Sonny Liston vs. Amos Lincoln

Sonny Liston 216 lbs beat Amos Lincoln 209 lbs by KO at 2:46 in round 2 of 10

• Date: 1968-12-10
• Location: Civic Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
• Referee: Benny Goldstein

"The manager of losing fighter Amos (Big Train) Lincoln was embittered Tuesday night, after Lincoln was kayoed at 2:46 of the 2nd round by former heavyweight champion Sonny Liston. He was mad at referee Benny Goldstein who kept the fight going after Lincoln's second had thrown a towel into the ring, a symbol of surrender. Liston hurt Lincoln with a left hook and then knocked him onto the canvas with a three-punch combination midway through the 2nd round. Lincoln rose dazedly and his handlers threw in the towel. But Goldstein chose to ignore the towel, and Liston finished Lincoln quickly with a hard left hook that left Lincoln slumped over the lower ropes for three minutes. Doctors and seconds finally revived him and he left the ring under his own power." -United Press International

• Liston was scheduled to fight the next night in a three round exhibition in Las Vegas. A benefit card for former middleweight Ferd Hernandez, who had undergone an eye operation.
• Liston was guaranteed $35,000 of the closed-circuit TV money and Lincoln was guaranteed $7,000.

Post fight comments

• "The referee must've been blind not to see he was helpless." -Heywood Jones, manager of Amos Lincoln, on the referee ignoring the towel.

• "I knew the boy was in trouble with that last left hook. The last two times he boxed he just didn't seem sharp to me and it looked like the fight had just better be stopped then and there." -Jim Dudley, the second who threw in the towel.

• "I'd get on a plane to Philadelphia tonight for the chance." -Sonny Liston, when asked if he would like to fight the winner of the Joe Frazier-Oscar Bonavena title fight, which was taking place that same evening.