“Newspapermen ask dumb questions. They look up at the sun and ask if it is shining.” - Sonny Liston

Thank you Rainy Day Boxing!! Its raining in Detroit right now today and I rather watch this than be apart of this worlds madness.

Powerful video. Broke my heart. One of the stories you know the ending to, but still hope it will end different. This story is an important cultural narrative and priceless spotlight of a transitioning time. Content like this is desperately needed throughout America right now - our sons and daughters need this perspective.

You absolutely killed this. I really like documentaries. I've watched way too many. This is very well done. Better than most documentaries. The pacing is great. The length is great. The interview clips are great. The footage is great. This narrator is much stronger than the guy on some of the older Rainy Day Boxing videos (not hating, this narration is just really good)

Great documentary but Sonny Liston didn't introduce big heavyweights. Jess Willard was 6ft6-6ft7 weighed 250lbs and held the heavyweight title. Jim J Jefferies was 6ft2 and weighed around 220lbs. Joe Louis in his prime would weigh around 204lbs-207lbs and 6ft1-6ft2. Primo Carnera was 6ft6 and was 260lbs-270lbs. Liston was a big guy but all these guys before him was around his size or bigger. Liston and everyone else I mentioned would cut down in weight to have a trim body, Liston being 215lbs would means he could easily carry more weight if he wanted to, same with the other heavyweight champions I mentioned.

That is powerful

Deep…

@joel joel meaningless...

@African atheist .. Did you watch the video ❓❓ Your brain has been poisoned by communism.

@bimmjim - What does an African proverb have to do with communism? “Tribalism” is the oldest form of government and that’s what he’s referring to. Communism is a 19th century invention and a failed 20th century experiment. I’m quite sure this proverb far predates communism.

"Scars from his father's whip", poor guy. Sonny would've been a legend in our time but sadly he was born in wrong era

Not too mention “Arkansas did not make birth certificates mandatory until 1965.”

@@BetterYouNow he would’ve been treated differently by the public if he had different parents

@@BetterYouNow its Sonny Listons hard life that made him the Man he was. A legend in boxing. His dad's beatins and his hardships in life were a blessing.

@@kennymichaelalanya7134 What

He didn’t. Was Sonny Liston catholic? If not what religion was he ?

@@grey0966 what role should that play? I mean who will show him the way to God? His father? I think that god is love, so he try to reach him in some level

@@yonislav_9821 amen, God is Love ✝️. I heard he was catholic. We al need Jesus and His Blood 🩸. May the Lord bless you 🙏

​@@grey0966if he believe there is only one god so, he dont need to have any religions. Here is the answer for question

@@mohddalibinzali1165 we all must be covered by the Blood 🩸 of Jesus. For He is God and Savior ✝️

Thank you very much for the kind words! Glad you enjoyed my take on Sonny's story.

...this paints him to be a victim. Okay. He's a victim. Lol. Nothing but a victim.

This man appeared to be cursed from birth.He made mistakes,payed for them but not shown any decency,respect or kindness! A man whom children loved must have a lot of good in him...children sense it,unvarnished!

​@@Hosh_Jiggles All his " victims" were benevolent angels...okay...lol...

​@@Hosh_Jiggles he was a victim of a lot of things. That doesn't mean he didn't do anything bad

😳

Awesome quote

That's a cold line, but he has a warm heart.

@@FooeyMcgooey I'm sure you knew him personally

@@m0skit0 Man shut the fuck up. You can still be kind and have a killer instinct in the world of boxing.

I wanted to be there to shake his giant hand..

Well, his reputation made him a villain at that point and unpopular. Like the bully who really wanted to be loved.

He shouldnt have been allowed to live after his armed robbery and assaults, the fact that he wasnt dead should have been good enough for him. Its a sad story that he gets to be remembered and good peoples stories will be forgotten

SHOULD’VE CAME BACK ST LOUIS. WE WOULDA NEVER TREATED HIM THAT WAY

If that’s your opinion, you are a psychopath as well. Why would normal, law abiding people greet a menace to society and a career criminal only because he is AMAZINGLY good at professionally hurting people?

Thank you for the kind words. Happy to hear I did Sonny's story justice

guy was a fuckin fraud, he become champ thanks to rigged fights and then took dives for cash. Liston's buddies in the Mafia got to Floyd, why do you think the fights only lasted two minutes.

@@RainyDayBoxing Please help what is the song at the end?

@@RainyDayBoxing bu vıdeonun turkcesını ızlememın bir yolu varmı

Agreed this was a beautiful work of art

Three historic biopics I would love to see in my lifetime: (1) Sam Cooke (2) Sonny Liston (3) The Haitian uprising of 1804 🙂

There is a movie about him.

I agree 100%

@@f554uv1 lol I bet you’re in denial to racism if that’s what you come up with

Yeah good luck with that. 👍

He aint underrated at all its just that he got the greatest defeat of all boxing history so when they talk abt him ppl mostly talk abt ali vs liston 2 but liston was a monster

He is not underrated at all by true boxing fan.

@@paulis4278 yea

Liston and Frazier are really underrated. If you ask people do you know who Frazier or Liston is, they’ll say no. But if you ask them do you know who mike Tyson or Cassius Clay is, they’ll say yes. In my opinion, I think Sonny and Frazier were better than Ali. Sonny was just thrown off his game, you can tell because he demolished Robinson, so I bet he could do that to Ali as well. And Frazier beat Ali, was robbed of the rematch, and his coaches forced him to quit when Ali said he wanted to quit.

The light shines on it's own, people just didn't care to notice, my favourite of all time!

Was Sonny Liston a catholic ? If not what religion was he ?

SportsCenter ranked him as the 6th greatest boxer of all time. Ring Magazine ranked him as the 10th Greatest Heavyweight of all time, most ring and boxing pundits in the early 80's throughout the late 00's ranked him anywhere from the 2nd greatest boxer of all time to the 5th greatest boxer of all time.

I read that one of Sonny's sister's said that he was born in 1919, wich means that he died at age 51 in 1964 he was believed, to be 33 or 34 but he looked older, sure the alcohol and heroin affected his looks, and Sonny didn't know when he was born he claimed 1930.

The Media does this to athletes till today! Ostracized a World Champion it's disgusting that he tried to be good and still wasn't accepted because of a pretentious NAACP and a President who was put in office by the Mafia itself! Sonny Liston will always be a phenomenal fighter and World Champion 🏆! No one can take that away from him. Fck the mainstream media!

Was Sonny Liston Catholic ? If not what religion was he ?

​@@grey0966 he was catholic

Tyson Fury went through the same thing after he beat Klitschko. There was no press, nothing, just his family. According to his Dad it was one of the things that threw him into a big depression.

That's life! People need drama. They don't wanna accept truth

Big up South London (Norbury sides to Brixton all the way to Lewisham and around it ) Agree ..its deeply upsetting Sad and depressing .

@@kurty85 lol... Nobody gives a $hit

The media paint the picture for the people to believe.

Thank you for saying that, I really appreciate it! Glad you enjoyed it enough to watch it more than once!

a hard life

The story of 99% of all humanity that has ever existed

Very human...

Well, it's hard to get approval after hurting and stealing from many people.

@@DerAltruist Very true. Im sure he was penitent of the bad he did and he looked to boxing to get out of the struggle he endured. The sad part is that the money and the notoriety made things worse on him and he was no longer seen as a person but an item to the mob in which there's no escape...

same

That’s what makes him dangerous if he’s numb he doesn’t feel pain or fear

@@luisestrada2732 he doesn’t mean numb as in scary I think he meant numb as in sad like he just always look so sad and disappointed with the world he’s just numb to everyone and everything

@@PerkaholicFB Ik that’s the sabe numb I meant too

The first time I saw his face, which was right before he pulled the gun on Ali, only thing I saw was sadness and misery.

Thank you for the kind words! Glad you enjoyed my take on Sonny's story.

Hell yes!

For real tho

I mean he did crime my guy 🤫 nothing. Wrong with doing dirt, you can do bad things while still be a honorable man and stand up guy

Agreed. Hopefully he knows tho my man 🙏

100%

Yes. Horrible

@@karlbuchanan1363 Horrible? my mother was one of 17. raised in a tiny 2 bedroom house ,none of them turned to crime although poor. my grandfather was the only bread winner until various uncles and Aunts started work.

Mercmad well your grandad was a clown and so was your grandma. Selfish bringing that many children into a home with no money

@@jsmith7888 LOL!

That’s crazy how huge families used to be back in those times. Even my dad had 13 siblings it just goes to show how far the birth rates dropped over the years typically families have 1-2 kids tops these days. I’m speaking of statistics of course there is families with lots of kids but typically only 1 kid is the usual now.

That is to say.......Sonny.

As an individual trying to advocate for "society" to honor this man, you could at the very least spell his name right. :/

Undo the fairness to a known criminal with ties the crime families? God forbid.

"Copium."

Just because someone understands a villain does not mean that a person should become one in their lives...always be the hero, no matter what the world says about you, for what YAHWEH EL ELOHIM Himself in His Holy Word is the path of a true hero and anything else is just a false and Satanic imitation that will ultimately make you a villain in the end.

True so true.

Deep and true af

@@paxhumana2015 bro you don't understand

Sad story.

Like the death of Achilles or something.

Seeing how Patterson was popular even with white America and Ali became the king of boxing and one of Black America's most beloved leaders almost on par with Malcom X it's sad how Liston is forgotten by most people across the world, even among many boxing enthusiasts. Ali, Foreman, and Tyson are legends but Liston is a footnote and mostly remembered as Alis stepping stone to super stardom

@@arthas640 Sonny Liston & George Foreman where Ali’s best opponents. Liston was paid to take a dive because of his “friends” in the 2nd fight. It’s all about money 💰 They tried to look after him in Los Vegas but he was a to silly, he had already sold his soul.

You've posted this comment twice on different videos, Joe Vincent and now Rainy day boxing 🙂

“Good man?”

​@@vgr112261how would you be with a brute father and crooked white cops everywhere?

@@vgr112261 Yes, only idiots like you don't see past the surface of such tragic figures and their hardships they went through to find peace.

Did you not watch the damn video@@vgr112261

“We”??

humanity never fails to give .... sincerely sorry Sonny.

@@sorz6621 You really think Sonny doesn't have a better life than most? He was tested twice on the happiness scale and he was pretty happy.

@@oppothumbs1 no i dont

@@oppothumbs1 in wealth he had it better then most but that means nothing when you are always see as irredeemable despite trying to change but never give the chance. Being made to feel alone is one the worst feeling in the world.

@@oppothumbs1 He was hated because of his public image, and never celebrated for his prowess as a boxer.

Beaten by his dad and called the New Mule. What a sad life for a child.

@fvckyutube So would it have been better if he worked with the black mob?

Womenkind XD

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Very well put for clearly a complicated man. Rest in power Sonny.

An egg is only hard until you break the shell.

Please elaborate this needs more contest thanks bro

@@D.I.Y.M75 This man was absolutely feared for many reasons, one of which was his intimidating presence. A small child gave him a kiss on the cheek and he lit up like it was the greatest thing in the history of everything. That smile didn't scare anyone. It didn't intimidate anyone. Someone he didn't know just for a moment let him feel what he had been wanting for damn near his whole life. Putting his guard down and feeling joy.. And that is what I saw in that smile.

@@shonanbloodline what time was this I missed it

@@kevonceasar1611 25:25, brethren.

Ditto

Lb

understandable? Maybe. Acceptable? Nah.

@@Soulrollsdeep that’s quite right….life is what you make it, though it’s gonna be in societies rule…. otherwise you’ll waste it

We've all got a sob story or three. Nobody cares, nobody wants to put up with your shit because of it.

It breaks my heart too. I feel so sad. The world is a cruel selfish place.

It tells you that press itself was a villain during that time and the public alongside journalists supported that narrative.

@@ignatiolu863 yup, and they still have an agenda today. They spin and twist stories they "report" on to fit that agenda and their the agenda of their puppet masters. Institutions of man change very little at their core and all desire the same things.

Those hipocrite ppl killed him.

Goes to show do what you want because YOU want to do it. Because the general public is far too pathetic and jealous to give credit where it's due

@TurnedLeftAtTheRockyMountains I disagree with Your rankings. Luis was better and should be the highest ranked fighter of all times with Sonny Liston second. And to tell the truth I’m not entirely sure the Bown Bomber could have beat Sonny. Liston was Boxing’s greatest strong Man second to none. Sonny Liston was the One Punch Man of Boxing.

I agree, Deuce. I didn't see soullessness or anything baleful in his gaze. If he was cold it was out of necessity, he lived and thrived in a brutal, pitiless world. The man was a scorned champion and his career and reputation was undoubtedly controlled and tainted by the mob. Imagine what he could have achieved if he would have had the support and adoration Floyd Patterson had, and a trainer like Cus D'Amato...

@@AzureKnightmare32 So true

@@AzureKnightmare32 greatest heavyweight of all time possibly...

@@eyeofthetiger666satan Ali beat him twice. Once by rtd and knockout in the second fight.

@@wizardrhyme9597 I already knew that... what's your point?

I would agree, 15 years ago or more. Does cable TV even exist anymore?

@That Regular Dude I don’t live under a rock anymore. I live in an apartment now, but I am thinking about going back

This should get aired out of respect for Listen people really don’t know just how good and feared he was. Listen is in my top 5 all time

Dude took a dive against Ali period mob was involved so obvious

They did do a great job !

Great comment

i can feel that the words on his gravestone are very deep but can’t figure out why. could you explain it to me ?

​@@lilraykivert8176 he was true to himself, despite everything that happened to him, he pushed through it all to be the best version of himself my interpretation

@@lilraykivert8176 I think @Bread got it right. Sonny never stood down when in the face of adversity. He became champion when everyone at the time said he couldn't. Men like Liston only come around every few hundred years.

You can take everything from someone, run their name through the mud, but at the dawn of a new day it's up to them to determine if they're still man enough to see the next day through. Even if they take your life, only you can take your will to rise.

Glad you enjoyed my take on Sonny's story enough to watch it more than once!

Iron Mike oughta know, Cus was Patterson's manager and it was Cus who trained Mike to be as fearsome as Liston.

@@fredball8240 It was Cus who advised Patterson NOT to fight Liston.

Okay Mike ✌️🏆💯

@@williamjones7247 yup, Patterson was a great boxer but extremely undersized for a heavyweight especially against a guy like Liston.

@@ourtime-downhere6931 Yes he was.

My favorite part of the video. You can't fake that natural reaction. It's instinctual to anybody who has a heart which he clearly did. What he dealt with as a child is comparable to a lifetime of suffering for other people. There was something inside this man that fought for meaning and purpose with a tenacity rarely seen in individuals.

@@thegraymouser12 great comment.

@Dino Sauro and no liston was not simply better, he would only land when ali had that shit in his eyes, Ali was always outclassing him

What he went through, he did deserve better. 🥺

@Dino Sauro You can have all the talent in the world, if its not in the right places to win against other talents it doesn't mean jack.

,

And he knew it. Damn.

I always imagined that if his hands were as big as they say, either 8-ounce gloves would be too thin for him or he would have had to fight in at least 12-ounce gloves otherwise suited for bag work.

Brother, that guy was bullshitting you.

​@@GreatMewtwo He was forced to wear 22 oz gloves in sparring and his partners wore chest protectors because he was known for breaking ribs in the gym. Liston was 1 of 1.

​@@JCG-lb9gr interesting

@@GreatMewtwo plenty of pics and videos out there of his ginormous hands. He was given custom gloves, I believe by Everlast, for fights. And they made him a special pair, 22 ozs!!!!, for sparring.

😂

except hes killed people

@@CesarZumarraga that he did

Yes sir

Why always compare to "today", are you going to say mohammed ali was a gentleman too ?

Looks like he had a woman

I've gobbled up as many Sonny Liston videos as I could here. As fantastic as this may sound, I really don't think he was the guy people thought. People are made by their circumstances. I don't remember where I saw it, but there's this stunning picture of smiling Sonny with an adorable little girl sitting on his lap. One look at that picture shows it all . .

@@henrybrowne7248 Damn

OMFG are you serious?? Yeah....George Floyd wanted to be loved too....... you fucking people celebrating criminals......absolutely pathetic

Which is what sociopaths suffer from the most, the yearning for genuine love. They were never shown love nor cared for and possibly abused which thus causes their severe apathetic attitude. That part of their brain just never formed.

I was broken when this documentary showed him going back home after he won the world title and NOBODY was there to greet him and celebrate??? If the internet existed back then, he would have had MANY, MANY people showing their support.

@@jadenkrosis3087 I blame the SWAMP MEDIA! .. They are the enemy of mankind .. They've always worked for the devil! 👺💩

@@jadenkrosis3087 no. Obviously would me more devastating for him if internet was invented back then.

I agree, felt the same way.

This is a truly heartbreaking story

made me tear up. he wasn't a hoodlum, just misunderstood

Yep

I hear that Ray, I just finished watching it and the tears just flowed at the end. God bless Sonny Liston, RIEP Champ. 🙏🏼😪❤️

But what was he like when no one was looking? He was a THUG! Get real.

@@Heart2HeartBooks How do you know when you yourself said when no one was looking.

I felt the same

@T S But he was a thug, that tried to get out of being poor and make a good example out of his life. He's duplicitous in terms of his representation, on the one hand the public views him as a thug, on the other hand the public viewed him as a saint, He was just a man.

The only real tragedy is a living a life feeling greatly misunderstood despite doing incredible things

He died at 38

A real life.. a success story..I would doff my hat to him..

and he never felt like a champion - that's the tragedy.

Idk how this isn't obviously tragic 🤷‍♂️

@Plandemic XlX sonny knew no better, he raised himself and in a harsh environment without structure and discipline, he had to survive the best he knew, he was taken advantage of, forced to take a dive when the mob lost their money on the first ali fight, give the man a break, lifes not always peaches and cream.

Sonny's life was tragic. He never got the second chance he yearned for with the public; to be their Champ and to enjoy the respect and adulation of his Heavyweight Champion predecessors - to be the People's Champion. Sonny Liston: No man ever overcame such terrible obstacles in his life only to be shunned by the public at large when he finally succeeded. I've always felt so sorry for him.

@Plandemic XlX he was given nothing he fought for so he took it, i respect that. the line describes him perfectly 'for someone so powerfull he had very little power over his own life', no doubt he did bad things for the mob but his life was forced that way, not by choice.

Unfortunately, his time in the limelight and the real appreciation for his talent and his desire to be a different, better person came far after his life was over. He didn't live a useless life though, so few in this world will ever be spoken of with such admiration and respect so long after we are gone, if we're spoken of at all. My dad used to tell me when I was a little kid, how Sonny was one of the greatest of all time (he was a big boxing fan) and the more I learned about him (Sonny) the more I had a huge amount of admiration for him overcoming a life that was as bottom as it got, and built up to a point he was the greatest. Especially with all the adversity and disrespect he endured. The real tragedy here is he will never know the earthly love and respect so many hold for him as his story is told and retold again.

hell yeah it's sad . may the guy be resting in peace

It’s sad . Wish more people would give him his respect . May he Rest In Peace

Respect for what? He was a criminal. What is respectable about that?

@@outlaw49x10 same people who put Sir George Punch Pregnant Women in Stomach Floyd on a pedestal

@@outlaw49x10 He was heavyweight champ too. Respect that at least. Respect where it is due. You talk like he is totally worthless. You perfect? You ever hurt anyone?

@@daithiocinnsealach3173 liston is not due my respect. Don't get upset there buddy. If you want to worship and glorify thug criminals that's your business...i choose not to

24th of 25 children, arrested more than 100 times, ruled by organised crime. Man, a boxing match to Sonny must have been like a school break.

@@TonyEnglandUK Didnt know his real father. When he was born his mother was overstressed and burdonded, not much love.

Would he not be naturally strong he would die early

@@daoudatall2212 His Father beat him so badly and so regularly it's a miracle he even got to his teens.

At least his wife loved him.😢 Never trust strangers, of course. 😑

Totally agree, amazing 30 mins

Same here... only knew his name...

You flatter me, thank you brother! 🙏

Hire him? no! make your own media company bruh! don't let them control you. you sign your own cheques.

A big network would ruin this almost instantly

It’s better when a person does it for enjoyment than a paycheck

@@AramGoat you can’t eat enjoyment

shut up

Agreed!

@@studentofsweetscience6922 spamming ain’t gonna do shit ali hater and I don’t even rate ali as the goat heavyweight

@@studentofsweetscience6922 really this is what u do? Ain’t u got somet better to do?

@@studentofsweetscience6922 you spamming

That’s water from his head

Could be either. My point is still valid regardless. Sonny deserved so much better. @@cloudgary7596

They should call u thief, cause u got a way with words

Trying his best? He just made certain decisions you wouldn't make yourself. We all make decisions. Personal morals dictate whether his decisions were or wrong. He himself called himself a "bad guy" indicating he admits prior wrong doing.

My dad took me to the second Clay/Liston fight at a closed circuit theater in Reno., when I was 16. We arrived late, just as Liston hit the mat from the phantom punch. Two years later I was a cub reporter for the university newspaper, and Liston was staying at the Mapes hotel, training for a fight. On a whim I drove down to the Mapes one afternoon, and found him leaning against a pillar in the lobby, with his arms folded across his chest. I whipped out a notebook and said I'd like an interview, but he gave me a look that said, 'uh uh, sorry kid,' and I scurried off. But what a presence! The most intimidating man I ever met. RIP Sonny

@@maurice2014 dude you’re a hater

Nah, man... can't say that. - He beat the odds but couldn't beat the demons. Still, one of the all-time greats.

Same here bro

Definitely more to come, stay tuned!

@@RainyDayBoxing Can't wait! I really love these docs u make the jack Johnson jack Dempsey and sonny liston I loved them all great work! Keep it up I really love these docs love the work your doing my fav boxing chanel on yt!!

@@RainyDayBoxing this was well put together

@@RainyDayBoxing can you tell me the music at 19:28

Anyone know what timestamp in the video this is? Edit: 25:24

@@solank7620 thank you

He clearly lacked of love during his tough childhood with a dad who could only beat him

He just wanted to be loved coz he never felt it

Indeed! It was heartbreaking 💔

@@philsymes Well just place racism in that regard because white people too have been hypocrites on this very same issue. Frank Sinatra was mobster with close ties to the very same Lucchesse Crime Syndicate and had extremely strong ties to the Italian Crime Family was an affiliate of a Las Vegas crime family as well, yet the guy is practically a beloved figure, meanwhile you hear all of his songs playing every new year, in every Olive Garden, in every fancy restaurant, in every old style party, yet nobody brings it up.

ESPN “disgusting” is redundant

ESPN is a load of trash nowadays. Nothing but corporate shills

We gotta fall in love with and give ourselves the love we seek externally first. Then once our cups are filled and brimming we don't need another "half" to complete ourselves, rather a partner who compliments our soul.

@@ZeddisDead Hard to do that when you are as polarizing of a figure as he was. Also you have to think of times back then, it wasn't close to even being PC.

Yeah

Thank you for your kind and very complimentary words, I really appreciate it! I'm glad you enjoyed my take on Liston's story.

RIP SONNY

Men in that era in time didn't know what love was from a father, men were hard and closed emotionally . I did not understand my fathers lack of love till I was a man seeing he could not give what he never had which made me a hard man but I recognize my flaws and their roots so I give my son all the love I can RIP Champ

@@leonardorodriguez9919 That's great to hear! It takes a lot of courage to stop the cycle! Well done! I believe the love you show your children will come back to you!

@@salvitoripopadillo4539 Yes, and Tyson did it by smoking DMT and realized he is loved and can love.

Rip sonny Liston

Poor guy. He was not a monster.

Have no fear😉He was respected by people who see the light

No need to worrie about those who can't see it yet👌It won't be long.😱

Sonny's life was tragic. He never got the second chance he yearned for with the public; to be their Champ and to enjoy the respect and adulation of his Heavyweight Champion predecessors - to be the People's Champion. Sonny Liston: No man ever overcame such terrible obstacles in his life only to be shunned by the public at large when he finally succeeded. I've always felt so sorry for him.

Well said.

Thank you very much, glad you enjoyed my take on Sonny's story!

Yur terrible

Youre right. He jus recieved hatred no matter what. Jus like when Ali used to say Frazier was too ugly to be the Heavy weight champ of the world. People jus hated on Liston so he accepted the bad guy role, like fk it.

Why did you feel it necessary to tell us your address history? 😂

Glad to find a fellow Sydney man 👌

Sydney gang

Real talk. Liston took a dive, twice in the Ali fights as well.

@@koollee seeing the trouble that Foreman gave Ali when Ali was more experienced, even though Liston intimidated Foreman is a serious red flag. Foreman said that Liston "was the scariest human being I ever met in the ring" and that Liston "was the only man to ever make me back up". Liston getting downed so easily despite having one of the toughest chins in boxing history is at best a sign he somehow drugged and at worst a sign he took a dive. Even Foreman and Frazier had to be worn down and Foreman was sapped by the weather.

Yes it was said the public never respected him because of his past, when he beat Floyd Patterson for the heavyweight title all the press went to Floyd's locker room to interview him rather than Sonny's and he had just became the champ, it is also said because he knew he would never be accepted as a respected champ he sold himself to the Muslims who offered him a lot of money for Ali to beat him the first fight, the second time him and Ali fought he obviously took a dive and did a horrible job of acting.

He supposedly told George foreman before the first Ali fight that he didn't give a damn about the championship belt all he wanted was the money, and that Ali could have the belt.

@@gregoryingram7561 I remember hearing that somewhere as well, do you know where I can find where George said that?

Did you not watch the vid? He became champion. He lived to his potential but couldn't maintain it for long due to his upbringing. He never made peace with his past which is why he went back to it. And its all he knew i guess.

He’s a boxing legend what do you want

@@Dmoskians full potential doesn't only mean you have the belt. It also means you get the best of coaches and facilities. And not hostility from your home town