Did Liston take a dive in Ali 2?

[JAB5239]

No, Liston didn't take a dive. He was waiting for a count so he could maximize his recover time. Walcott didn't give him one so he didn't get up. Then Walcott let's someone else outside of the ring tell him the fight's over and waves it off without counting to 10. Walcott never reffed a fight again.

Exactly. Walcott had no control over this fight and blew it by letting Nat Fliesher make an important, and wrong decision for him.

["Shion"]

Lol @ Walcott.

I beleive Liston didn't take a dive, but it was still a good fight.

[Princemanspopa]

Don't discredit Sonny Liston,he's not and idiot and he had been in the game long enough to know how to throw a fight convincingly.

If he were to have taken a dive,then I can assure you,that he was smart enough to have atleast made it look convincing and there was nothing convincing about that knockout,he wasn't hurt,he was embarrassed,made a half assed attempt at getting up and then called it quits only to realise Joe Walcott was an incompetent official and hadn't even bothered to administer a count and then got back to his feet to resume the fight.

People seem to forget that Sonny actually did get back up to continue the fight.


The ever smug old **** that was Nat Fleischer dropped Sonny Liston from the Ring's top ten list and apparently told him “Frankly, you are the forgotten man.”

Sonny should have held him and slapped him until the old man pissed his pants.....just like Sonny did to that Pro Wrestler who thought he was tough in Las Vegas one time.

[Bsquared]

No it clearly wasn't a dive but it was not a fight ending knockdown, thats for sure.

[sonnyboyx2]

a long time ago i read a brilliant article on this fight by the Legendary Boxing writer Peter Wilson, i cannot recall the article word for word but the crux of it was, Liston got himself into tremendous physical shape for the rematch and a couple of weeks before fight night the bout had to be cancelled due to Cassius Clay needing a hernia operation which postponed the fight for around 8 or 9 months, by the time Clay had gotten over the operation he had changed and grew from a boy into a man and at the press conferences Clay looked huge compaired to Liston, on fight night as both fighters was ring centre recieving the final instructions Clay done his "intimidating stare-out" he put his face right up to Listons and started chewing on his mouth piece while looking down into Listons eyes, Sonny was looking up with his bailfull stare but Clay had no fear and the "Bully" in Liston came to haunt him, because like all bullies they have a yellow streak down their back, which Cassius Clay knew... Liston just never fancied the job, he was not in great condition to fight like he had been months earlier before the cancelation, so he took the easy route out and went down.. Clay stood over him and shouted "Get up you yellow ******" and the rest is history... Peter Wilson was there, he covered the fighters and the fight from the moment it was announced and i believe his account... That stare-down by Clay was the most "Chilling" in boxing history, i have it on video and it tells the true tale of this fight.

[sleazyfellow]

Liston threw the fight IMO, he had taken bombs from Williams before and Ali hit nowhere near as hard as he did.

Of course Ali tried to make it all seem like it was his plan all along after he won in 1 round, but he knew the fight was a farce.

[Leakbeak]

it was a real knockdown you can see on the slow motion.....whether liston shouldve been down for 10 seconds is another story...

He said he was waiting for the 8 count, and was later stopped on his feet by the dumb ref. That guy was no Collina!

[sonnyboyx2]

http://coxscorner.tripod.com/most_feared.html

Excellent read

[Special K]

it was a dive in my opinion.

[larry x]

looking at the punch in slow motion..liston was hurt and dazed,,he got hit in the temple with a solid quick shot