What was going on in the life of the great Sonny Liston 47 years ago this week? Was the former heavyweight king, soon to be found dead, busy taking drugs in a fit of self pity in his Las Vegas apartment, or was the (officially) 38 year old being set up for a mob hit, with dark forces rapidly closing in? Or was Liston, by Boxing Day in 1970, in fact already dead?
Boxing History
Boxing history articles
Twenty Years later: Looking back on the Naseem Hamed-Kevin Kelley featherweight war
It is the fight HBO’s Larry Merchant called “a featherweight version of Hagler-Hearns” and it rocked New York City twenty long years ago today.
Many fans, and plenty of experts, were left in awe due to the violence, speed, ferocity and number of knockdowns, knockout punches, and sheer, relentless two-way action that was somehow crammed into less than 12-minutes of boxing.
Bonecrusher Smith: The puncher who robbed us of a potential classic and gave us a stinker
James “Bonecrusher” Smith was a late substitute when he sent reigning WBA champ “Terrible” Tim Witherspoon to the canvas three times well inside as many minutes to become the new WBA king. With the win, Smith, aged 33, also earned himself a big money fight with new WBC champion, Mike Tyson – at the same time knocking Witherspoon out of the Tyson sweepstakes.
70 years ago: The great Joe Louis has his mind set on retirement but is cruelly denied
70 years ago today, legendary heavyweight king Joe Louis, “The Brown Bomber” was edging towards what he hoped would be a happy, content and thoroughly satisfactory retirement from boxing. Louis was no ego-driven talent, forever in search of ‘one more win.’ Instead, his world title defended well over twenty times, Joe wished to call it a career and spend his time playing golf.
But, as history tells us, this is not how things transpired.
Video: Who is the greatest heavyweight since Muhammad Ali?
Muhammad Ali (56-5, 37 KOs) is widely viewed as the greatest heavyweight of all time. During his long and illustrious career, Ali has the unique distinction of being the only three time lineal heavyweight champion in the rich history of professional boxing.
George Foreman: He walked a unique path
Back in 1969, a young fighter who had managed to capture an Olympic gold medal was not assured the million dollar contracts that abound for such talent today. No, the sport was different to young talent such as Cassius Clay, Joe Frazier and George Foreman – to mention three Olympic gold medallists from the swinging sixties. Back then, a young Foreman was paid a few hundred bucks (if that) for his debut – far, far less than guys and gals like Anthony Joshua Nicola Adams, Katie Taylor and other budding superstars got when they went pro.
Video: A brief chronology of lineal heavyweight champions
In the rich history of professional boxing, there have been many champions, especially in the last 30 to 40 years when things evolved to the point where we now have 4 major sanctioning bodies. We don’t have many undisputed champions in boxing these days, and in the rare instance that one emerges, boxing politics and the corrupt nature of sanctioning bodies usually make for short-lived undisputed reigns.
37 years ago today: The infamous “No Mas” fight shocked the world
Boxing fans across the globe have asked, and will continue to ask, if Sonny Liston took a dive, or dives, in his two bouts with Ali, and to this day we have no definitive, universally accepted answer. However, there is one other fight that is still even more of a mystery so many years ater it took place. What really happened that November 25 day of 1980 when Duran and Leonard met in their New Orleans rematch?
Archie Moore: an appreciation
Has there ever been a more cerebral fighter than the legendary Archie Moore? One of the finest light-heavyweights in the sport’s long history, Moore, a master at placing a punch – hence his astonishing number of KO wins – used his brains as much as he used his physical prowess.
Smarter than his ring rivals, most of them anyway, Moore enjoyed a long, long career – during which he gave his sport some unforgettable moments.
25 years ago today: The heavyweight trilogy begins – Bowe-Holyfield and the last great heavyweight rivalry
25 years ago today, a great, great heavyweight trilogy began, as reigning and undefeated heavyweight king Evander Holyfield met unbeaten challenger Riddick Bowe in Las Vegas; the venue for all three epic rumbles “The Real Deal” and “Big Daddy” would engage in.