Liston cleaned up the fighters who were considered the best contenders before he got to Patterson.
Machen and Foley were the top 2 ranked heavy's in 1958, the Ingemar Johansson KO of Machen was considered a fluke at the time.
Patterson reigned over carefully selected opponents, while Liston fought the consensus top contenders of the time. That helps explain why Liston was the favorite going into the 1st Patterson fight.
So while he only made 1 defense of the title, Liston clearly established himself as the premier fighter of the era between Marciano and Ali.
Machen and Foley were the top 2 ranked heavy's in 1958, the Ingemar Johansson KO of Machen was considered a fluke at the time.
Patterson reigned over carefully selected opponents, while Liston fought the consensus top contenders of the time. That helps explain why Liston was the favorite going into the 1st Patterson fight.
So while he only made 1 defense of the title, Liston clearly established himself as the premier fighter of the era between Marciano and Ali.
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