Sonny Liston/filmed fights 1966-1970

[Brutu]

Curious as to why a high profile fight the Liston vs Amos"Big Train"Lincoln has not been seen in years.
It was the preliminary to the closed-circuit broadcast of Frazier vs Bonavena II.
but I dont think that I have ever seen the complete Frazier vs Bonavena II bout either.

[Woller]

I have never seen Liston v Lincoln, but a full 15 rounds version exísts of the second Frazier v Bonavena fight.

Woller

[Brutu]

Has anyone here came across a tape or film of the closed-circuit telecast for the benefit for Ben Anolik?
Which featured George Chuvalo vrs Dante Cane in Toronto as the main event/
and Sonny Liston vrs Roger Rischer in Pittsburgh./KO3
It may have not been a greatest hit of Liston's but it is still history.
From what I understand it was only televised in closed-circuit and seen in the Northeastern USA and Canada .
In B/W.

In the meantime here is a link to a photograph of the bout.

http://www.josportsinc.com/catalog/view.php?id=3572

Could it be no one bothered to record the live closed-circuit event on video-tape?
I would ask George Chuvalo if he may have a copy
or maybe Ben Anolik's relatives?

[klompton]

Frazier-Bonavena 2 was filmed live, not recorded on 3/4" its unlikely Liston-Lincoln was "recorded" unless someone ringside filmed it. Chuvalo certainly doesnt have it. In fact are we certain that Liston-Lincoln was actually shown closed circuit. It was my understanding that the "double header" featured the actual live bout of Liston Lincoln after which Frazier-Bonavena was broadcast via closed circuit.

I do however have footage of Liston sparring with Lincoln, which is interesting. It was filmed before the Ali rematch in 1965.

[Brutu]

I haven't searched the web on this subject in a while,but I just came across an interesting thread from Dec-2010
on the Liston-Risher bout at Eastsideboxing.
Doesthe poster Il Duce have a copy of it?
Sounds like he is from Pittsburg and was there when the fight happened.
He also says that a local Pittsburgh Pizza chain owner promoted the fight.
If a promoter wouldnt have a copy who would?and who was the Pizza Man?

http://eastsideboxing.com/forum/showthread.php?t=278372

[Brutu]

Frazier-Bonavena 2 was filmed live, not recorded on 3/4" its unlikely Liston-Lincoln was "recorded" unless someone ringside filmed it. Chuvalo certainly doesnt have it. In fact are we certain that Liston-Lincoln was actually shown closed circuit. It was my understanding that the "double header" featured the actual live bout of Liston Lincoln after which Frazier-Bonavena was broadcast via closed circuit.

I do however have footage of Liston sparring with Lincoln, which is interesting. It was filmed before the Ali rematch in 1965.

Liston vs Lincoln (Baltimore)was the advertised co-feature and was shown as the preliminary attraction on the same
closed-circuit broadcast of Frazier- Bonavena II(Philadelpha) in the various theatres across the country with it.
But whether or not the Liston vs Lincoln was ever filmed along with the title fight or maybe video-taped or kinescoped from a monitor from the closed-circit showing, I dont know.
Was Frazier-Bonavena II shown on the ABC Wide World of Sports the following weekend?
Im sure that was shown on video-tape.
Here is a newspaper article about the bouts.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Em ... ,340987&dq

[Brutu]

On the subject of "lost" closed-circuit fights.
There was another "Closed-circuit Extravaganza", that I dont think I have ever seen any footage of anywhere.
A triple-header.
May.10.1971.
The first time 3 fights from 3 different cities were ever shown on closed-circuit.
Ernie Terrell vs Luis Pires (Chicago)
Jimmy Ellis vs George Chuvalo(Toronto)
andtGeorge Foreman vs Gregor Peralta II-scheduled 15 rounds for the"America's Heavyweight Championship"
(Oakland California)

There were shown in 120 theaters in USA,Canada and South America.
(KO Inc.)

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ni ... 6342644&dq

Reportedly the Terrell vs Pires bout was shown on delayed tape after the Foreman-Peralta Main event bout on the
West Coast due to the time difference.

[klompton]

According to a thread on ESB the Liston-Rischer fight was part of a threeway closed circuit broadcast with Chuvalo-Cane, and Backus-Cobb (although his record states Backus fought Shomo on this date).

[Brutu]

I just wonder if there had originally been plans to show Liston vs Wepner on closed-circuit?
That fight(I believe)was promoted by Loren Cassina,
who had promoted some of Liston's other fights(Liston-Leotis Martin).
and possibly a proposed Liston-Bob Cleroux, Liston-Chuvalo fight in Canada that fell through.
There was a lot of interst in the Liston-Wepner fight,Muhammad Ali was at ringside there
and a number of celebrites.
Cassina had promoted the Ali-Chuvalo fight in Toronto in 1966,
Foreman and Dick Sadler sighned a five year contract with him in January 1971,
to show fights closed-circuit(KO Inc.),which was broken and Cassina sued I believe for
the Foreman-Norton fight(I wonder if DK was meddling even back then)?
btw I just read an obit article of Loren Cassini,which said he was the only White pallbearer
at liston's funeral.

[Brutu]

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9X ... 6485297&dq

[Brutu]

On April.2.1966 Sonny Liston was up to Anchorage Alaska
and did an exhibition against three different opponents.
I wonder if that was filmed by anyone there?

[klompton]

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9X ... 6485297&dq

Good find, and interestingly if you read the article above it it states that Bob Cleroux was credited with a knockdown over Chuvalo. I was reading one of my old Ring Magazines the other day and in it in the letters section, the editor states that Bonavena was credited with a knockdown (which he should have been but I dont believe he was).

[Brutu]

Apparently Liston was scheduled to face Bob Cleroux twice,
once in Novemeber 1968 in Montreal and again the following November 1969.
Both were planned to be televised.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=3g ... 2570440&dq




August-15-1969
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=p5 ... 3014394&dq

[klompton]

I cant read french but I have the Chuvalo-Cleroux fights. When Chuvalo goes down its more of a one armed throw, which tells you how strong Cleroux was.

[Brutu]

Have you seen the Jimmy Ellis vs Geo. Chuvalo fight on tape anywhere?

[klompton]

Yes, Ellis-Chuvalo is pretty common.

[Brutu]

Ever seen Foreman-Peralta II?

[klompton]

Only training footage for it.

[evrenb]

I haven't searched the web on this subject in a while,but I just came across an interesting thread from Dec-2010
on the Liston-Risher bout at Eastsideboxing.
Doesthe poster Il Duce have a copy of it?
Sounds like he is from Pittsburg and was there when the fight happened.
He also says that a local Pittsburgh Pizza chain owner promoted the fight.
If a promoter wouldnt have a copy who would?and who was the Pizza Man?

http://eastsideboxing.com/forum/showthread.php?t=278372

Just found this....hilarious!

[Syntax Error]

Leotis Martin's KO of Liston is one of my all-time favourite KOs.

I know Liston was probably around about 86 years old, but for Martin to do that to someone like Liston was phenomenal.

Nobody ever did that to Sonny, not even Ali.

[Caractacus]

here is the 11 minute version of Sonny Liston vrs Amos Johnson.
August-19-1966 Gothenburg Sweden.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zUJ8Wd-4FQ

[evrenb]

here is the 11 minute version of Sonny Liston vrs Amos Johnson.
August-19-1966 Gothenburg Sweden.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zUJ8Wd-4FQ

And btw - if you look at Klomptons post from 2012 he clearly states that he has the Elmer Rush bout 'almost complete' -

[Caractacus]

here is the 11 minute version of Sonny Liston vrs Amos Johnson.
August-19-1966 Gothenburg Sweden.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zUJ8Wd-4FQ

And btw - if you look at Klomptons post from 2012 he clearly states that he has the Elmer Rush bout 'almost complete' -

Yeah.so what and your point is ?
THen why didnt he post a link back then so that WE could all watch it then (like I just did)and not just him
so he could privately watch in his den room along with his secret stash of Rembrandt paintings collection no doubt.

[evrenb]

here is the 11 minute version of Sonny Liston vrs Amos Johnson.
August-19-1966 Gothenburg Sweden.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zUJ8Wd-4FQ

And btw - if you look at Klomptons post from 2012 he clearly states that he has the Elmer Rush bout 'almost complete' -

Yeah.so what and your point is ?
THen why didnt he post a link back then so that WE could all watch it then (like I just did)and not just him
so he could privately watch in his den room along with his secret stash of Rembrandt paintings collection no doubt.

Did you get my PM mister angry?

[Caractacus]

Here is a link to some high-lights of Liston's comeback fight of July 1966 some 14 months after after the debacle in Lewiston Maine .
In it he looks really rusty ,almost like he couldnt hit the backside of a barn door with some of the punches he had thrown.
(unless he was trying to miss on purpose?)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_unzUbJ7rU