Seventy years ago this week (April 21, 1955), future heavyweight king Sonny Liston avenged his first pro loss. This is a loss that remains the subject of, well, of what the hell happened! Liston, who was so strong, who was so devastating a puncher, who was a man who needed multiple sparring partners so as to get a sufficient workout, was a real force of unstoppable nature in the 1950s. Having gone pro in 1953, Liston, who might have been as old as 36, 37 come his first few pro bouts (leave it to lifelong Liston devotee and all-round great writer/historian/researcher Paul Gallender to educate you further) was a brute of a man.
And nobody who fought him would soon be able to go the distance, to reach the safety of the final bell, much less beat the man. Liston, who had a massive fist and an 84-inch reach, was street tough. He was also street-angry. And Sonny had a high ring IQ – the kind that cannot be taught. In a nutshell, Liston was a born fighter, his unimaginably cruel formative years having pretty much seen to it.
Liston, at 7-0, and having come off two wins over the accomplished (and also sadly forgotten) Johnny Summerlin, ran into a guy named Marty Marshall, this in Detroit in the late summer of 1954. Eight rounds later, Liston was 7-1. Marshall had managed to bewilder Liston, to confuse him with his unorthodox moves and switches, and he had managed to, yes, make Liston laugh during the fight, this with his crazy mid-ring antics. And Marshall had busted Sonny’s jaw, this as the future champ had allowed his jaw muscles to slacken in joviality, to the extent that he was cracked by a left hand as he had his mouth open. If ever there was a fight that was never filmed, and we wish this was not the case, it’s this one!
Liston, as per a report from Sports Illustrated, went to Marshall’s dressing room after the fight and, “holding his jaw funny,” as Marshall recalled things, asked him for a rematch. “Any time,” Marty said.
And so the rematch came in April of 1955, and this time, Liston was in no mood for fun and games, for any laughter. This time, both men hit the canvas. The return took place in St. Louis, and Liston was all business. Marshall still gave Sonny fits.
In round six, after Marshall had been down some four times, the fight was stopped. However, in round five, Marshall was able to slip a Liston jab and counter with a right to the head that sent Liston down. Liston got up, and Marshall made the mistake of going all-out for the finish. Instead, Liston got the fight-ender.
The two men would meet again, in a rubber match that took place in Pittsburgh in March of 1956. Once again, it was a tricky fight for Liston. Marshall, really a gifted slip-and-slider – up there, maybe, with greats such as Jersey Joe Walcott; a master boxer who never let a puncher get set – hurt Sonny in round seven. But this time, Liston, having improved to the extent that he was, as Marty put it, “the general in the ring,” won a wide 10-round UD.
Marshall, still not having had enough of the man who would soon enough clean out the entire heavyweight division to become the clear and apparent No. 1 contender, called for a fourth fight that never came.
From here on out, Liston would, after another spell in jail that impeded his progress, crush top fighters such as Cleveland Williams (X2, both fights being extreme wars), Nino Valdes, Willi Besmanoff, Roy Harris, and Zora Folley. In 1962, Liston would wipe out Floyd Patterson inside three minutes to become world champion. And for some time, nobody thought any man was capable of beating Sonny.
As for Marshall, he finished at 24-14-2(12), and he went 0-3 after the third fight with Liston. Marty retired in the summer of 1959. During his vastly underrated career, Marty was able to defeat not only Liston but also legendary puncher Bob Satterfield. While Marshall also went in with names Harold Johnson, George Moore, Amos Lincoln, and Willi Besmanoff.
Some time, some place, someone might write a book, or make a documentary on “The Michigan Bomber,” the man who was born Marion Marshall. The first man to beat the great Sonny Liston.
Marty died in October of 2004, aged 80.