Sonny Liston vs. Nino Valdes
Sonny Liston 211 lbs beat Nino Valdes 211 lbs by KO at 0:47 in round 3 of 10
- Date: 1959-08-05
- Location: Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Referee: Bernie Weismann 10-9
- Judge: Frank Clark 10-9
- Judge: Howard Walsh 9-10
"Sonny Liston, No. 3 ranked heavyweight, loosed a vicious barrage to score a 3rd round knockout of Nino Valdes in the Chicago Stadium Wednesday night. Liston, winning his 18th fight in a row, stunned Valdes with a left hook to the jaw. While Valdes was staggering, trying to gain his equilibrium, Liston pummeled him with a left-right combination, felling him with a sizzling smash. In the 2nd round, there was a lot of infighting and Liston's right eye seemed almost closed. Liston came peering, one-eyed, to start the 3rd round. But once he got in close, he lashed with the left hook which started Valdes to his downfall. The knockout came in 47 seconds of the 3rd round." -Associated Press
- After two completed rounds both referee Bernie Weissman and judge Frank Clark had Liston ahead 10-9 and judge Howard Walsh had Valdes up by the same margin.
Milwaukee Sentinel, August 6, 1959:
Sonny Liston, his right eye clamped tight after the first round, exploded with a furious punching onslaught to flatten the veteran Cuban Nino Valdes in 47 seconds of the third round of their scheduled 10-rounder here Wednesday night. A tremendous left hook, followed by a whistling right, dumped the trial horse against the ropes shortly after the third opened. Valdes sat there, one arm draped over the ropes until seven, then rolled to his knees where he took the full ten count. He finally staggered to his feet at 12—too late, of course. It was the third ranking heavyweight's 18th straight victory—he's lost only one in 26—and further embellished his already bright reputation among the big guys. Liston, who claimed Valdes had thumbed him in the late moments of the opening round, was still a tamed tiger in the second round, although he was getting to Valdes with his jarring left jab. But it was a different tale once the third got under way. The 25-year-old Philadelphian marched right out and started banging away. He did get hit with a stunning left hook but bounced right back with a two-fisted attack that backed his huge opponent into the ropes. Then came his dynamiting left-right combination that brought Sonny Boy his knockout. It was an impressive finish by an impressive heavyweight. The usual cry from the winner's camp was heard—a challenge to Ingemar Johansson—but he can forget about it for the time being, although other so-called challengers like Eddie Machen and Zora Folley better beware of this latest threat on the heavyweight horizon.