Word: liston
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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...Louis said last week, there are only two strategies for Cassius: to stay away from Liston, and to stay away from Liston as long as possible...
There are enough holes in this strategy to sink a small destroyer and more than enough to sink Cassius Clay. For one thing, Liston is not going to stand in the center of the ring for seven rounds and watch Cassius dance around him, nor will he madly chase a fleeting shadow. Sonny stalks his prey with the relentless drive of a Sherman tank. Anyone who saw the second Liston-Patterson travesty noticed that Sonny is not slow; slower than Clay, yes, but certainly agile and savvy enough to catch Cassius in a corner...
...fists held far too low to provide adequate protection for his pretty face. Henry Cooper, lacklustre British champion, took advantage of this defect last summer and nearly spoiled Clay's perfect record. Cassius recovered from the Cooper blow and went on to win, but no one recovers from a Liston left hook...
Clay also has the dangerous habit of leaning back to avoid punches, and, given Liston's two-inch reach advantage, the chances are that Cassius will not be able to lean back far enough...
Sonny may be 31 years old, but he is hardly a candidate for Medicare. If the fight should last into the seventh or eighth Liston will not be perceptively slower, but Cassius will be. If Cassius ever comes to Sonny to trade punches, Sonny will win sooner; if Cassius runs, Sonny will win a little later...