Once and for all.....Did Sonny Liston take a dive or not?

[La_Vibora]

If that's the case, Liston should be banished from the Hall of Fame and is an absolute disgrace to the sport.

If that's the case, Liston should be banished from the Hall of Fame and is an absolute disgrace to the sport.

Well we don't know why he took the dive(if he did indeed take one as I believe), there was always that speculation that he was a mob controlled fighter, and he was forced to do it. There is also the speculation that he threw the fight so that he could pay off some outstanding ******** debts. There is also the theory about the racial tensions and the Nation of Islam forcing him to take a dive.
If his life was indeed threatened by the mob to take a dive(like many fighters at the time were forced to), then could you really blame the man for doing it? In any case, that punch was certainly not strong enough to KO someone with a chin of the caliber of Sonny Liston's, hell against Marty Marshall he had got hit with a much harder shot he didn't see coming, while his mouth was open casing his jaw to become broken, but yet he still kept coming. So I have a hard time believing that shot had him out for good.

[La_Vibora]

Liston was able to bear down and fight why ali got under his skin to act ****** is beyond me. If he did take a dive it was for betting reasons. Ali just got him totaly frazeled when I think liston could have broght it. That was a weakness in listons game he I guess could not think through adversity. That punch did not look right as ali had to change the angle halfway through the punch. I just guess liston turned out to be a fairly easy nut to crack which I cannot understand with his street tough guy ways.

Thats why it doesn't make sense. I mean if Liston had done this in say the 9th round, then maybe it would have had some mert, but to just go out there, and not only give up, but also humiliate himself by being knocked out in the 1st round? That just doesn't make sense and doesn't coincide with Liston's character.

I will say this though, that Sonny Liston was certainly an intruiging character. Imean almost everthing about the man is a mystery, from his birth(it is believed that he was born earlier than 1932) to his death(there was some very shady evidence to suggest that he didn't really die from a drug overdose). Hell, it is even said that his real name wasn't even Sonny Liston. The guy is a complete mystery.

[Kball15]

Legitimate knockdown, but a frustrated liston stayed down because he was an EXTREMELY discouraged fighter. its as simple as that.

BUT, he should have gotten a long count, which was in effect. As the ****** young ALI danced around liston, the count should have STOPPED! But because the KD came so sudden, both the ringside manager AND jersey joe himself didnt start a count. It didnt matter anyway, as jersey joe never even gave liston a full count.

When Liston finally got to his feet, Walcott ACTUALLY LEFT the fighters alone with ZERO instuctions. He went ringside and took the advice of an AUDIENCE MEMBER (ring magazine editor) who told walcott that liston had been on the ground for 17 seconds!! BUt before walcott could get back and stop the fight, ALI and landed some powershots to an already knocked out liston.

thats the story with some of the controversy. He did take a dive, but it was definetly a legitamate KD. The wierd thing is, walcott got the job because he was a former world champion, but he had ZERO formal referee training! idk how he got work refereeing after that botch job!!!

[Crazy Dude]

Liston didn't get up because Ali didn't go to a neutral corner and the referee didn't start a count.

[Kball15]

yea thats what i just said. that has to ranked up there among the worst referee performances ever!!! why they would pick walcott, a VERY inexperienced ref, to ref a big fight like that is pretty mind boggeling!

[Mishra100]

He went down really slow catching himself with every movement... That shows he wasn't really stunned... He just carefully layed on the ground... It was a good punch but if it was a flash knockdown he would have went to the canvas more drastically in my opinion..

[charlie31]

He took a dive its so obvious..not to say he wouldnt have takin a beating..cuz he wouldve taken another beating. maybe he just didnt want to take that beating...what do you guys think??

[RAESAAD]

I believe he did......