheath4279]

Into got to be in heaven for helping Sonny!

[@Ditka-89]

I think Sport Illustrated ran a cover piece on him around the time he was champion, and the author was surprised by how much dessert he was eating in training & the amount of time he spent carousing in bars. This was during his championship bout training no less

[@Da_Publick]

Good food and Poon will kill a fighter. 🤣

[@jamesmonroe6]

Good information

[@baller15g]

Hello ET, hope all is well!

[@mattiasalsander2601]

Ingemar is known as "the only champ who never trained boxing". That is of course far from the truth, but its common knowledge that he hated the training and kept it to a minimum, twice a week but no running except for the last weeks sparring sessions for the last Patterson fight according to Bosse Högberg (another swedish boxer). He loved cake, sweets, hamburgers and beer, and from the mid -70 thru the 80 and 90s he built up an impressive stomach

[@exclamationpointman3852]

Wow very interesting. GOD bless their souls.

[@gilbertobrist5675]

The story about Liston ist just crazy and amazing, in my opinion even more then Ali`s story ...

[@SurendranNambiath]

Oh Yes! Liston's story is unbelievable, even though it was not something that helped Liston in any way...

[@michaelcollins237]

clay was ko d by HENRY COOPER and clays corner cut his gloves with a razor pulling stuffing padding out of his glove FOUR AND A HALF MINUTES TO LAY ON HIS STOOL AFTER BEING OUT BY HENRYS HOOK abc cosell and others used clay to make zillions SO MANY FIXED FIGHTS

[@AXL664]

@@michaelcollins237 is that why henry was so cut up?

[@layna-heyhey]

another interesting video. Maybe Liston should get a biopic made about his life, but I don't know who could play him.

[@ET-RAMBLINGS]

Thanks, Lana. Michael Bentt played Liston in the film "Ali". Maybe there's someone out there who could pull it off today, but I don't know who.

[@layna-heyhey]

@@i-sink-i oh that sounds cool. I've seen all the Rocky movies (except for creed), Requiem for a Heavy Weight (Anthony Quinn killed it), most of Raging Bull.So I should add Phantom Punch to that.

[@SurendranNambiath]

Ving Rhames played Liston in The Phantom Punch. Rhames may well play the older Liston and I am sure we can find a suitable younger Liston as well!

[@kantovagrant3194]

@@ET-RAMBLINGS Simple, cast Idris Elba as Sonny Liston.

[@tracymurray9798]

Ving. Rhames! No maybe to a or maybe not young enuff to play that part

[@leonardomunoz4009]

I went to school w/Daniel Liston, 1977 Fremont jr high in Las Vega$. 7th grade. He told me Sonny was his Dad. Never seen him after 7th, I just found out he went back to Sweden, on f/b. To be w/his real Mom..

[@michaelcollins237]

TOONDER AND LIGHT=NING I AM 77 AND HE WAS UNDER RATED my dad and i were also big fans of sonny s thank u for this news

[@mrinalkantighosh5947]

Liston was a Boxer in true sense. I regard him.

[@BruceAChristie]

Great story about Sonny & Ingo and you’ve such a knack for storytelling. Liston was an amazing boxer and boxers like Patterson & Chuvalo knew Sonny had thrown the 2nd Ali fight. And had Liston thrown out his shoulder early in the 1st fight, in 1964? What happened in the Leotis Martin fight? Was he paid to lose? And did he refuse to take a dive against Wepner, and it ended tragically for Sonny, as a result? Would love to know the real stories.

[@ET-RAMBLINGS]

Bruce, look for videos in the next months discussing some of these allegations.

[@BruceAChristie]

@@ET-RAMBLINGS Thanks so much. Been asking myself these questions since the 60s. 😎

[@josephshields2922]

I had read that in 1962 he was campaigning for another shot at the title but after his poor performance against Brian london he gave the idea up. In 1966 there was talk about a fight against Ali but after a workout with Mildenberger he realized he was out of shape

[@ET-RAMBLINGS]

Joseph, It's my recollection that back then only two major publications (Ring magazine and Boxing Illustrated) provided in-depth boxing news. Both, on occasion, hyped a Johannson-Liston fight. I've found no info suggesting that either man considered this, and it's unlikely that either wanted it. As you point out, Johansson had fitness problems. Also, by the mid 1960s, he had several businesses going in Sweden and the U.S. It's my opinion ... as well as Johansson's ... that an even in-shape Ingemar would be destroyed by Liston.

[@joselezcano5021]

El joven George Foreman entrenaba con Sonny y decía que el único que lo hizo retroceder con su poder fue Liston. Un heroinómano jamás podría lograr éso.

[@ET-RAMBLINGS]

Se informó que Liston tenía terror a las agujas, por lo que no es probable que consumiera heroína.

[@AXL664]

Ppl say I Gemara ducked Liston but they were close friends so that’s why they didn’t fight

[@leftys408]

Fascinating piece. I admired both Liston and Ingo as fighters. I would agree, however, that Liston would have KO'd him. I have also read accounts that Ingo was a great guy, so it's not surprising he would try to help Liston.

[@matizaph]

Liston was also good friends with Cleve Williams. In the late 60's Sonny trained in Houston for a time with Foreman as did Big Cleve.

[@ET-RAMBLINGS]

Frank, one surprise in researching boxing history is discovering how well the top tier fighters knew & palled around with each other. Even Jack Johnson and Stanley Ketchel had occasional forays at various drinking spots. I didn't know about Williams and Liston, though. Thanks for the info!

[@greyghostscsa394]

Sonny is one of my favorite fighters of all time. I wish we could have seen an actual fight between Liston and Clay. Both in their prime. In February 1964 when Liston fought Clay the first time he was in his 40’s according to modern biographers. And Clay of course was 22. Not a good matchup. A fighter starts losing their athletic ability in their late 30’s. Look at Clay when he fought Trevor Berbick or Larry Homes. He was a shell of his former self.

[@gaffle7646]

1:51 JeeZuZ! 👀 Look at Liston’s FISTS compared to that other guys!!!

[@kevintrace5396]

Never dismiss sonny Liston read up on him simple

[@geraldcarter6398]

They mention the 1970 Chuck Wepner bout, but failed to mention Liston being KO’d by Leotis Martin in the 9th round the year before in 1969. Why?

[@ET-RAMBLINGS]

The vid wasn't about Liston's boxing career. I saw Martin's KO on TV and was ... like everyone ... shocked. Look for a video on this soon.

[@EminiMagic]

Had he been in his prime when he began boxing the world of fighting might have been very different. Unfortunately he started boxing in his thirties.

[@dgmr22]

Great story, really enjoyed your presentation. I think he was murdered and it really makes you question where all his money went.

[@claydogmadman6295]

I Sonny Liston had big gambling debts that he owed, not to mention the mob that was digging heavily off into his bank account as well...

[@Clipgatherer]

Ingemar Johansson vs Sonny Liston in his prime would not have ended well for Ingo. Liston was too much of a bruiser.

[@murraykelm5691]

Look at the size difference between Johansen and Lisbon's hands.

[@henrybrowne7248]

I saw somewhere that Sonny had a 15 inch fist, the largest I've ever heard about.

[@SurendranNambiath]

Thank you! I am a Sonny Liston fan, but did not know this part of his life! I'm pretty sure very few people do... In my opinion, Liston is in the Top 5 Greatest Heavyweights of all time, right there with Ali and Jack Johnson and maybe Foreman & Mine Tyson! And that is even though we never saw a prime Liston... Even today, his record of 50-4 with 39 KOs would make any Heavyweight look awesome! How tragic that he could not educate himself, had to be under the mob, that he had to struggle for a decent life even with his enormous talent, that media ran a hate campaign against him that influenced people to hate and fear him...

[@kfazzfarrell5973]

The ex- con context of that Era was palpable. The "Role model " crap was really prevalent. Liston wasn't allowed to rehabilitate his reputation after the Patterson bouts,(although he wanted to badly ) Mark Knophler's song for Sonny Liston includes a line... A criminal child wears a " ball & chain.

[@Nimvar]

Reading thorugh the comments I think people really thinka ny of them avoided eachother, well, Both of them had great courage and none would probably care who they fought. But Liston was a powerfull much bigger slugger than Marciano, don't see Rocky winning this one

[@joselezcano5021]

Y otra razón es que luego de perder ante Ali, nunca más le dieron una chance mundialista. Ni siquiera fue incluído en esos play off que decantaron en Frazier Campeón mundial. Un adicto a la heroína con más de 40 años tiene que estar todo picado y no podría aguantar una sesión de entrenamiento para un pelea de box.

[@sollykhan2385]

yes SONNY was a true natural fighter ,starting life as he did was not helpful to anyone, his age was much higher, i think he was over 45 when he fought Muhammad Ali in 1964, and then to continue until 1970 was a miracle, i really think his 'era' was in the just before and at the time of Marciano, whom refused to fight Sonny Liston, (a fact checkable in Boxing circles,as SONNY entered a gym where Rocky was training and demanded a championship fight, apparently he was shouted out of the gym!! ) i think Marciano wouldn't have lasted too long with Sonny Liston,esp at a younger age, but i guess fate had other idea's for him, what a shame he was mistreated in a thoroughly bad way, i guess he just couldn't match the 'persona' of Muhammad Ali , who appeared to be a breath of fresh air, esp concerning Politics/Race/ Freedoms and general societal disdain for anyone NOT white! R.I.P champ, there are genuine people here still, who feel that you should have got more than a mere 'crack' of the whip of equal merit in this unfair/ unjust cruel and Godless world. BLESS.

[@richardmilliken8705]

You're obviously misinformed about the fact that Liston was not even a ranked fighter until 1958. well after Marciano had retired. Rocky only defended his Title against top rated Boxers and he had already beaten ATG's like Louis, Walcott, Charles and Moore. All 4 of those fighters, excluding Ali, were better than anyone Liston fought. And it was Marciano who entered Liston's Boxing Gym, during the early 1960s, and Sonny started trash-talking Marciano and Rocky got mad and wanted to put on the boxing head-gear and fight Liston, when Sonny's handlers took him out of the gym and away from Marciano. Liston had a brutal childhood and he was hated by the media & public, and it wasn't until Liston went to prison in 1950, that he ate 3 meals/day and Father Stevans and another inmate/boxer taught Sonny how to Box. Did the white racist cops harass Sonny? Yes they did and he went to prison again in 1956 for beating the h*ll out of a cop and he threw the cop into a dumpster and took his cap & gun. Ali's style was all wrong for Liston and Sonny was close to 40 when he fought a 22 year old Ali. And that's that.

[@constantine7382]

Not true at all. When Marciano retired, Liston was 13-1 and totally unknown. His biggest win was against Marty Marshall, who also beat him. Marciano wouldn't have even known his name, much less worried about defending against him. Besides that, however, Liston was your classic bully. Not that he wasn't great but he was a front runner. He wasn't beating Marciano.

[@henrybrowne7248]

KZbin has turned me into a Sonny fan. If you watch as many biographicals as you can, you will see he was a very, very different man than from criminal brute the public believed in; including me when I was a kid, though in those days I never got to see boxing. I started seeing it on CBS around 1970, Liston was gone by then.

[@sollykhan2385]

@@henrybrowne7248 yes i agree, we all need to upgrade our severely limited knowledge of the recent past, esp historical nuggets, that created an indelible mark upon the populace , time machines are a figment of our imagination, we just got to contend with what is apparent in their respective era's with the memories and be grateful for their effort and time to register their allotted visit, 🙂

[@henrybrowne7248]

@@sollykhan2385 Yeah, though it's not easy. I'm sure you've noticed that people constantly bicker over who was the goat when it's painfully obvious someone's goat is some star they grew up with. That really 'gets my goat' . . 😁

[@frankpaya690]

Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney were good friends after Tunney died Jack Dempsey said : Now I feel alone & that as long as Gene was alive Jack felt there was somebody else that had a connection to that era along with Dempsey himself. The one about Jack Johnson and Stanley Ketchum becoming friends surprises me because Ketchum lost most of his front teeth in that fight against Johnson in colma in 1909. Supposedly Johnson was pulling broken teeth out of his glove. Lewis and a Max schmeling is another one that seems like there might have been animosity that would have lasted however. schmeling paid for part of Lewis's funeral. Max Bayer paid for primal carnaris hospitalization that lasted for weeks after they're fight. Marciano was always very gracious whenever he spoke of most of his past opponents or got together with them. Gerhard and liston fought twice, the second time two years later & the outcome basically the same. There's a picture after that second fight of gearhart holding up liston's arm in victory, with Sonny Liston- teeth missing but smiling broadly.

[@saltabiten6088]

What are my name ? As Ali said. Lewis ? Who is he ?

[@Ditka-89]

Ketchel and Johnson had been friends for years, carousing and gambling together when they were both unknowns. I know it’s difficult to fathom considering how hard Johnson decked him, but it makes a little more sense if you knew the context of that vicious blow. First off, the fight was totally fixed. They both agreed that Johnson would win and that they would stretch the fight out 20-30 rounds to make a long fight film and share the revenue together. There was zero realistic chance Ketchel could beat Johnson, he was outweighed probably 50 pounds and maybe 5 inches shorter. With that in kind, they weren’t supposed to be throwing stiff punches at each other. When Ketchel went off script and threw a strong right hand in the 12th, Johnson was extremely annoyed and surprised by Ketchel’s unexpectedly strong throw. At that point, Johnson decked him cold, more out of annoyance than genuine hostility. After the fight they still remained friends. They both made a lot of money from the gate and the fight film. There weren’t really hard feelings, especially considering Ketchel was begging Johnson for a rematch at the time of his murder. Watching Johnson’s haymaker in isolation, it’s difficult to comprehend a close friendship. But they were

[@joselezcano5021]

Siempre me pareció raro lo de la sobredosis de heroína. Un adicto a la heroína no tiene el físico que tenía Liston en su pelea contra Wepner. Ni siquiera podría mantener una carrera profesional como la de Sonny quien luego de las peleas frente a Ali continuó knoqueando gente a mansalva. Para mí su muerte debió estar relacionada a un ajuste de cuentas con la mafia.

[@perjonsson5517]

Many years ago I bought a lot of old magazines that often had storys about boxing.In one it's a lot about Liston in Sweden (where I live) and how Liston don't was a unfriendly thug.Funny pictures

[@alvilla9659]

I disagree with the book title he was the world heavyweight champion he was Swedish

[@kevindean1327]

Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor.

[@frankpaya690]

Rocky Marciano on Groucho Marx's TV show- You bet your Life was asked by Groucho if he could beat Johansson and Marciano replied if I said yes, you'd say I was bragging and if I said "no" I'd be lying.

[@Unsung_Earth]

Hello this is Peter Griffin and welcome to booktalk

[@kallenordvall]

I guess that if Ingemar had fought Sonny he’d probably last 4-5 rounds before being knocked out by Sonny.

[@constantine7382]

You may be right. But, remember, top contender Eddie Machen went 10 rounds with Sonny. He fell in One against Ingemar.

[@michaelcollins237]

HENRY cooper KOD CLAY

[@JL1990]

Ali fight was a fix don’t care what anyone says the mob had sonny

[@anthony8362]

There was nothing suspicious about either fight with Ali.he just couldn't beat Ali as George Foreman said about Sonny who was his sparring partner

[@TheBatugan77]

Two fights. Two fixes. Cut the crap.

[@garysmith5641]

I believe his wife cleaned the area . this is why we believe he was not doing drugs

[@claydogmadman6295]

Correction sir, that first fight that Muhammad Ali had with Sonny was not suspicious, it was just an all-out high-tech skilled never before seen in that era ass whooping by a man who's skill set was way ahead of his time...

[@claydogmadman6295]

And great content by the way...

[@ryanarch9934]

To be correct the first fight with Cassious Clay as he was known at the time is not suspicious. In matter of fact Sonny Liston was nearly 45 years old a Prime Sonny liston is indistructable no man alive tougher than Sonny liston.

[@claydogmadman6295]

@@ryanarch9934 You didn't know how old Sonny Liston was, and neither did Sonny himself...

[@ryanarch9934]

@@claydogmadman6295 You are right about him not knowing his own age. There is historians who have accurately traced his family roots and proof that he was born around 1920 not 1932 as was listed on the 1965 tale of the tape which would make him 45 or close to it. Clay birthdays is 1942 and is most definitely accurate making him 22 at the time. Prison records and other documents can be traced and it is simply not possible for Sonny to have been 35 at the time. That being said in the case it was accurate 35 is well past his prime. Well known fact not speculation or suspicious. He was in his 50s at time of his death in 1970. I'm simply stating facts sir, not discrediting Mohammed Alis greatness nor his legacy. I'm trying to make a point that your belief of Sonny just simply being beaten by skills and technical abilities unseen before is nonsense. Sonny liston is the toughest man who ever lived and by no means was he simply outclassed. Ali's legacy can be defined by many bouts that he proved tremendous character and skill. History will always favor the heroes not the villanized misunderstood life of a great fighter Sonny Liston.

[@claydogmadman6295]

@@ryanarch9934 Okay so I kind of stopped right when I got to the part of my belief of Sonny Liston being beat by Muhammad Ali skills and technique is utter nonsense. In other words suggesting that of Liston was in his prime it wouldn't have went down like that the way it did when he fought Muhammad Ali then Cassius Clay... Well let me challenge you on that a bit, what I would like for you to do is I would like for you to tell me one fighter or have shown you any type of footage of Sonny Liston fighting a man of Cassius Clay caliber skilled and technique... The only slickster that I can think of who was a heavyweight was Jersey back in the those early days, and as slick and good as Jersey Joe Walcott was, he was only a fraction of what Cassius Clay was in style grace and technique and amazing abilities... I want you to think of one man who came close to a Cassius Clay Muhammad Ali style just one guy who came remotely close... Sonny Liston in his prime would not beat the high-tech science of a Cassius Clay / Muhammad Ali, Muhammad Ali's era and style of boxing was just way ahead of Sonny Liston's flat-footed style... Don't get me wrong Sonny listening was very skilled as a flat-footed fighter, and he wasn't no clumsy George Foreman type by far, that man put punches together with good technique and he had a left jab that was highly powerful like a straight right hand. But I'm not going to sit here and believe that Sonny Liston would have had a better chance at that never before seen movement of a Cassius Clay...

[@bobgarrett7134]

There're many errors in this video. Liston wasn't 40 when he died of a heroin overdose. He was 38. He looked older. He had a very harsh childhood. As a teenager in St. Louis he was a thug and street criminal who committed burglaries and strong arm robberies. He spent years in prison for spiking a police officer into a trash can. He learned how to box in prison, and when he got out, he hung out with mafia hoods. He often cheated on his wife. He was an interesting man who was friendly, manipulative, and intelligent, but he was uneducated, and he lacked a moral compass. He said, "I tried to look tough to get the scare on the other guy. And the way many of those suckers fought, I guess they were scared."

[@lesglover6515]

You absolutely cannot believe Sonny Liston was only 38 when he died. Good God man everybody knows he was in his mid-40s at the very least.

[@GeorgeSwift-qj1ik]

They hung with Ingemar because he introduced them to women in Sweden. Quit bullshitting.

[@itsgleneaton4883]

I don’t give a damm what people think of me. I’m as nice as I can be and if that’s not enough to hell with them.

[@dmt9582]

Sonny Liston didn't throw anything he was beaten fair and square might I add beaten up twice by the superior fighter and that's all there is to it everything else is just clickbait and revisionist history and urban legends which is all bs. Sonny Liston a great was a great fighter but had the misfortune to run into the greatest heavyweight of all time and he was beaten twice fair and square I don't care if he had mob connections I don't care about anybody's story about him being 70 years old and blah blah blah bottom line this man met a better fighter on two nights in February of 64 and may of 65 he fought a better Superior fighter end of discussion Case Closed mic drop

[@TheBatugan77]

Fix. And another fix.

[@TheBatugan77]

@dmt Two fights. Two fixes. Cut the crap, son.

[@andykerr3803]

Boring.

[@TheBatugan77]

🖕👁️👃👁️🖕 👄 How's that? Better?

[@andykerr3803]

@@TheBatugan77 Immensely so...

[@TheBatugan77]

Since Ingemar was also buddies with Floyd Patterson, I have to conclude that Ingy was a good egg.