Just How Good Was Sonny Liston?

Answer? Very good indeed.

By Terence "One Punch" Dooley

In the week when Tyson quit on his stool the name Sonny Liston has been bandied about a fair amount, generally with a disparaging mention of his quitting versus Ali attached to it. Yet for those in the know the Liston that looked listless twice versus Ali was not the fighter who murdered the heavyweight division as a contender. Liston at his peak was a pure thoroughbred, a fighting machine who had a blend of balance, timing and innate punching power that signified him as a heavy threat to any fighter in history. Yet we seldom get to see the real Sonny Liston in the ring just as we seldom hear about the man he could be out the ring; so I want to describe a few of his fights leading up to the wins over Patterson in an attempt to inject some much needed respect into our understanding of this champion.

Firstly for anyone who has seen footage of them the two wars with Cleveland Williams are enough to set Sonny aside as a fantastic fighter, this was not the shot Williams Ali blitzed but the murderous puncher terrifying the division in much the way Tyson later would. In fight number one Sonny himself absorbed some huge shots from the heavy handed Williams, these shots would have felled most heavies but Liston not only took them he came back to take his man out with some impressive punching of his own. A rematch was seen as a must by the fans and their wish was granted as the two heavy hitters squared off again in Houston Texas. Again Sonny had to eat some big shots from Williams before he launched his own barrage of hooks and straight right hands. What is noticeable is that the young Liston had remarkably effective balance and underrated movement, he was no slickster but his footwork allowed him to weave close and stay in range so he could set up his big shots, that big right hand was always overshadowed by the left but was itself some weapon. In taking on and beating Williams Liston served notice to the heavyweight division that he was not only fearsome but he was to be avoided and respected. His next significant fight would show a new wrinkle in his armoury.

Against Eddie Machen in Seattle Liston showed that he can win via the long route against slippery opponents as well as meet fellow bangers head-on. Machen set the tone of his strategy by trying to use his speed, reflexes and skills to lure Sonny into being countered; the strategy had some effect as well as possibly giving fans a glimpse into the future dethronement of this fearsome fighter at the hands of another slick boxer. However the solid punches were landed by Liston in this fight as he again showed that he was adept at slipping punches in close whilst keeping his balance ready to launch the big shots. Machen looked a good prospect in this fight with his blend of style as well as some grit but Liston was in peak form by this time of his career and although some of the rounds could be seen as being nip and tuck Sonny was a deserving winner at the final bell. One thing is for sure; Sonny was working his way through the division to the extent that if he did become champion there would be no-one left for him to fight!

Liston eventually forced the champion Floyd Patterson to acknowledge Sonny’s #1 status with a title showdown in the Windy City; Patterson found his hand was forced as Sonny was taking out the entire division so consequently Floyd had no justifiable opponent other than Sonny. Patterson was a fighting man despite some fighting deficiencies so he probably would not have been able to ignore Sonny and sleep soundly at night. This title fight harkened back to the Jack Johnson era in that we had a good sheriff taking on a black - hat villain, only the villain proved triumphant in this fight. From the opening bell Floyd seemed doomed as it became clear Liston was shaking him with punches that connected on the arms and gloves of the champion. When the end came it swiftly showcased Sonny at his destructive best, he closed Patterson down and just ripped him apart with solid left - hooking; in slow motion replays you can see the impact the final blow had on Patterson, Sonny the villain was now the heavyweight champion. Patterson had lost his title in a single round.

There would be a rematch of sorts less than a year later and the end would again come in the first round. Patterson was bludgeoned to the canvas on no less than three occasions this time as Sonny looked to show the world that the first win was no fluke. In retrospect people bring up the weak jaw of Floyd but in these two fights Sonny took on a respectable champion and totally destroyed him in identical fashion each time; how often does this happen in championship boxing? A joke did the rounds that as fight one had lasted for 2:05 minutes and fight two lasted 2:09 minutes at least Floyd had made some improvements. A cruel joke made crueller by the fact that Floyd took two counts in the rematch so therefore there was less actual fighting time than in the first encounter.

For good reason Sonny Liston was seen as invincible during his latter contender days and brief title reign, he was a beautifully proportioned heavy with careful, shuffling footwork which did exactly what he needed it to do. At range he benefited from possibly the most destructive jab the division has ever seen, his right was not a particularly powerful shot but he delivered it heavily and with one eye on the left that invariably followed. When in close Liston employed some good upper body movement which allowed him to avoid the punches coming his way whilst he would punch away at his target with that huge left - hook to head and body. Indeed you could see the flesh of Patterson’s torso rippling at times after being caught with that left to the body, if Sonny followed this with the left to the jaw then often you could call the fight over as was the case with Floyd. Trying to find flaws with the chin of Sonny would not be easy as he took some hellacious blows from Williams in particular so maybe we should see that KO to Clay for what it was, an anomaly. All in all you would have to give Sonny a chance with all of the heavyweight icons, this makes it a shame that for most of us his career is defined by two fights which occurred when he was an old, jaded fighter disappointed with his life and his career so far.

Questions Or Comments? Please Contact Terence "One Punch" Dooley