Sonny Liston vs Roy Harris 1960

Sonny Liston (212lbs) vs Roy Harris (195lbs) fight for a shot at Floyd Patterson's heavyweight crown.

[@raiders-ny6cx]

Sonny showed total class after whipping Harris. He went over and patted him on the back and talked to him for a few seconds. No taunting or anything like that. Total class.

[@Adam_of_All_Trades]

Met Roy at my hotel tonight. He is 82 now and loves talking of his career as well as the other accomplishments of his life. Very wonderful man and friendly.

[@yanni1036]

+Adam Spencer I always liked the town name Cut n Shoot which Roy made famous. He was an excellent boxer and I'm glad he's doing well. God bless him.

[@yanni1036]

+Adam Spencer Thanks Adam. I've always wonder how he's been since he fought for title. He and Cut N Shoot will not be forgotten.

[@checkerslane]

+Adam Spencer Wow....record your conversation with him next time and post. i would love to see

[@kesten1754]

Adam Spencer my dad and his sons are friends! I know Mr.Roy he is a great guy

[@shagg420gaming6]

I met him to he gave me a few boxing tips he is my grandpa

[@MasterFatness]

Holy shit, just take a look at Sonny here. He is a wall of thick muscle. Props to Roy Harris for taking this fight.

[@PhilAndersonOutside]

Harris had a hell of a lot of guts to even get into the ring with Liston at this time in Sonny's career. No one wanted to fight Sonny then. No one.

[@mikewhitney8615]

I wanted to fight Sonny. Signed, Muhammed Ali

[@babyjoker5395]

Ali beat him, and I'm not of fan of either one.

[@mikewhitney8615]

I wanted to fight Sonny, and I enjoyed it! Signed, Muhammed Ali

[@fitzgeraldanthony9333]

You're right. At this point in his career no one wanted to go 2 miles within Listons radius. Ali didn't come into the picture till years later when Liston was not at this form again. As a contender NOBODY wanted nothing to do with Liston. Ali was fortunate he caught the diminishing, aging version. He also caught a totally washed up version of Cleveland Williams who was involved in two wars with Sonny when both were prime bulls and contenders. No one can predict the outcome in stone as to how Ali would have done when these two men were in their true primes but He would not have had an easy day at the job with either two.

[@PhilAndersonOutside]

@@fitzgeraldanthony9333 Excellent post. Ali probably would have beaten them both, especially Liston, as styles make fights. Ali's head movement took away Liston's best weapon, his powerful jab, and Ali's footwork exposed Liston's slow feet. Liston was a tougher fighter than Williams (which says a lot!) but Williams could box, and throw left hooks, which would have caused Ali some trouble. Saying Ali’s best win was over Williams is like saying Larry Holmes best win is over Ali. Or Mike Tyson's is over Holmes.

[@LimitedNewsCorp]

Getting in the ring with Liston in those days was beyond bravado,

[@mikewhitney8615]

I enjoyed getting in the ring with Sonny. In fact I never had so much fun, mocking him and laughing at him. Signed, Muhammed Ali

[@verscarii3238]

@@mikewhitney8615 Weirdo

[@PhilAndersonOutside]

This was near the end of Liston's prime, and both Patterson and Johansson had entirely ducked him. The Liston that Ali fought four years later was showing signs of age, and didn't take Ali seriously. The 2nd fight he took a dive (obviously), though he would have lost anyway.

[@mikewhitney8615]

@@PhilAndersonOutside Ha! Keep making excuses for your quitter.

[@joshuatree5620]

@@mikewhitney8615 in the same way people make excuses for Ali losing to Frazier because of his exile,Liston was past his prime when he lost to Ali.

[@paraconti]

Sonny was a monster! His jab felt like a right cross, and his body blows could shake a concrete building. He was one of the best.

[@henrybrowne7248]

I agree.

[@SangpuiaMualchin]

Sonny was left handed

[@dalemclachlan]

What dignity these men showed. A different time, a different set of values to their modern day counterparts. Liston was a beast. So sad his life turned out the way it did. Most only remember his defeats to Clay / Ali but he ws much more than that. One of the true Heavyweight greats,

[@michaelcollins237]

Sonny took two dives against the weak punching Clay Sonny did not lose pal

[@henrybrowne7248]

I love your comment. Spot on.

[@MrKeepnit100]

He was a devastating champion a lot of people forget that at that time he was considered invincible because of his destructive power. People only see the Ali fights.

[@largelester]

just like a 22 year old Mike Tyson had no trouble with a 37 year old Larry Holmes

[@beatlejim64]

He's defined by the Ali fights in 1964 & 1965. He's known as the man who QUIT while sitting on his stool against Cassius Clay in Miami in 1964...and taking a dive up in Maine against Ali in May 1965.

[@loyaldude10]

unfortunate that is how Liston is largely remembered. and he was definitely older than 32 (listed age) when he first fought Ali. What a devastating puncher though

[@frankpaya690]

@J Rock and if it wasn't for organized crime controlling Liston.

[@mikewhitney8615]

Sonny never fought anybody worth a damn until he fought Ali. He never fought Frazier, who would have smoked him; he never fought Foreman; he never fought Jimmy Young. And don't bring up the paper-jawed Cleve Wms or the Rabbit Floyd Patterson.

[@spockvskhan4561]

Roy was a referee in Brazos County " Fight Nights" very nice man. He is also a very patient man and a good person. Mr. Harris thanks for reminding me it was a boxing match " this is not a wrestling match son" thankfully I survived and won my bout against a Corp.of Cadets.Naval Marine. vs Texas A&M Boxing--Go Aggies!!

[@keithandrews1307]

Did that referee really pull Harris up after the second knockdown? Freaking unbelievable!

[@henrybrowne7248]

Yeah I saw that too! Looked like shaky refereeing to me . .

[@nielsph5725]

Much has been said about Listons age. A chap beneath mentioned Liston was around 33 years when he fought Ali. Nw pay attention please: A doctor who examined Listons corpse after he was found dead in his house in 1970 estimated Listons age to approximately 50 years. This can be verified in a docu which can easily be found here on youtube. I don't recall the name of the docu. Now, assuming this is correct, which I personally think is very plausible, then Liston would be around 44 years when he lost to Clay/Ali in their first fight. I think a young Liston would have mopped the floor with Cassius, frankly. So there you have it: Most of Listons famed fights was fought when he was over 35 years old!!

[@stevenyourke7901]

Bullshit. Liston didn’t know his true age but he wasn’t off by ten years. A year or two at most.

[@stevenyourke7901]

@기분이 나쁠 때 Liston didn’t fake his age. He didn’t know his age! Best estimate is he was born in 1928 or 29. So he was around 24 or 25 when he turned professional.

[@TheBatugan77]

@@stevenyourke7901 Cut the crap.

[@TheBatugan77]

@@stevenyourke7901 Liston was 45 when he fought clay.

[@stevenyourke7901]

@@TheBatugan77 Are you really this ignorant?! So he must’ve been around 25 when he ran away from home, left his father in Arkansas and joined his mother in St. Louis and enrolled in grade school! And I guess he was around 30 when he first got arrested and was sent to prison. Yeah, right! Liston didn’t know his own birth year and he couldn’t read or write but he wasn’t a complete moron either.

[@uncjim]

I don't agree with Jimmy Jacobs here. Sonny didn't take 2 to get one in, like Joe Frazier for instance. In retrospect, Sonny was a pretty good defensive fighter who was skilled at slipping punches. Thanks for the video. It's outstanding.

[@tadgerdavidson5377]

watch Sonnys head movement v Cleve....he was the greatest

[@patmccormick9972]

As reluctant as I am to also presume to disagree with him on this, I do.

[@marcxopoco]

Liston's best weight was 212. So many clueless comments here.

[@theparalexview785]

Roy Harris was a skilled technician, typical of the best Texas boxers of that era. Good jab, good read on opponents. Watch the third round against Floyd Patterson. Roy reads Patteron's pattern of dipping and nails him with a short uppercut. But both men were too small for Sonny Liston. That was the end of an era for heavyweights under 210 lbs. Harris would have been very competitive in any era of cruiserweights.

[@risboturbide9396]

Thank you for this upload!

[@shagg420gaming6]

Roy’s my great uncle I met him at a lot of family gatherings

[@cet0708]

Liston had an underrated jab in my opinion. The man had pretty nuts reach (84' .... I think) and had some power behind them. They didn't have the snap of a quicker fighter, like Ali, Liston's jabs thudded into you.

[@lI_Demonata_Il]

He has the best jab in hw history in terms of power. It's the only thing about him that's not underrated.

[@deacontheseer4804]

We wow look at the shoulders on Liston unbelievable especially in 1960

[@mikewhitney8615]

Shoulders don't mean anything. There are NFL players with bigger shoulders but they wouldn't have a chance against a professional boxer.

[@waynedenson7508]

@@mikewhitney8615 Like I indicated earlier you do appear to despise Sonny.

[@gaffle7646]

Liston had the largest reach / arm span ratio EVER in boxing. 84”

[@lloydkline1518]

Sonny liston looks invincible & bonecrushing punching power 1960;; muhammad ali very lucky he didn't face sonny liston in 1960 Olympics ;; or 1960 sonny liston bonecrushing punching power & speed 1960 in 1964 match

[@AsRealAsItGetsBoxing]

listons arms are the size of my legs . unbelievible how he was able to hit so fast and sharp.

[@shangpush]

Liston didn't hit Harris when he "slipped" onto one knee. Admirable sportsmanship.

[@apomtaylor8054]

the media always had me convinced that he was some monster with no respect, but in almost everyone of his fights i have seen he has showed great sportsmanship (Williams and Patterson fights)

[@robertdecker4780]

Jake LaMotta did that with Eugene Hairston. Except, Jake gave him a Very Light Pat,to which the crowd responded with a resounding ovation of applause.

[@GiangoPT]

In 58' I honestly don't know if Clay could have survived this fight. Sonny was simply from another planet.

[@abudujana13]

Thanks for the video, KYM ROBINSON

[@JakeWMorgan]

My cousins mom takes care of mr Harris he’s 86 now his birthday is coming up soon

[@mitchellarnold8522]

Happy birthday

[@hdmc100]

Liston hits could be heard after 56 yrs blowing like thunder,his blows were "menacingly "near to a horse kick... Ali was full of guts at the age of 22 determining to fight the BEAR how sad Liston was stigmatized by media,and under estimated after his defeat by Ali...

[@largelester]

not sure Ali would have won if they were both 37 or 40 or however old Liston was for their fights

[@djangorheinhardt]

Err..in the case of the Clay/ Ali fight.... "defeat "I would say is being rather cavalier with the implied meaning of the word."Business arrangement" would be a rather more apt description of the fight.Ask Ash Resnick the owner or frontman if you want ,of a well known Casino ,who was in Liston's dressing room before the first Clay fight.

[@razorblade4645]

@@largelester Ali would win if they were both in their primes, but it would be much closer.

[@lloydkline1518]

@@razorblade4645 1958/ 1962 sonny liston vs Cassius clay 1960/ 1962 I see stretcher & smelling sauce for Cassius clay especially 1960 Cassius clay;;1962 sonny liston vs 1962 Cassius clay be nice draw; laugh laugh or white flag or towel ;; Cassius clay

[@lI_Demonata_Il]

@@lloydkline1518 Why can't you call him muhammad ali?

[@loyaldude10]

Sonny also had the biggest fist for all heavywt champions. He was meant to be a fighter

[@Nickcat5]

He demonstarted courage alright(Harris) Getting into the ring took guts!!

[@marmocarr8529]

liston was 601,218,31 inch waist,,huge shoulders,84 inch reach,,,huge fists,, those measurements would allow him a chance against anyone,,prime years 1958 to 1968,,,,only fought 4 rounds in 3 1/2 years prior to clay fight,,woman, nightclubs etc ,grew old overnight,,,all great heavyweights have a 4 year window of greatness

[@dempsey981]

Totally different Sonny than the Ali Sonny,hand speed and SNAP is evident where it is absent in the Ali fights.

[@MarcosSantos-gh8jp]

+dempsey981 LIston was clearly past prime and untrained in both Ali fights.

[@TEDDYBEAR-dc4xg]

Especially the Sonny that beat bad mother Cleveland Williams, when Cleveland Williams was the real Cleveland Willams before he got shot by the cop with that magnum and,, almost killed. Nobody would beat that Sonny. Sonny was getting up there in age when he fought Ali but Sonny was still a great boxer. Sonny dove twice. The money was with Ali who was yiung and had the personality and the gimmick to sell fights. Sonny lacked that. Sonny was the best all-around heavyweight that ever was like Joe Louis said. Sonny was just too tough for his own good. Didn't have the smarts of Ali. A hell of a story Sonnys' story.

[@loyaldude10]

Sonny dove in the 2d Ali fight. in the 1st one he was just outboxed and beaten cleanly, as he was pretty old--listed at 32, but 34-36 in reality

[@saneee2495]

Ali was just different. Got under his skin

[@MohammadAli-gy8jf]

@Dennis you have no proof of that. Any one who watched the first fight well realized that Ali won fair and square.

[@deepcosmiclove]

Sonny got beat up. Look at the film. It's all there.

[@shagg420gaming6]

I met him at a forth of July party that my grandpa Andy Harris took me and my grandma to he gave me a few boxing tips he is a very nice man

[@chuckcollins2349]

Imagine 1919 Dempsey vs 1959 Liston

[@jerrylanglois7892]

Liston -- too strong for 190 Dempsey.

[@beatlejim64]

@@jerrylanglois7892 There was no quit in Jack Dempsey...there was in Liston!!!

[@beatlejim64]

@J Rock 1919 Dempsey was not a quitter...Liston was!!!

[@jerrylanglois7892]

@@beatlejim64 Well, maybe so, but dempsey never fought the likes of ali.

[@frankpaya690]

@J Rocktwo little? You don't know much about Dempsey's fight history, do you? Willard was six foot six, and outweighed Dempsey by 70 lb.Dempsey gave Willard the worst beating a fighter ever received in heavyweight boxing history. Dempsey fought in 1923, a fighter named Luis Angel firpo, who was much bigger than Dempsey.and knocked Dempsey out of the ring, Dempsey beat the count to get back in the ring, and knocked firpo out.

[@kentishtowncowboy]

A crushing victory by Liston over Harris. People overlook how good he was because of those 2 contests with Clay/Ali.

[@Ready4Whatever]

kentishtowncowboy yeah, casuals

[@JeffaHensley]

Nobody with any boxing sense “overlooks” how good a fighter Sonny Liston was. It’s obvious he was skilled, and gifted. If anything, it’s BECAUSE Ali was able to defeat Liston that he’s considered to be so great. No one else fighting at the time could have beaten him.

[@Rockroi]

Interesting all the comparisons to Tyson. The man doing the commentary is Jim Jacobs- one of Tyson's original backers (along with Cus D'amato and Bill Cayton).

[@deepcosmiclove]

Liston got his face punched in. There are cuts and big bruises under both eyes. He was defenseless in round 6. That's why he "tanked."

[@rudeboy6627]

gentleman at war. Much respect for both boxers!

[@robertdecker4780]

What's the commentator's name calling this boxing match ? I've heard this guy before, and also I've seen that one brief interview that he had with Muhammed Ali back in the 1960's.

[@gameday26]

liston was called a quitter against clay. no one ever mentions the fact that Cus D'amado wouldn't let Patterson near him in the late 50s. I wonder why i never hear Johanson, and Liston in the same sentence either? Johanson wanted no part of liston. I never hear Patterson-Cleveland Williams in the same sentence. how about Johanson- Williams? i just wonder why not. Liston waited for years for a title shot

[@bandit7498]

@seblasian Not to butt into you guy's argument, but the shots that hurt Ali at the end of that 3rd round were indeed uppercuts. In the film you can see Ali's back against the ropes and Liston unleashed a couple uppercutts that appears the penetrate his guard. Ali holds on, but doesn't appear to be in any serious trouble.

[@BloozeDaddy76]

I am a Liston fan. Sonny was the Mike Tyson of his day, a lethal puncher who knocked out most of his opponents in the first round. I still think the two losses to Ali were fishy. Even after losing those two fights, Liston went on to win 14 fight in a row before dying in 1970.

[@michaelcollins237]

Take it easy pal

[@joegould4829]

That jab was like a telephone pole.

[@mikewhitney8615]

That jab never touched me. Signed, Muhammed Ali.

[@Robstailey]

sonny essentially knocked him out on the first punch of the fight.

[@kirklandau2826]

Haha surely... just survival mode after that. Semi-concussed show of heart, they let it linger so that it wouldn't be too crushingly quick (first punch... damn). The "finish" was basically full loss of body control. The savagery of old-time boxing was unmatched. This white man was fighting on spirit alone, for pride and manhood, some supernatural force keeping him standing and still fighting back on instinct with all the illusion of a boxer still in control of himself and well within the match. Likely bolstered by the energy of the crowd too (deeper psychic energetics perhaps fueling him forward via sociocultural biases). But Liston landed a soul-shattering, *FINAL* hammer of apocalyptic Black doom, and it was nothing short of utterly definitive in effect... man went down in humiliating fashion, ragdoll-style, like a "boi" collapsing on more levels than one. Nothing against him, he got back up, and it was all honorable, but one thing was clear... Sonny was the man, on a whole different level. Liston was a goddamn warlord in the ring, initiating a whole new era - one there wasn't any going back from. In the 1950s, Civil Rights Movement was starting to really come to a boil in American culture and Liston was right at the center, nexus, pinnacle, target of it all... a widely despised (even if silently/secretly/quietly) and the "great white hope" phenomenon began among racist society, and Liston was the archetypal punisher of that nonsense. There was likely division among white society between those, of a younger generation who supported or appreciated Liston as a boxer and were fascinated by him as a man, cultural icon, and HW champion, and those of a older generation who generally saw him as summing up the trend of boxing's increasingly Black takeover in stardom and champions and top contenders and phenoms. And boxing wasn't going to die out overnight in American cultural significance, so they just had to deal with it all, with very mixed sentiments.

[@johnwtanneriv]

@danadana77 Liston's three best wins other than Patterson were this one and fights against Cleveland Williams and Zora Folley. Liston was great in his prime, but no one can really say how great. When your best wins were mostly against fringe contenders, I have a hard time calling you GOAT. He seems as formidable on paper as anyone ever, with his superhuman wingspan and viscious power, but I don't think he has the resume to back up any claims like that. Quitting on the stool, like he did

[@frankjaeger393]

Got to remember the context Liston was in, he was hated, a target of police, chased out from where he lived to Texas, no recognition as champ, made no money, constant racism, he thought he could change it all when became champ but he was still hated. He fought with that shoulder injury for years also, it just wasn't worth it for him anymore and who could blame him why should he for people who hate and abuse him.

[@ultramine75]

RESPECT......from ALGERIA

[@MrKeepnit100]

it would have been interesting to see a Liston Frazier match up circa 1968

[@rotichawal6697]

Frazier would win

[@TaylorMade229]

@@rotichawal66971968 Liston gave Foreman all sorts of hell. He'd murder Fraizer.

[@antiteroristickejedinicepo4830]

@@TaylorMade229 Liston never fought Foreman and when they spared Foreman was 17 years old not even mature and that dosen't prove anything! Mac Foster knocked Liston cold in sparing!

[@lloydkline1518]

@@TaylorMade229 sonny liston took George Forman to boxing school ,, Sonny liston was the instructor ; George ; student

[@lloydkline1518]

@@antiteroristickejedinicepo4830 old& rocking chair sonny liston: 1962 or younger sonny listen sparing partner stretcher * smelling sauce & body 🎒bag

[@seblasian]

@bandit7498 I see what you mean but last time I checked that happened halfway through the round, maybe 2 mins in. And like you said he never really looked hurt, if he was he recovered very quickly.

[@williambeekman5383]

Sonny was great , my favourite boxer of all time

[@jzw1953]

Floyd Patterson did not have a good chin. Needlesss to say could never see him beating Rocky.Liston vs. Marciano would have been a classic,surely would have never gone past 5 rounds

[@dallaskenn]

Why did they send up Harris to fight Liston? This was a slaughter.

[@markmcc78]

he went twelve rounds vs floyd patterson! amazing.

[@jerryashlock5519]

Harris was really a middleweight and a fighter with tremendous heart .. the reason for this fight was the fact that fighters ducked Liston for the obvious reason of his power-punching and ring skills ..which were formidable . Sonny is in the top 5 of the best heavyweights of all time. Keep in mind that mob control of liston and of boxing at this stage led to the career demise of this great boxer. Another factor to consider about Liston is that he was much older than what they reported to the public... The man lived two lifetimes in his time... RIP to the great Charles L. "Sonny " Liston ...

[@POTATER1228]

@TommyGun7111 they're compared as both had power, intimidation, and an aura of invincibility, during their best years

[@edwarddeitch8886]

Liston was one of the all time greats. It is a shame that a racist media and racist police departments wouldn't let him live down his shaky past. He tried and they broke his heart.

[@sethmatthews3869]

Roy harris goes to my brothers boxing gym and he thought me a few tips

[@tomcarney6703]

This is when boxing had real hard men

[@youlosez]

Wow good sportsmanship. What happened to that now a days?

[@aqaaba]

great fight

[@Cerl84]

how they get roy to step into the ring is remarkable.

[@kentishtowncowboy]

Liston showing himself to be the thoroughly dominating fighter that he was prior to Clay/Ali. Harris completely out of his depth and he was likely concussed by the Left Hook that caused the first knockdown. Great commentary by Jimmy Jacobs. Great post. Thanks.

[@JeffaHensley]

kentishtowncowboy Harrrs wasn’t “out of his depth”, he simply couldn’t take the kind of power punches that Liston threw in those days. He boxed well enough, landed a few good punches himself, but Liston was “out of most people’s depth”, including Cleveland Williams, who could throw serious bombs himself.

[@johnwtanneriv]

@QRF11B I scored the Jones bout 7-3 Ali. Frazier's corner threw in the towel after the 14th round of the 3rd fight, hardly a fight "given" to Ali. These are typical anti-Ali arguments. People who don't like him, or maybe just don't like his style of fighting claim every sort of close decision should have been a loss, but the fact is they were wins. Resume is about W's and L's, not could haves and should haves. Whether you win by 1 or 100, so to speak, doesn't factor in much to me.

[@leonardcharles59]

Liston was a great fighter. Unfortunately,he fought Clay/Ali who just refused to be anything but heavyweight champion of the world. Liston hurt him a few times in their first fight,but Ali was young and strong,and I don't think Liston or his cornermen knew just how determined or even good he was. Liston gave away his belt,on his stool...it was one of the most bizarre moments in boxing history!

[@michaelcollins237]

Sonny took two dives against powder pillow punching Clay

[@leonardcharles59]

The comment is an accurate one, not about about Clay's punching ability but his determination ,courage and belief in himself. Why then should anyone give your comment more validity than mine, which you choose to ignore ?

[@MrGecko587]

mate Ali wasn't the best look up sugar ray Robinson before you comment. Ali even admitted that sugar ray was better

[@mikewhitney8615]

Tyson Fury is better than both.

[@Richdanahuff]

@awwwboys The business side of the pros is what kills the excitement of competition.

[@Orangewind]

It's been said it depends on who you were/are and how you treated him. He had some issues though; everybody does.

[@MartialAerts]

Yeah. He's also been described as a man with a good heart, but without sense of right and wrong, and without self control. It's also been said that alcohol brought out the worst in him.

[@ReemusBoxing]

I have breakdowns of sonny listons skills, come watch

[@TEDDYBEAR-dc4xg]

Man, Sonny was one hell of a technician of a fighter with tremendous power to knock you out just with his jab, which was the most vicious jab in the history of the heavyweight division. He had a great left hook as good as the best around, he had a right as good as anybody and, he had good movement and, wasn't slow at all. He wasn't as fast as Ali, Patterson or Larry Holmes, but he was fast. George Foreman was slow. Ali himself said Sony was one of the greatest technicians in the history of heavyweight boxing. Ali could be onorthodox on how he would leave himself open for a left hook but. having the nasty habit of leaving his right down. Ali made of with his speed though. Again Sonny had it all, he had the reach and could cut the ring down and fight boxers or sluggers. He was the best there was but, Ali had the personality to sell the sport. So Sonny had to go. Those two fights were two jokes. The secound one in maine was the biggest freakin joke in the history of proffesional boxing. In spanish we got a saying 'the more you stir shit, the more it stinks' Those fights stink like hell. SONNY LISTONS' BIGGEST FAN.

[@wakaka2waka]

Nice, we need someone like Lawrence Kenshin's equivalent in boxing breakdowns.

[@SuperAttitudeera]

Quite the opposite, Liston didn't know how to cut the ring. Watch the Ali match or any other match for that matter and you'll see he just follows opponents around and doesn't cut the ring when he should.

[@fistofate]

Liston didn't have the fighting heart that many others had... but he sure had the skills.

[@kirklandau2826]

Who the hell are you to say he didn't have the "fighting heart"? Liston was known to fight through a match with a broken jaw, fought top contenders with different types of varying challenges, and never seemed to back down or shy away from either a technical boxing match or a slugfest... to Liston it was one in the same, classic boxing in legendary Golden Age form, like jazz. Liston was a force of nature, didn't get hit much because of his range and his footwork and his natural and fluid head movement, but when he got hit, it didn't seem to phase him very much either. When Liston was in his prime "apex" form as a boxing titan, you can't question his heart, because he was a champion "that nobody wanted" as the history recalls, and never got his proper dues or glory because of his race and his image and the sheer power of his boxing ability. There was no crowd cheering him on, no support... he was a loner, a warrior of the night-train (reference to a favorite song of his), got by with mob affiliations, relegated to the darker, seedier, underbelly of society, despite being a seemingly friendly person. Heart is to rise up to the circumstances of the society and culture and environment surrounding you and to not let it drag you down, but rather, to rise up, against all odds, and become a legendary mythical HW boxing giant for the ages. One of the greatest ever. That's a legacy forged in the ring, a legacy forged by consistency, focus, well-honed aggressive instincts, commitment to aptitude and skill, intelligence, cerebral and technical approach, yet to have the warrior spirit to always match the opponent head-on and back them down and destroy them mentally and physically, even when the crowd stares at you like a monster or a freak of nature, or your opponent sees himself as an underdog or hero taking on some kind of unnatural villain... Liston had the HEART to know who he is deep down, in spirit, soul, character, who he is as a man, and what he's capable of persisting through, what he's capable of overcoming. Being around the mob means he's probably seen some rough and fearsome stuff. Murder, robbery, extortion, etc. Liston always held his own, as a man and as a boxer. The spirit of a lion, the aura and presence of one... certainly heart. Again, faced the most elite contenders of his days and never backed down or picked and chose his fights, never was daunted or exposed in the ring. If you refer to peak Muhammad Ali, that's something different altogether. Just a cosmic passing of the torch from one generation to another. Liston was getting old and was well past his prime by that point. He had slowed down and Ali was the young, fast, powerful, athletic, skilled, phenomenal star on the rise, arguably the greatest HW ever. An aged Liston met his match in a prime Ali, and that's all there was to it. Styles make fights as well. Liston had a style that destroyed most classic older boxing styles, but not the dancing, floating, mobile style of Ali with crisp counter-striking and jabs with angles and constant footwork. Ironically, Liston was caught in between. He used jabs and mobility and footwork and headmovement somewhat like Ali, but he was a larger man, not quite as fast. He pressured forward and could bang, club, hammer, and pole-rod at long, medium, and close range like a prime Foreman, subtly cutting off the ring and ready to go punch-for-punch with the utmost confidence, working his way on the inside, trapping opponents, catching them flat-footed at awkward angles, or punishing them for bold forays of offense. And like Frazier he had a hellacious left hook with perfect punch mechanics, and a supernatural sense of rhythm and timing, a cool, offbeat, syncopated sort of awkward boxing style that was hard to time or get a handle of. All of these things are daring ways to express yourself in the ring, to defy the stereotype of just being another big brutish brawler and return to the Olden Era classic ideal of matching innate physicality with refined athleticism and sharper intuition and intelligent tactics/strategy and crisp technique/skill... all in a natural, fluid manner. To be a great boxer, embodied, personified, in the act, to such destructive and definitive results for history's record, against society's will and expectations of you (psychic energy is real, the collective unconscious is no joke, it's like a matrix which can bog you down and rein in and limit your energy and the possibilities with which you manifest). All great boxers and athletes in general in American culture, where the spirit of the wilderness and raw survivalism never quite left the land, even where high culture tries its best to sublimate it.... all of them had heart. To be a BLACK boxer and athlete of seminal historic importance, an all-time-great, during this period, that... IS HEART, if nothing else. So the ignorant insults are derogatory and uncalled for.

[@martinlutt]

This is why Cus D'Amato didn't want Floyd to fight Sonny. He mowed down all the contenders. Eddie Machen, who got KO'd inside of a round by Ingo, went 12 rounds with Liston by staying outside, using that long jab and rarely trading.

[@sugarlanskee8]

@MrRoyalFatness The bravery of our BFF, the "keyboard warriors," never ceases to startle.

[@bencarter8362]

Sonny Liston would have defeated all those guys of the ring...including Jack Dempsey,Rocky Marciano and Joe Louis...he would have dropped everyone of them!

[@djangorheinhardt]

Agree 100%.

[@Richdanahuff]

@TheRichmich I suppose if Tyson was fighting cruiserweights like Liston I mean when you are 215 and dwarf your comp. Tyson on the other hand was dwarfed by his comp. I wonder if you mean that Liston who quit against Ali he he was a lighter uncommited puncher.

[@DrLoverLover]

Why the fake commentary??

[@hoam26973]

I'm Friends with roy's granddaughter!

[@apomtaylor8054]

you hitting that dawg?

[@Kohl423]

Noticed that the Referee helped Roy up from the second flooring otherwise Roy would have been counted out.

[@RuaTheRapoet]

Kohl423 Yes. It looked in fact like Roy had come to and didn’t really want to get brutalized more, but the ref was like ‘No I won’t let you end it in embarrassing fashion’

[@tellthetruthg]

comon liston was a mob fave for takin dives

[@trentcleghorn6840]

If you know boxing even A little you know Sonny's in the Heavyweight top ten Imagine him in with Fury or Wilder how would either keep Sonny off!?

[@genericgeorge]

There's many parrellels between Liston and Tyson life. It wouldnt surprise me if he died at a young age like Sonny.

[@dirtyjew1974]

dont get me wrong, liston was strong but he appeared even stronger than he really was because most of the guys he fought were so much smaller than him, marciano on the otherhand fought all bigger men and with the same result, better even considering the rock wasnt beaten!

[@deepcosmiclove]

Yes, you are right Sonny had the longer reach 84 inches to 78. I never knew that, as Sonny fought so compact. However, Sonny still got beat up in both fights; the 1st round of the 2nd fight being just like the 1st round of the 1st fight; Clay scoring heavily and easily. Sonny didn't come out in the 7th round because he was not used to being beat up; I'm sure he was never beat up in his whole life until this fight.

[@martincosby9743]

This is not true. In fact Liston had a history of battling through adversity. In one of his earlier fights, his jaw was broken in the first or second round yet he fought to the end - his only defeat up until Cassius - and it took him 6 months to recover. Liston also tended to take many shots himself in order to throw his own. Just look at the huge shots he took in the Cleveland Williams fights - and notably in the second Floyd Patterson bout, he takes a huge blow to no effect whatever. Watch the videos and you will see that Liston never even blinks and some of those punches are serious! This is why the so-called phantom punch from Ali is such nonsense in my view. Both the Clay and Ali fights are highly suspect in so many ways

[@kirklandau2826]

@@martincosby9743 Liston was much older by the time he faced Ali... plus Ali was at his supreme peak. Might've been a passing of the torch moment. Like a giant transformer tower transmitting electrical energy to the next tower in line. An interaction of energies. Old lion meets new, in archetypal dimensions. Cosmic forces interact. Ali's legacy is born in mythical cataclysm, passionately passed on like a torch having been kept alight by Liston for a decade of grueling dominance, fostering the beginning of a movement/cause, now used to light a giant sociocultural pyre of social change and spiritual ecstasy. From the beat generation Lone Warrior in Liston to 1960s counterculture in Ali. Culmination of the times and the movement. The zeitgeist reaching an exact point.

[@Richdanahuff]

@Boxing426Fan Thats not true his measured 14 1/2 and Listons measured at 15

[@raymckenzie8938]

Sonny was in perfect shape

[@lloydkline1518]

Young sonny liston cleaning house in the heavyweight boxing division 1950s / 1962 & before ;; original invincible & bonecrushing punching power; wish Cassius clay would've fought younger sonny liston 1960/ 1962 ;; different outcome & results

[@boss089]

@Maryjaneslave Because he was the best of all the time

[@johnwtanneriv]

@danadana77 against Ali, granted he was a bit past his peak, isn't something I would ever think of for the GOAT. Even if he was a couple years removed from his peak, quitting on a fight and possibly throwing another one knocks him out of the discussion of greatest for me.

[@SuperGetitgotitgood]

poor little white boy,,,, Sonny had 17 pounds of muscle and about a 10 inch reach advantage.

[@Richdanahuff]

@awwwboys What Tyson kept his hands high. here is a spin if Liston couldn't take Alis shots and yes there was alot of damage on Sonny after the 7 rds what makes you think he could handle Tysons power. I don't understand Liston power was displayed against small underpowered fighters however you rate the stength of the last 25 yrs of fighters even though they were fighting real heavies. How can they be compared?????

[@loyaldude10]

Liston certainly had much better boxing skills. Tyson was a swarmer. Would be an interesting match. Difference between the 2----Liston reformed himself after gaining notoriety, (although cops harassed him and he was connected to the Mob). Tyson destroyed himself by not staying out of trouble.

[@Bucketheadhead]

I'd say Frazier was more like Tyson, powerful little brawler. Liston...well there's not many people we can compare him to, just a pure power puncher who'd smash ur face into a pulp. Maybe Valuev, but not really.

[@joeschmoe9154]

Sonny was a big heavyweight for his era, If you combine that with him being a good athlete he was just able to pound smaller guys out. More that half of his opponents weren't over 200 pounds.

[@rotichawal6697]

Some of his opponents were significantly bigger and stronger than him

[@RandyNewmanFan]

17lbs of muscle advantage- not necessarily a skill advantage here

[@lionelwitherspoon5410]

boy you dont know boxing, just a white boy making excuses

[@paraconti4738]

Gee Liston's jab looked as if it had the power of a right cross. How demoralizing for Harris!

[@mikewhitney8615]

Liston wasn't powerful for me. Signed, Cassius

[@kingdarius1991]

@TheGatorfan93, no, why dont YOU watch the fight, the only reason that ali had to hold on was because sonny cheated and put some hot liquid on his gloves, so when he got close to ali, he rubbed his gloves into alis face, causign his vision to blur

[@Verminator4]

It really grinds my gears that great boxers like Frazier, Foreman, Liston and others are only talked about as footnotes to Ali's career. All three of those guys would have easily demolished most heavyweights fighting today in very short order indeed. Liston in particular had a hard time, having to deal with terrible racism and being branded by the media as the "bad guy", but overcame it to win the title. And even now he gets no fucking respect because everyone's too busy jerkin' it to Ali.

[@kirklandau2826]

It's really only appreciation of all the names you mentioned that made me finally appreciate the greatness of Ali. But most people, like you say, have no context or perspective

[@seblasian]

@TheGatorfan93 Here's the link: watch?v=lp0RdiW8-bQ&feature=related feel free to tell at what point exactly you think Ali was 'holding on for dear life', lol.

[@gameday26]

Gerry Cooney was way bigger than Micheal Spinks

[@deepcosmiclove]

I guess you didn't watch those fights or if you did, you missed what was going on. Sonny, bless his heart, got beat up badly; cuts under the eye, black eyes and swollen eyes. Ali was full of shit but he was too fast for Sonny and with a longer reach and vast height advantage just beat him up.

[@djangorheinhardt]

Eh?

[@andrelebaron]

and clay had fought a lot more rounds than frazier in the year and a half leading up to their fight. He was ready. fuck that apologetic "layoff" shit. Frazier was more likely to had to shake off rust than ali.

[@Richdanahuff]

@awwwboys Liston never fought Johanson the most powerful guy he ever fought was probably Williams and he stopped him early but then again Ali did also. I am not a Tyson fan per-sey but I do know how special he was as a fighter as long as he was managed just like anyone else. Sonny only KO'd 39 out of 50 wearing horse hair 6oz sol levinson gloves that had less protection than todays MMA glovves on the nuckles...how do you suppose those 11 undersized fighters got past his jab

[@richardmilliken8705]

You're 100% correct, Johansson & Cooper were the only 2 top ranked Heavyweight Boxers from the late 50s - early 60s that ducked Sonny Liston & Cleveland Williams. Patterson ducked Sonny for 6 years before he dropped Cus D'Amato and agreed to fight Liston in 1962 & 1963, in which he was KO in the 1st round in both fights.

[@POTATER1228]

@1899sharkey Come on Liston was ALWAYS slow. I mean for a heavyweight his left hook was pretty quick, but that was it. Liston was billed as 29 for his fight in 1964, but was probably closer to 32. Sure thats when you start to peak, but he wasnt shot. If I remember, he had a 14 fight winning streak after his Ali fights.

[@frankpaya690]

O-only his "left hook" was "quick", I bet you could have taken him . And yes after the Ali fights, he only lost one other fight, to a former sparring partner, named leotis Martin. It was probably the only time Liston was actually ko'd. A sparring partner would have had a hell of an advantage, in knowing any weaknesses Liston had.ironically though leotis Martin never fought again after his fight with Liston, do to a detached retina he suffered in that fight.

[@BruceAChristie]

Liston’s grave reads 1932 - 1970, but some writers state that 1932 is not a certainty. His birth records are uncertain and he might have been born before 1932. Try receiving a definite answer on when he was born and you will discover the facts are hard to find.

[@veridicusmaximus6010]

Liston looks twice as big as Harris.

[@russellcampbell9198]

Sonny was much fitter on the way up to the title which he should have held a lot earlier.

[@paulweir7122]

Notice again, all you Liston knockers, his gentlemanly behaviour.

[@Kedbuka]

@Richdanahuff: You overrate Tyson. He was no "evolution" or anything of the sort, IMO. He was a slow-footed, quick-handed power puncher who used upper body movement to slip punches. Big deal. Liston, a far more sophisticated offensive & defensive fighter, would've handed Tyson a sound drubbing. That power jab would've kept Tyson off-balance and the power shots to follow would've put Mike on the deck.