BoxRec

I was reading the book The Devil and Sonny Liston by Nick Tosches,
and in it he mentions that Sonny Liston's first televised fight,
which was also his first big fight and his first out of town fight,which occured at the Motor City arena in Detroit Michigan against the Michigan Heavyweight Champion
John Summerlin
June.29.1954.
Liston won,he says the fight was televised on channel WWJ-TV Detroit.as well as the rematch August.10.1954 in the same arena.(which Liston also won)
My question is,Is this fight footage still known to exist?

According to the same book,Liston's first National television exposure was on the CBS Wednesday Night Fights
May.14.1958 when he fought Julio Mederos of Havana Cuba in the Chicago stadium(KO 3)
few months later on August.6.1958 also broadcast on
CBS Wednesday Night Fights
Liston knocked out Wayne Bethea in round 1.

Liston burst onto the scene in 1953 by winning
the various Golden Glove tournaments,
including the
Midwestern Golden Gloves in Chicago(defeating Ed Sanders who won the Olympic Gold medal in Helsinki,Finland in 1952)
then winning the
National Golden Gloves Heavyweight of America defeating Julius Griffin in March 1953.
Then Liston won the
International Golden Gloves heavyweight title in St. Louis in June.1953 by knocking out Herman Schreibauer of West Germany.
I have seen some good sharp professional photographs from some of these bouts lIston won, but were they televised ?

I did some researching over at newspaperarchives.com.

The 1953 National Golden Gloves competion in Chicago was
televised.
The Heavyweight finals ,Charles Liston vrs Julius Griffin(knock-out specialist)
It was televised March.1953(Dumond Network) and boadcast(Mutal)
8:30 CST.
Also a newspaper account mentions that Sonny Liston's professional debut against Don Smith(4 rounder) was to be on the undercard of the nationally televised September-02- 1953 middleweight bout between Ernie Durando vrs Randy Sandy at the Arena St.Louis Missouri
on the Wednesday Pabst Blue Ribbon Fights.
No mention however if Liston's bout was televised.
Anyone know if any of these fights that were televised 'lost"?

This is regard to the Liston-Bethea one round knockout fight televised nationally on 8-6-1958. The stand by bout, which was then televised, featured Danny Hodge vs. Al Norris. Does this Hodge-Norris bout exist on tape?

Lidton-Griffin exists.

I believe seversl of Don Hodges amateur fights exist as well.

countjohnnyvarga wrote:This is regard to the Liston-Bethea one round knockout fight televised nationally on 8-6-1958. The stand by bout, which was then televised, featured Danny Hodge vs. Al Norris. Does this Hodge-Norris bout exist on tape?

Liston vs. Bethea is out there to buy, and must see for Liston fans. Sonny looks active & fluid scoring an impressive 1st round knockout.