I believe Mr Liston was never given half a chance in life from childhood. A sad misunderstood dude. Seems the only real love he had I life was from the priest. But he will always be one of the greats
Thank you for the video! I follow all Liston videos, but had never seen this one before! If only Philadelphia had given Liston the hero's welcome that he deserved, after he took the title from Patterson, I am sure we would have had Liston free from the mob and the reigning Heavyweight Champ for a lot longer!!
Surprising how big Louis looks. Of course he bulked up as a middle-aged man, but I expected Sonny to look more massive. Excellent, extended interview, given how reserved Sonny could sometimes be. (He's also affable in the newley colorized interview also available here). Jimmy Jacobs was really in his element--the expert who greatly admired fighters but who also knew who he was and treated them as equals. Both Louis and Liston felt relaxed around him.
Many great points! Same i a way i also expected liston to be bigger. That Jacobs managed to get a friendly atmosphere with liston also speaks volume since he didnt have that with many
I don't think enough people truly appreciate how dangerous and intimidating Sonny Liston truly was. If people take the time to look beyond the two fights with Ali, they'll see that this guy had a devestating jab and he hit like a truck.
Sonny is a great boxer. His performance was really amazing back then. Ali made him got hated by majority of people. If he fights Ali during his prime, he would’ve injured him too.
My 2 favourite American heavies together here. Joe Louis was popular with former opponents and the then current heavies.He was boxing royalty. Poor old Sonny got dealt some shitty cards and had the mob leaching off him worse than at any time since Primo Carnera was champion. In the 80's it wouldn't have mattered at all that he had a criminal record, it was almost a prerequisite. He probably peaked between '58 and 60 when he smashed aside all the contenders that Cus D'amato wouldn't let Floyd Patterson fight. Liston beat Nino Valdes, Eddie Machen, Cleveland Williams and Zora Folley who all deserved a shot
@@CC-ff7ft I have often wondered how Frazier would have faced a prime Liston. Hard body shots all round by both men. Joe wouldn't have quit. I think Sonny's long left hard jab would have given him the edge. Sonny 60-40 for me. I would like to know your opinion please.
What a lot of people don't understand is that Sonny was number one rank contender for a while in could not get a tittle shot..By the time he fought Ali he was while past his prime..We really never got to see him in his prime..
The low point in Liston's career had to be after winning the championship, he returned to Philadelphia but there were no crowds to greet. him at the airport.
Jimmy Jacobs was more of a Howard Stern than a Howard Cosell, Sonny didn't take the bait and responded with good comebacks. I think Sonny got comfortable once Joe Louis got in there with him.
Assolutamente no. Sonny si copriva le spalle, dopo gli allenamenti, non per sembrare più grosso, era comunque quasi sempre più grosso di tutti i suoi avversari tranne forse Cleveland Williams e Ed Sanders, lo faceva solo per trattenere il calore corporeo ed evitare che la sua enorme massa muscolare si raffreddasse. Insomma era una precauzione che serviva solo a prevenire gli infortuni.
Liston was obviously a very solidly build man, but I remember an interview where Angelo Dundee talked about how Liston liked to come into the ring with a lot of towels over his chest and shoulders, in order to make him look even bigger and wider than he actually was. Angelo then went on to say something to the effect of, once Liston took his robe off, you could see that my guy (Ali) was almost as big (and Angelo might even have said his guy was even bigger). Weights and genetic body composition can be deceiving. Similar to how, back in the day, George Foreman was perceived as a giant, however, if I recall correctly, when Ali and Foreman fought, there was only about a 6lb weight difference, whereas some might have assumed there to be a 15 or 20lb weight difference. Point being, it seems Ali was bigger than he appeared on TV and LIston and Foreman (while both large, solidly built men), were not as big as they appeared on TV.
With Mike Tyson whenever he got with an opponent that Tyson's people underestimated and who hadn't believed the press releases Tyson didn't do so well, I'm talking about against Hollyfield and McBride.
he would have obliterated Cassius Clay if the fight wasnt rigged, cause it 100% was and you can clearly see he is a totally different fighter in those 2 fights than all his earlier fights
Infelizmente ele não foi aceito pela sociedade e não conseguiu superar essa questão. Ele deveria ter tido essa chance. Não foi o que aconteceu. É uma pena!
My opinion as a very old fight fan ,,,,average boxer and excellent street figher is,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Sonny Liston fought Clay twice and,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,there is no way that Sonny straight up lost either fight,
Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee ahhh rumble young man rumble float like a butterfly and sting like a bee just wait till you see Muhammad Ali 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
The guy interviewing sonny Liston is Jim Jacobs. He was a member of Mike Tyson’s championship team. Many people do not realize that Jim Jacobs was a handball champion now you think handball that’s not a big deal. Handball was a big deal because a lot of boxers used handball in order to get in shape for flights because it is a very taxing sport. Jim Jacobs was a very tough guy who later amass the largest boxing library on the planet, and that library is now owned by Mike Tyson.
who would win joe louis or sonny liston? i am not sure because sonny liston hit really hard but joe louis hit hard too and his hands would follow you like missiles
Ali tore this man down with trash talk Sonny Liston never had the money that Muhammad ali.the mob took all Liston money.The man of the people rip Sonny Liston
Sonny Liston said Cassius Clay fight Williams before I give you a shot at the title. Cassius Clay didn’t want to step in the ring against Williams until a .357 magnum brought him down physically & in conditioning. The standard of Liston is his demolition of Williams. Only Liston could determine the outcome of the title fight between him and the then Ali.
@@LegendsofBoxinginColor makes sense. Ali had a better mouth, and could sell more tickets, and make more money. After the 1st loss they saw that Ali could make the money
@@LegendsofBoxinginColor It was not fixed directly but it was fixed to make sure Liston was not cut physically or in condition to deal with Clay at that time. He realised very quickly that he needed to be optimum in those levels to beat Clay. To why I say Clay never faces off against a optimum or prime Liston in the 1st fight. It was done systematically and also the demoralised feeling of no one accepting him as Champion did not do well. It’s the same as Buster Douglas beating Tyson. Good on him for doing so, but imagine Douglas facing a Tyson of Michael Spinks or Tyrell Biggs bouts, then that upset loss or win would never have happened.
See they asked Liston how would you compare Cassius Clay to say Cleveland Williams. That’s proof that Williams was definitely 2nd to Liston at that time period.
@@LegendsofBoxinginColor Even Ali trainer Angelo Dundee said to Johansson, when they were sparring against Ali for the up in coming final fight in 1961 against Patterson. Don’t land your right hand punch.
its a shame all his credibility goes out the window when he fights ali and puts something on his gloves to screw with ali's eyes .. cheated and still lost. then he threw the 2nd fight. hard to have respect for that.
I have to disagree, Liston was in fear for his wife and children in both of those fights. The black muslims were known to follow through on their threats. I have no reason not to believe the experts at ringside in the second fight.
I agree!....in fact the whole sham was bankrolled by The Ultra-Secret Jack Ruby Slush Fund which was also responsible for Michael Jackson's facial surgery....KEEP INVESTIGATING!!!....THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE!!!!!!!
Boxing T-Shirts👕 LegendsofBoxing.redbubble.com
Liston was a nice guy. He tried to reform himself. The people didn't respect him.
It was sad.
Rip i visit your rest when I go to visit my daughter
Typical story of the black man in Amerikkka
Sonny Liston, much misunderstood champ and the great Joe Louis, rest in peace
Very misunderstood he wasn't the bad guy that the media made him out to be
When he came collecting, he was most understood.
The interviewer later on became co manager for Kid Dynamite
Sony Liston you are legend
This interviewer had an interesting persona. Confident, friendly, good questions.
Jim Jacobs, he later became a manager of Mike Tyson
@@LegendsofBoxinginColor Thought he looked familiar.
Never knew that was Jim Jacobs 😄
@@TFB97 the more you know
@@TFB97 In the pre-closed circuit and PPV era, Jim and Bill Cayton were the leading distributors of fight films.
I believe Mr Liston was never given half a chance in life from childhood. A sad misunderstood dude. Seems the only real love he had I life was from the priest. But he will always be one of the greats
Thank you for the video! I follow all Liston videos, but had never seen this one before!
If only Philadelphia had given Liston the hero's welcome that he deserved, after he took the title from Patterson, I am sure we would have had Liston free from the mob and the reigning Heavyweight Champ for a lot longer!!
Sonny Liston was a class act, definitely a great fighter to watch very misunderstood 💯💯💪🏾💪🏾
These boxers went through so much shit!
Surprising how big Louis looks. Of course he bulked up as a middle-aged man, but I expected Sonny to look more massive. Excellent, extended interview, given how reserved Sonny could sometimes be. (He's also affable in the newley colorized interview also available here). Jimmy Jacobs was really in his element--the expert who greatly admired fighters but who also knew who he was and treated them as equals. Both Louis and Liston felt relaxed around him.
Many great points! Same i a way i also expected liston to be bigger. That Jacobs managed to get a friendly atmosphere with liston also speaks volume since he didnt have that with many
@@LegendsofBoxinginColor Liston was 6'1 but had an 84 inch reach, he was average height but his momentum.
@@kantovagrant3194 yeah crazy reach. But what i meant was more that listons body doesnt look that wide next to louis
@@LegendsofBoxing liston had big legs, probs helped him punch even harder
A prime Sonny liston would have beaten Cassie Clay. He was a old man
I don't think enough people truly appreciate how dangerous and intimidating Sonny Liston truly was. If people take the time to look beyond the two fights with Ali, they'll see that this guy had a devestating jab and he hit like a truck.
The guy was true definition of a lion.
Bear.
Bear+lion+kingkong+Godzilla and every other terrifying thing
Sonny is a great boxer. His performance was really amazing back then. Ali made him got hated by majority of people. If he fights Ali during his prime, he would’ve injured him too.
In this first fight against Liston I don't think I ever saw Ali have better speed or reflexes or better movement.
He needed it to win for sure . It wasn’t gonna be power that got him out of that ring ‼️‼️ i do love Ali but I wish Sonny Liston got more talked about
My 2 favourite American heavies together here.
Joe Louis was popular with former opponents and the then current heavies.He was boxing royalty.
Poor old Sonny got dealt some shitty cards and had the mob leaching off him worse than at any time since Primo Carnera was champion.
In the 80's it wouldn't have mattered at all that he had a criminal record, it was almost a prerequisite.
He probably peaked between '58 and 60 when he smashed aside all the contenders that Cus D'amato wouldn't let Floyd Patterson fight.
Liston beat Nino Valdes, Eddie Machen, Cleveland Williams and Zora Folley who all deserved a shot
Facts
Sonny was one of the bests rip
I would say that the two Cleveland Williams fights proved that Sonny Liston could definitely take punishment and keep coming.
Thanks for the video, LEGENDS OF BOXING IN COLOR
Ole Jim Jacobs. Greatest boxing historian ever
Terrible biased commentary on those old fights
@@Bruins-vq5ey You motherfuckers even complaining about commentary from 100 years ago when the man is dead. LOL.
Great quality
The Interviewer is Tyson's Future Manager, Jim Jacobs.
Bloody hell,so it is!
Great video
Thanks!
Great video thanks
They were good tough men God Bless them all
I am glad Liston at least made it to the top. It was short lived but he has been gone 50+ years and still is talked about
A man for the little people the man just wanted to get out of poverty the mob took it all away rip sonny Liston
That's Jim Jacob's Mike Tyson former manager doing the interview
Sure is
And the owner of all the original fights dating back from Jack Johnson right through to Tyson before he passed away. RIP
His legacy never die.
You are our champion.
Prime Joe Louis vs a prime Liston would be a great fight.
Yesss
I think Louis would have won with his superior defense. It would have been tough. I also think a younger Louis could have beaten Marciano.
@@saleemkirmani5583 I'd say a younger prime Louis beats Rocky. I can see Liston beating Rocky
@@CC-ff7ft Yes, I think so too.
@@CC-ff7ft I have often wondered how Frazier would have faced a prime Liston. Hard body shots all round by both men. Joe wouldn't have quit. I think Sonny's long left hard jab would have given him the edge. Sonny 60-40 for me. I would like to know your opinion please.
What a lot of people don't understand is that Sonny was number one rank contender for a while in could not get a tittle shot..By the time he fought Ali he was while past his prime..We really never got to see him in his prime..
Ali harassed Liston outside his own home to hype the fight. Not cool. And not the only time Ali disrespected an opponent.
The low point in Liston's career had to be after winning the championship, he returned to Philadelphia but there were no crowds to greet. him at the airport.
He was 45 years old his sister confirmed it and noticed he didn't deny it
No he's 36 tops his year of birth is anywhere form 1928 to 1936
Jimmy Jacobs was more of a Howard Stern than a Howard Cosell, Sonny didn't take the bait and responded with good comebacks. I think Sonny got comfortable once Joe Louis got in there with him.
Its jimmy jacobs
Turned out that Liston became the heaviest hitting fighter of all time,
RIP, Jimmy Jacobs.
Rip sonny, he was awesome But Ali is THE Greatest 👑
Wielki Sonny Listonie i niezrozumiały Joe Joe Louis wróćcie na ziemię
Notice how Sonnt has put towels around his neck under his gown to make himself look even more intimidating.
He does this for most face offs as well. He puts a lot of towels under his robe
Assolutamente no.
Sonny si copriva le spalle, dopo gli allenamenti, non per sembrare più grosso, era comunque quasi sempre più grosso di tutti i suoi avversari tranne forse Cleveland Williams e Ed Sanders, lo faceva solo per trattenere il calore corporeo ed evitare che la sua enorme massa muscolare si raffreddasse. Insomma era una precauzione che serviva solo a prevenire gli infortuni.
Liston was obviously a very solidly build man, but I remember an interview where Angelo Dundee talked about how Liston liked to come into the ring with a lot of towels over his chest and shoulders, in order to make him look even bigger and wider than he actually was. Angelo then went on to say something to the effect of, once Liston took his robe off, you could see that my guy (Ali) was almost as big (and Angelo might even have said his guy was even bigger).
Weights and genetic body composition can be deceiving. Similar to how, back in the day, George Foreman was perceived as a giant, however, if I recall correctly, when Ali and Foreman fought, there was only about a 6lb weight difference, whereas some might have assumed there to be a 15 or 20lb weight difference.
Point being, it seems Ali was bigger than he appeared on TV and LIston and Foreman (while both large, solidly built men), were not as big as they appeared on TV.
Ali was Huge, his muscle make him look smaller than he is because he isnt that compact like liston. Liston is also tiny next to Joe Louis
Who is the interviewer. He had Louis and Liston super comfortable. From the few ive seen of Sonny, he didn't like interviews much
Jim jacobs
@@LegendsofBoxinginColor the Mike Tyson Jim Jacobs?
@@tonypaella yes
Sonny Liston Number One Forever
Wow! Even Jim Jacob's looks like he's around 5-2 220lbs. Liston looks 5-6 260lbs. Settings adjustment needed.
Sonny would have absolutely damaged Mike Tyson period
With Mike Tyson whenever he got with an opponent that Tyson's people underestimated and who hadn't believed the press releases Tyson didn't do so well, I'm talking about against Hollyfield and McBride.
Tyson got beaten by every fighter who wasn't scared of him and fought back with maybe the exception of Bruno
Hell no
Haha stop it!
he would have obliterated Cassius Clay if the fight wasnt rigged, cause it 100% was and you can clearly see he is a totally different fighter in those 2 fights than all his earlier fights
Sonny sounds like he has been on the Bob Hope
The body ratio difference in between the two guys😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
It's a SPORT and championship fights cause championship belts to sometimes change hands...
His hands looked like baseball mitts.
U dont want to get hit be those
Liston was a good human
Too bad he faltered at the end
Ali would never again face anyone as good as Liston.
George forman
Big George foreman
Cassius clay didn't fight a late 1950s / early 1960s younger sonny liston,, 1960s Cassius clay vs 1971 Joe frazier
George Foremam, Joe Frazier, Earnie Shavers, Larry Holmes, Ken Norton?
Not of one of these legends finished high school and I'm talking the brilliant mind Jimmy Jacobs too.
Infelizmente ele não foi aceito pela sociedade e não conseguiu superar essa questão. Ele deveria ter tido essa chance. Não foi o que aconteceu. É uma pena!
Sonny's shoulder 😅
The Mt Rushmore of boxing: Ali, Louis, Tyson + one more?
It’s crazy to think this guy dies 6 year later after this interview. Life is so dang short man!
Especially if you have connections to the mob
He was murdered by the mob. The mob took him over in St. Louis. He had No chance your Damm fool idiot
@@LegendsofBoxinginColor please colorize the second Paterson Liston fight.
@@michaelares4240 its on the channel
My opinion as a very old fight fan ,,,,average boxer and excellent street figher is,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Sonny Liston fought Clay twice and,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,there is no way that Sonny straight up lost either fight,
How old was Liston there, honestly?
38-41 i guess
If America just accepted liston he would of become such a different man
Liston górą
Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee ahhh rumble young man rumble float like a butterfly and sting like a bee just wait till you see Muhammad Ali 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Like a fool he sat on his stool
Where is the Ali interview????
Taken down by official boxing gods. He takes down all Ali and Tyson videos on TH-cam
Well that SUCKS
The guy interviewing sonny Liston is Jim Jacobs. He was a member of Mike Tyson’s championship team. Many people do not realize that Jim Jacobs was a handball champion now you think handball that’s not a big deal. Handball was a big deal because a lot of boxers used handball in order to get in shape for flights because it is a very taxing sport. Jim Jacobs was a very tough guy who later amass the largest boxing library on the planet, and that library is now owned by Mike Tyson.
the library is not in tysons hands that part is not true
😮volver al teléfono normal
Who is the interviewer?
who would win joe louis or sonny liston? i am not sure because sonny liston hit really hard but joe louis hit hard too and his hands would follow you like missiles
I would pick Louis. Liston hits harder but Louis is more technical
@@LegendsofBoxinginColor yess
The most interesting fight is to watch how Joe Louis disposed of Max Baer
Sonny is probably the most disrespected champ of all time.
Ali tore this man down with trash talk Sonny Liston never had the money that Muhammad ali.the mob took all Liston money.The man of the people rip Sonny Liston
Sonny Liston said Cassius Clay fight Williams before I give you a shot at the title. Cassius Clay didn’t want to step in the ring against Williams until a .357 magnum brought him down physically & in conditioning. The standard of Liston is his demolition of Williams. Only Liston could determine the outcome of the title fight between him and the then Ali.
Liston victory over Williams is for sure his best win. I dont think that the first Ali Liston was fixed, but i think that the second one was fixed
@@LegendsofBoxinginColor makes sense. Ali had a better mouth, and could sell more tickets, and make more money. After the 1st loss they saw that Ali could make the money
@@LegendsofBoxinginColor It was not fixed directly but it was fixed to make sure Liston was not cut physically or in condition to deal with Clay at that time. He realised very quickly that he needed to be optimum in those levels to beat Clay. To why I say Clay never faces off against a optimum or prime Liston in the 1st fight. It was done systematically and also the demoralised feeling of no one accepting him as Champion did not do well. It’s the same as Buster Douglas beating Tyson. Good on him for doing so, but imagine Douglas facing a Tyson of Michael Spinks or Tyrell Biggs bouts, then that upset loss or win would never have happened.
Clay never avoided Williams coming up the ranks. Stop the fake bs.
@@clevelandwilliams5922 No version of Liston beats Ali 1964-67
only if he didnt got into the mob if he had good people around about him how this man would of been
Anyone know the name of the interviewer?
Jim jacobs
See they asked Liston how would you compare Cassius Clay to say Cleveland Williams. That’s proof that Williams was definitely 2nd to Liston at that time period.
Williams was definitely one of the best at the time, but very avoided. Fighters like Floyd Patterson werent going near him.
@@LegendsofBoxinginColor Facts!
@@LegendsofBoxinginColor would you blame him after tasting that murderous & thunderous straight right from Johansson. He was aware of punchers.
@@clevelandwilliams5922 not pattetson fault per say, his manager trainer Cus just was overly protective
@@LegendsofBoxinginColor Even Ali trainer Angelo Dundee said to Johansson, when they were sparring against Ali for the up in coming final fight in 1961 against Patterson. Don’t land your right hand punch.
Liston used a liniment that hurt clay on the 5th
its a shame all his credibility goes out the window when he fights ali and puts something on his gloves to screw with ali's eyes .. cheated and still lost. then he threw the 2nd fight. hard to have respect for that.
Liston was a great fighter, but his attempts at trash talk here are hilariously bad.
He had some better ones. Look it up on this channel
He did not trash talk you fool
So he wasn’t in shape bullshit
He got injured mid fight
Sonny in his prime would destroy anyone.
Ali beat Liston twice.......enough said
.
I have to disagree, Liston was in fear for his wife and children in both of those fights. The black muslims were known to follow through on their threats. I have no reason not to believe the experts at ringside in the second fight.
I agree!....in fact the whole sham was bankrolled by The Ultra-Secret Jack Ruby Slush Fund which was also responsible for Michael Jackson's facial surgery....KEEP INVESTIGATING!!!....THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE!!!!!!!
La Mafia ha battuto Liston, non Clay!
@@EminiMagic oh please, don't make me laugh 😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄🌎😄😄😍. Just beat it, I quests they threatened Joe Frazier also
@King of kings you do know Sonny was part of the mob, right? Those 2 fights have a lot of missing answers