Sonny Liston refereeing a 1962 bout between Cleveland Williams and Ernie Terrell

[SBleeder]

Does anyone know the story behind this? Seems to reek of mob influence that a heavyweight contender would be assigned to referee a bout between two other heavyweight contenders.



http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...2434%2C1699285

[Scott9945]

Does anyone know the story behind this? Seems to reek of mob influence that a heavyweight contender would be assigned to referee a bout between two other heavyweight contenders.



http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...2434%2C1699285

More likely just a publicity stunt. Reading the link it appears the stoppage was correct. Back then it was common to use name fighters as refs. Often they did poorly, the classic example of that being Walcott in the Ali-Liston rematch. Joe Louis was a poor referee too.

[joseph5620]

More likely just a publicity stunt. Reading the link it appears the stoppage was correct. Back then it was common to use name fighters as refs. Often they did poorly, the classic example of that being Walcott in the Ali-Liston rematch. Joe Louis was a poor referee too.

Didn't Joe Louis ref the second Frazier-Quarry fight? He looked lost in there from what I remember seeing on youtube. I believe former light heavyweight contender Murray Sutherland became a pretty good ref but I could be mistaken.

[rightsideup]

Being a ref in high level professional boxing can not be easy. You have to be impartial enforcing the rules and you also potentially have the fighter's health and well being to be concerned with while dealing with the anger of bloodthirsty fans if you stop the fight too soon.

[Anthony342]

Any good refs that were former fighters? Didn't Mils Lane do some boxing before he reffed?