The sports writers who considered
Liston to be an ape didn’t buy Liston’s
excuse that a shoulder injury led to
his quitting on his stool during the first
fight with Ali. Turns out that he did
suffer from a shoulder injury, bursitis,
which was verified by medical inquiries.
The Miami Boxing Commission knew
about the injury before the fight, but
refused to postpone the fight, which,
nowadays, is routine.
Furthermore, Liston didn’t stop the
first fight. His manager did.
Not only did the sports writers’
politicians and celebrities disdain
Liston, but the public also saw Liston,
as in the words of Geraldine Liston,
the champion that no one wanted.
Such rejection sometimes brought
Liston to tears. When Liston appeared
on the cover of Esquire as Santa Claus
some members of the public lost it,
totally. Esquire lost $700,000 in
advertising m