Good post, Brian. I certainly have my own spiritual beliefs, but they try to portray boxers as being something othet than prizefighters.Expug wrote:Rick, I liked Liston also.And, I never thought he was as bad a guy as the press made him out to be.Rick Farris wrote:Sonny Liston - A Man . . .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jZ6e4H8f7g
One of my favorite heavyweight champs. People don't know what to make of Sonny Liston.
The righteous group condemn him as a monster. Why can't they just see him as a fighter?
Is Evander Holyfield of highter quality? Holyfield would make millions for a title bout, and then stiff his cut man (Chuck Bodak) for a few thousand.
Sonny Liston would break legs to collect a debt for the St. Louis mob in his younger days.
I'll never forget the man. I saw him up close one day, at the gym. I watched him score a KO the following thursday at the Olympic.
I must be demented, I like the Liston's and the Tyson's. You can have the Ali's and Holyfield's, too much talk of God and religeon. I don't need that from a pug.
People find religeon in a church, not a boxing arena. A time and place for everything. I've yet to meet a perfect human being, least of all in boxing.
I like Liston, Tyson, Marciano, Louis, Walcott, Charles, DEMPSEY, Patterson. I don't like any fighter today.
I enjoy watching Manny Pac, he might have done well in earlier eras, but not as well as he does today. There was a time when he'd have been just another good boxer.
It seems today boxers are trying to be sold as "gangstas" or "Choir boys". Just drop the f__king bullshit and fight. All that counts is what happens IN THE RING.
Outside the ring, a boxer's input is not required. We don't need to see them singing on stage, or leading a bible study class. Just FIGHT!
-Rick Farris
He had a beef with a cop in St Louis where the cop wound up with a busted leg. Who knows what the whole story is, but from that point on he was a marked man. When he moved tp Philly, the police had his picture pinned to their dashboards.
Im not saying Sonny was little Lord Faunteroy either. Im sure he did some bad things,including busting the leg of a police officer, but, people need to realize that when it comes to boxing, this aint a fu..in maypole dance and its participants arent coming from country clubs and tennis courts. Most fighters I know have had their share of...altercations of one kind or another. Very few of them have gone through life undamaged either before or after they started boxing.
As far as religion and boxing goes, as a practicing catholic, I respect people of faith ,but its much better when it is practiced not as a form of attention grabbing or used as an ornament. Two catholic fighters who come to mind who were good examples of strong men of faith were Tony Zale and Carmen Basilio.They werent song and dance men.
People really don't care about a boxer's education, or what church he attends, or whether they are good or bad parents.
What they care to see is a man who can physically destroy his opponent, break his will, his spirit and his body.
The boxers who do that best, are the ones that make the most money, and sell the most tickets.
We don't like to talk honestly about things like that in this country.
We prefer such deeds be accomplished by those of high moral fiber, however, isn't such as suggestion hypocritical?
All I really care about is if the guy can, and will, fight.











