There is ample evidence that Liston did carry an injury to his left shoulder into the fight.Tosches, Nick (2000). The Devil And Sonny Liston. Boston: Little, Brown. . Sports Illustrated writer Tex Maule wrote that Liston's shoulder injury was legitimate. He cited Liston's inability to lift his arm: "There is no doubt that Liston's arm was damaged. In the sixth round, he carried it at belt level so that it was of no help in warding off the right crosses with which Clay probed at the cut under his left eye." He also cited medical evidence: "A team of eight doctors inspected Liston's arm at St. Francis Hospital in Miami Beach and agreed that it was too badly damaged for Liston to continue fighting. The torn tendon had bled down into the mass of the biceps, swelling and numbing the arm."Maule, Tex (March 9, 1964). "Yes, it was good and honest". Sports Illustrated: 20. Those findings were confirmed in a formal investigation immediately after the fight by Florida State Attorney Richard Gerstein, who also noted that there was little doubt that Liston went into the fight with a sore or lame shoulder.Shaun Assael. The Murder of Sonny Liston: A Story of Fame, Heroin, Boxing & Las Vegas Pan publisher; 2017. () Despite Liston carrying an injury and being undertrained, Ali stated in 1975 that the first fight with Liston was the toughest of his career.
There is ample evidence that Liston did carry an injury to his left shoulder into the fight.Tosches, Nick (2000). The Devil And Sonny Liston. Boston: Little, Brown. . Sports Illustrated writer Tex Maule wrote that Liston's shoulder injury was legitimate. He cited Liston's inability to lift his arm: "There is no doubt that Liston's arm was damaged. In the sixth round, he carried it at belt level so that it was of no help in warding off the right crosses with which Clay probed at the cut under his left eye." He also cited medical evidence: "A team of eight doctors inspected Liston's arm at St. Francis Hospital in Miami Beach and agreed that it was too badly damaged for Liston to continue fighting. The torn tendon had bled down into the mass of the biceps, swelling and numbing the arm."Maule, Tex (March 9, 1964). "Yes, it was good and honest". Sports Illustrated: 20. Those findings were confirmed in a formal investigation immediately after the fight by Florida State Attorney Richard Gerstein, who also noted that there was little doubt that Liston went into the fight with a sore or lame shoulder.Shaun Assael. The Murder of Sonny Liston: A Story of Fame, Heroin, Boxing & Las Vegas Pan publisher; 2017. () Despite Liston carrying an injury and being undertrained, Ali stated in 1975 that the first fight with Liston was the toughest of his career.