YouTube - Leotis Martin vs Sonny Liston

[john2345]

Link is

http://youtube.com/watch?v=JrJDms9VCX0

Not sure if this has clip has been posted as a topic before, so apologies if so

For those who think Liston was a quitter just ask why he didn't quit after 8 rounds. And for those - like me - who think Sonny was one of the greatest heavys of all time, the interview at the end is so sad....

J

[BoxBuzz]

I have never thought of Sonny overall as a quitter, but having a bit of a bully mentality I think he was "reverse psyched" by a young Cassisus Clay who did not react to his intimidation....So Sonny (as he has stated) held a fear of Clay and Later Ali (Ali maybe even more so) because he thought he was crazy. Which led Sonny into making some foolish split second decisions and affecting his "will" to go on. Clay and Later Ali had won these fights on a mental level.

I do not think there was any other conspiratorial nonsense playing out. Liston simply could not perform in his usual manner for Clay/Ali.

Also remember that Leotis knew Sonny very well from round after round of sparring..

[Victor*KC]

When I think of Liston I think of his brutal power and That mean SOB look on his face not a quitter he took some good shots from Cleveland Williams and didn't quit.

[john2345]

So Sonny (as he has stated) held a fear of Clay and Later Ali (Ali maybe even more so) because he thought he was crazy. Which led Sonny into making some foolish split second decisions and affecting his "will" to go on. Clay and Later Ali had won these fights on a mental level

I was watching a TV program recently that dealt with some of the 1960s "happenings" in the political sphere of that time, and - even though I had grown up in that period - I had forgotten the impact that some of the events had at that time. When the program showed Ali at a Nation of Islam meeting I recalled that there were rumors in the weeks leading up to the second Liston fight that an attempt would be made to assassinate Ali....might seem crazy now but just think of JFK, RFK, MLK, Malcolm X, etc etc...

Ali came out with some line like "I'm so fast that I'll just dodge the bullets, but Liston should be worried cause he's so slow...". Also Liston's morale took a terrible knock when the return was postponed just before it was due to take place because of Ali's hernia...he remarked at the time that he'd never manage to get into such shape again, as he had really trained hard for that fight.

So I'd go along with the notion that he was out-though by Ali both outside and inside the ring....I guess we'd better not start up a thread that goes "If Liston had counselling and mental coaching would he have been more prepared for Ali?"!!

Regards, J

[silkov]

Well Liston fought with a busted jaw early in his career and overcame a busted nose in his first fight with Cleveland Williams, so he was certainly not a 'quitter' in my book... it was only against Ali that he really fell apart and Ali did that to quite a few of his opponents including Foreman...
the Martin fight was rather sad, I remember Martin being interviewd while Liston was still laid out on the ring and I found that a little distateful... the biggest irony though was that Martin was finished himself by that fight while Liston went on to fight and win his last fight...

[icejack]

Martin showed plenty of bravery in hanging in there ,must say there was something very sad about watching Liston being interviewed by Cosell who seemed almost to delight in telling Sonny how hard it would be climb the ladder to a title shot again.Great knock out though!

[bill.lockhart]

Martin showed plenty of bravery in hanging in there ,must say there was something very sad about watching Liston being interviewed by Cosell who seemed almost to delight in telling Sonny how hard it would be climb the ladder to a title shot again.Great knock out though!

Martin took way too many punches. Sonny was obviously no longer the hitter he once had been. Liston was tiring very badly & this no doubt was a contributing factor in the outcome. Sonny was literally out on his feet, prior to being ko'd. A chilling k.o.