BoxRec

I have a fight provider in the States that has a very extensive list, & that includes a lot of rare sparring footage of many great champions. Says he has never come across Liston-Foreman. I'd love to get my mitts on it also.

Foreman claims he sometimes sat & wrote things down Liston would explain to him, or just things he saw Liston do that he would make a note of without saying anything. It's indeed interesting to think what he picked up. You don't see a lot of similarities in the ring. Foreman is far more energetic in there, particularly early, though both had a history of early-round KO's. Foreman had a great jab until he began to neglect it, but it really wasn't utilised in any way resembling what Liston would do.

I think maybe their styles differed more than people notice.

I think he learnt some things that are obvious.

He learned the power of the jab, he threw it different to Liston, but he himself has one of the sports best.

In regards to Foreman, who really started the sport at a late stage, he certainly was surrounded by alot of great men. Dick and Sandy Saddler, Archie Moore, Joe Louis and Sonny Liston who no doubt influenced him and helped move him along quickly as a tremendous HW.

I really am desperate to find some sparring sessions between some of the greats, would be such a damned good thing to watch.

Kym

You think Foreman started late? He was only twenty. Holmes, Marciano, Liston, Holyfield, Bowe, Lewis, Norton, Frazier all started at a later age. Among his contemporaries, only Ali was younger at the time of his pro debut.

Unless you're talking about his amateur career?

Foreman may have learned bad habits from Liston. I remember after Ali beat Foreman a friend of mine said "How could Ali beat Foreman?" I said "Probably because Foreman fights like Liston."

Both men had a walk-up style that suited Ali.

As for Ali sparring with Ellis? They were lifetime friends. Ellis was a professional middleweight when Ali was still an amateur. Ali was famous for "diving" in sparring sessions to cause excitement. When they fought for real, poor old Jimmy was not in it.