The Skills of Sonny Liston ‘The Bear’

Sonny Liston became heavyweight champion in 1962 when he relieved the great Floyd Patterson of his title duties. Before the young Cassius Clay later toppled ‘The Bear’ 2 years later, Liston’s name struck true fear among the heavyweights of the era. However, as is the case with most power punchers, Liston’s skills are often overlooked as a result of his devastating strength. But no matter how powerful the man, no one dominates the vast majority of fighters in their division without an elite level of skill. Here’s a breakdown of some of the skills displayed by Liston.

The Jab

Rather than just being executed to hurt his opponent, Liston’s jab had a variety uses. The different aspects of his jab involved controlling the pace of a fight, discouraging and occupying his opponent, and setting up offence.

Sonny Liston destroyed Floyd Patterson twice. All set up by his jab

Range Control Jab

                Sonny Liston’s preferred range was the middle range. Close enough to land big bombs by planting his feet, yet far enough to allow him space for extending his arms or swinging his body and arms into a punch. To maintain distance between him and his opponent, Liston stiffly stuck his lead hand in his opponent’s face whenever they threatened to come forward.

To extend the length of his jab, Liston would lean his whole body into the punch. By pushing his shoulders forward, and leaning his torso into his opponent, he added inches onto his jab, keeping his opponent at the end of his fist. By falling into the punch, rather than stepping into it, the way he started his jab was different to that of usual fighters. This meant that he showed his opponent less physical cues, that alerted his opponent to an incoming jab.

Liston’s other method of keeping the distance under his control, was to flick his jab out in his opponent’s face. This allowed him to achieve the objective of keeping his opponent where he wanted him, without committing too much weight forward. Liston had a long reach, and usually his opponents were already wary of Liston’s jab, making the flick far more threatening than it was. But it was still enough to discourage his opponent from coming in.

Pushing Jab

When his opponent did step into range, Liston would extend his lead hand out and momentarily leave it there. This forced caused his opponent’s back to bend backwards into the opposite direction. With the opponent’s momentum in the feet going forward, and upper body momentum going backwards, this disrupted the opponent’s balance, forcing him to reset himself to regain balance control. Even when opponent’s were in the middle of throwing a punch, they would often be forced to miss, with the jab moving their body back.

                Liston’s pushing jab reasserted the distance between him and his opponent, leaving the opponent wondering how he can get into position to land his own power punches. This was evident in Liston’s destruction of Floyd Patterson. Patterson was unable to get into his own preferred punching range, due to Liston’s glove continuously pushing him off balance.

Blinding Jab

With Liston keeping his arm extended in his opponent’s face, this meant that his glove inevitably blinded his opponent. This was useful when his opponent’s had already started their own punch, as they wer often forced to miss the punch. This was especially the case if Liston was moving whilst throwing the blinding jab.

Setting Up Rights

Liston would use his extended lead hand to occupy his opponent until he was in position to land his right hand. Liston would push his jab out, and then step in so that he didn’t have to reach with the right hand. Being closer to his opponent, he could then simply turn his right side into the punch. This allowed him to generate more power in his legs more efficiently.

Liston would also intelligently take advantage of movement to catch his opponent’s with right hands. In order to force the opening for the right hand, Liston would use the jab to manipulate his opponent’s movement.  With his opponent’s  trying to evade his jab, they would either move left (away from it), through head movement or foot movement. Either way, this would cause them to move directly into the right hand.

Liston would also use the double jab, to set up his right hand. Primarily, Liston would step into a new position whilst throwing the double jab, so that it comes from a new angle. By stepping into his right side, he ends up on the outside of his opponent’s lead left shoulder. This forced his opponent to make more of an effort to turn, if he plans to land his punch.  This bought time for Liston to throw punches whilst his opponent readjusted.

Final Note

                Sonny Liston certainly doesn’t get as much as credit as he is possibly due, no doubt because he was a dangerous puncher. Liston liked to keep his opponents at range, and from the middle range, he was truly devastating, just ask the 39 opponents he knocked out. But next time you happen to watch Liston’s fight footage, don’t just keep an eye for his knockouts. Watch out for the subtleties that set up the knockouts. To do any less would be a great disservice to the great man Charles L. ‘Sonny’ Liston.