Ira Gay Sealy/The Denver Post via Getty Images According to the post, he returned back home later that morning and called his sparring partner Gary Bates to tell him he was leaving for Los Angeles but that they should get together when he returned in a couple of days. He rounded out the year by stopping Nino Valdez and Willi Besmanoff. During a ringside interview after the fight, Terrellwith his swollen eye and deflated egowould later say he respected all boxers. He allegedly later told an assistant that he took a dive because he was afraid of the consequences of beating Ali he thought it would put a target on his own back. He won eight fights that year, six by knockout. Carwin probably wasn't even that tall. that startles everyone in a 100 foot radius. His eyes swept the whole scene. Many in attendance did not see Ali deliver the punch. [99] (3) The mob promised Liston some money to throw the second Ali fight, but they never paid him. Theories regarding the circumstance of Liston's death. Muhammad Ali biographer Jonathan Eig shared a new theory as to why Sonny Liston may have taken a dive in the boxers' second bout. ", Knopfler compared writing a song about Liston to the work a sculptor performs on a statue. Patterson wanted a chance to redeem himself, so they met again on July 22, 1963, in Las Vegas. The highly-anticipated May 1965 rematch between the heavyweight champions almost didn't happen. "There's no doubt that he was mean," Knopfler said of Liston. 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." [36], Jack Dempsey spoke for many when he was quoted as saying that Sonny Liston should not be allowed to fight for the title. While true he also sent women to the hospital, which his sparring partner confirms. [45][46] A clearly angered Liston rallied at the end of the round when Clay seemed tired, delivering punishing body shots. But by the sixth round his sight had cleared, and a clearly enraged Clay fought a blisteringly aggressive round landing numerous combination punches. The governor of nearby Maine, John Reed, stepped up and volunteered to host it in the small town of Lewiston, where a resort and ice rink could provide some infrastructure. As the years passed and Liston's financial situation worsened, he got angry and told the mob he would go public with the story unless they gave him the money. Shaun Assael. The fight lasted four seconds longer than the first one. [33], Civic leaders were also reluctant, worrying that Liston's unsavory character would set a bad example for youth. I never saw. He also had a reputation for bullying people such as porters and waitresses. [89], Following an investigation, Las Vegas police concluded there were no signs of foul play and declared Liston's death a heroin overdose. ", Chuck Wepner on Liston's intimidating appearance. The Murder of Sonny Liston: A Story of Fame, Heroin, Boxing & Las Vegas Pan publisher; 2017. Midway through the first round, Liston threw a left jab and Ali went over it with a fast right, knocking the former champion down. Sheed says that the punch and the knockdown "may have been genuine, but when referee Joe Walcott blew the count and gave him all evening to get up, Liston's rendition of a coma wouldn't have fooled a possum. Charles L. "Sonny" Liston (c.1930 December 30, 1970) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1953 to 1970. [43] A month later, Liston was accused of impersonating a police officer by using a flashlight to wave down a female motorist in Fairmount Park, although all charges were later dropped. BOXING Correction: July 15, 2005, Friday A sports picture caption on Wednesday with an article about Mark Knopfler's ballad for the boxer Sonny Liston referred incorrectly in some copies to the year in which Muhammad Ali knocked out Liston in Lewiston, Me. Sports Illustrated predicted a Patterson victory in 15 rounds, stating: "Sonny has neither Floyd's speed nor the versatility of his attack. [31] While Liston began working into shape with hopes for a heavyweight title shot, he also continued his criminal behavior. [32] Ironically, Patterson's manager, Cus D'Amato, associated with racketeers and had his manager's license revoked by the New York State Athletic Commission for alleged misconduct in connection with the Floyd PattersonIngemar Johansson title fight in June 1959. "The public is not with me. ", Ali clearly did not think he knocked Liston out. He was scared of the black-power movement. "[59], Liston is ranked second in the ESPN.com list of "The Hardest Hitters in Heavyweight History. I was down but not hurt, but I looked up and saw Ali standing over me. Also in 1970, Liston appeared on an episode of the TV series Love, American Style and in a television commercial for Braniff Airlines with Andy Warhol.[12][102]. He also wrote that Liston's win over Patterson proved that "in a fair fight between good and evil, evil must win." He then outpointed Julius Griffin, winner of the New York Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions, to capture the Intercity Golden Gloves Championship on March 26 (representing Chicago). According to a report in the Miami Herald a few weeks before the 1964 fight, Clay was consorting with members of the Nation of Islam, who Clays father claimed had brainwashed his son. It was more likely that Liston was out of shape according to a story in Esquire at the time, Liston trained as normal, running around five miles a day, eating hot dogs and drinking beer. He was also possibly much older than his listed 32 years than anything else Liston was the second-youngest of 25 children to parents who didnt exactly keep records of birthdates. RARE Sonny Liston Interview before the first Ali fight 1964 in Color Legends of Boxing in Color 2.47K subscribers Subscribe 16K views 8 months ago Very Rare interview with Sonny Liston and. . Sonny Liston Interview 82,818 views Apr 2, 2014 1.3K Dislike Share Save haNZAgod 93.2K subscribers Subscribe A rare interview with former Heavyweight champion of the world, Sonny Liston.. He was paroled after serving six months of a nine-month sentence, and was not prohibited from boxing during 1957. More on that in a second. Alois Stevens, suggested to Liston that he try boxing, and his obvious aptitude, along with an endorsement from Stevens, who was also a priest, aided Liston in getting an early parole. Washington University Libraries, Film and Media Archive, Henry Hampton Collection. The story goes that Liston was born somewhere . Good lord, Sonny's mitts are massive. It'll just be for slow guitar, soft trumpet and a bell.". Machen's mobility enabled him to go the distance but he was clearly outpointed despite Liston being penalised for a low blow in the 11th round. Liston was the subject of a 1995 HBO documentary titled Sonny Liston: The Mysterious Life and Death of a Champion. They fought for a third time on March 6, 1956, which Liston won by a ten-round unanimous decision. "He told me in the strictest confidence, but it was like he wanted to get it off his chest." Watch the interview you be the judge.. Jim Murray of the Los Angeles Times wrote that it was "no phantom punch." [86] Former light-heavyweight champion Jose Torres said, "I have never met an athlete in baseball, basketball or football who is smarter, more intelligent than Sonny Liston". I'm the best ever. Liston was allegedly present at dealer Earl Cage's residence during a raid by narcotics detectives. Tosches, Nick (2000). However, when Clay returned to his corner, he started complaining that there was something burning in his eyes and he could not see. said Liston's Philadelphia dentist, Dr. Nick Ragni. Sad how they portrayed sonny in such a negative light he seems like a genuinely kind person. Even before the first punch was thrown, the May 25, 1965 bout between .css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston, during which the photo was snapped, was already shaping up to be the stuff of legends. Gallender claimed, "A lot of officers knew Sonny was dead before Geraldine returned home on January 5, but they chose to let him rot. "Yes, it was good and honest". "[35], Patterson and Liston had a rematch clause in their contract. That would prove to be an understatement. America's first look at Liston since the Ali rematch was when he fought fifthranked Henry Clark in a nationally broadcast bout in July 1968. Ali initially stood over his fallen opponent, gesturing and yelling at him, "Get up and fight, sucker!" [5][6] Alfie Potts Harmer in The Sportster also ranked him the third greatest heavyweight and the sixth greatest boxer at any weight. He said he could not hear McDonough, who did not have a microphone. When he tried to muscle in for a bigger share, Conrad thinks his employers got him very drunk, took him home and stuck him with a needle. For his part, Liston said that the referees inability to keep track of time doomed him, as he didnt know when to get up from the mat. With Clay quickly ducking his head left, right or away, Liston's leading left jabs largely failed to land. Sonny Liston had a very sad upbringing & had to learn to survive at a young age. [48] The challenger, his arms held high in surrender, was demanding that the fight be stopped and Dundee, fearing the fight might indeed be halted, gave his charge a one-word order: "Run! [17] The athletic director at Missouri State Penitentiary, Rev. Interview Date: March 13, 1989 Camera Rolls: 2104-2105 Sound Rolls: 248 Editorial Notes: Interview with , conducted by Blackside, Inc. on March 13, 1989, for . Liston went down at 1:44, got up at 1:56, and Walcott stopped the fight at 2:12. However, David Remnick, for his book King of the World: Muhammad Ali and the Rise of an American Hero, interviewed one of Liston's cornermen, who told him that Liston could have continued: "[The shoulder] was all BS. Liston had never been knocked out before, and most people didnt even see the punch happen. A dominant contender of his era, he became the world heavyweight champion in 1962 after knocking out Floyd Patterson in the first round, repeating the knockout the following year in defense of the title; in the latter fight he also became the inaugural WBC heavyweight champion. "[98], Some claim Liston was murdered. But upon arrival, Liston was met by only a handful of reporters and public-relations staff. In the 2015 British crime film Legend, Liston is played by Mark Theodore in a scene where gangster Reggie Kray poses for a picture with the boxer. "He would do everything to avoid taking shots." [103], Sonny Liston was featured in a novel "Girl Fighter" with a brief reference to his early life, his rise to WBC heavyweight champion and his eventual losses to Clay/Ali.[104]. Entire books have been written about the fight, and one, released in 2015, sought to end the suggestion that Liston took another fall. Press J to jump to the feed. "And I suppose Sonny Liston always stuck with me. Numerous fans booed and started yelling, "Fix!" Tale of the tape: Fight poster for Sonny Liston v Cassius Clay in 1964. . [94], On January 1, Liston's wife, Geraldine, called Johnny Tocco and said she had not heard from her husband in three days and was worried. (. On September 7, 1954, Liston suffered defeat for the first time in his eighth professional fight, losing to Marty Marshall, a journeyman with an awkward style. Furthermore, that count cannot be started until the fighter scoring the knockdown goes to and remains in a neutral corner. The Murder of Sonny Liston is an absorbing, albeit speculative, attempt at addressing the mystery that died with the man. It became known as the phantom punch and has been the subject of controversy and speculation for the last 55 years. Liston's criminal record, compounded by a personal association with a notorious labor racketeer, led to the police's stopping him on sight, and he began to avoid main streets. Boston: Little, Brown. Sit down!' Either way, nat fleisher as the KD timekeeper had NO right telling Walcott the fight was over. In the first fight, in Miami, a 22-year-old Cassius Clay danced around the ring, taunted Liston, promised reporters hed shock the world, and then delivered on that promise with a blistering late attack that prompted Liston to toss in the towel after the sixth round. Although Clay often carried his gloves down at his waist, seemingly open to attack, he proved very difficult to hit. Liston's wife also recalled that her husband would refuse basic medical care for common colds because of his dislike of needles. Liston retired in his corner due to an inflamed shoulder. [citation needed], Rogin wrote that Patterson backers expected him to "go inside on Liston, fire away and then run like a thief in the night. On April 21, 1955, he defeated Marshall in a rematch, dropping him four times en route to a sixth-round knockout. From the opening bell Liston attempted to close with Clay, looking to land a hard punch to the head to end the fight quickly and decisively. Referee Jersey Joe Walcott, a former world heavyweight champion, had a hard time getting Ali to go to a neutral corner. Byrne sought an injunction blocking the fight in Boston because Inter-Continental Promotions was promoting the fight without a Massachusetts license. "There was nothing Sonny feared more than a needle. In "Sailing to Philadelphia," a duet with James Taylor, Knopfler told of Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon traveling from England to North America to draw the Mason-Dixon line. [39] Leading up to the fight, Liston was an 85 betting favorite, although many picked Patterson to win. [49], Clay later said that in round five he could only see a faint shadow of Liston during most of the round, but by circling and moving frantically he managed to avoid Liston and somehow survive. "At about noon on the day of the fight, (Magids) reached Resnick again by phone," the memo read. A few years before Tocco died, he allegedly told one of his good friends, Tony Davi, that he went to Liston's house and found the door locked and his car in the driveway. [8] Convicted and sentenced to five years in the Missouri State Penitentiary, Liston started his prison time on June 1, 1950. A grateful Liston found there was no need to give chase. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Be respectful and come chat with us. [47] Sitting on his stool between rounds, however, Liston was breathing heavily as his cornermen worked on his cut. [42], Liston's run-ins with the police had continued in Philadelphia. Liston said he quit because of a shoulder injury. What are you doing? As Liston pursued his target Clay retreated, using his foot speed to slip away into open space in the ring, largely circling to the left and away from the threat of a Liston left hook. [38], Patterson finally signed to meet Liston for the world title on September 25, 1962, in Comiskey Park in Chicago. For confetti we can use torn-up arrest warrants." And it was probably for the best ticket-buyers didnt exactly get their moneys worth. You really never watched the first fight did you? [34] Many African-Americans disdained Liston. [12], Liston never complained about prison, saying he was guaranteed three meals every day. A wax model of Liston appears in the front row of the iconic sleeve cover of the Beatles' Sgt. Was Pariah boxing legend Sonny Listons OD really a mob murder? [84], Liston married Geraldine Chambers in St. Louis, Missouri, on September 3, 1957. Liston knocked out Hermann Schreibauer of West Germany at 2:16 of the first round. The Devil And Sonny Liston. Liston didn't seem to mind though. It was the third-fastest knockout in a world heavyweight title fight, and the first time the defending champion had been knocked out in round one. Who needed that? Larry Merchant, then a writer with the Philadelphia Daily News, wrote: "A celebration for Philadelphia's first heavyweight champ is now in order. The NAACP had urged Patterson not to fight Liston, fearing that a Liston victory would hurt the civil rights movement. The Ring magazine ranks Liston as the tenth greatest heavyweight of all time,[4] while boxing writer Herb Goldman ranked him second and Richard O'Brien, Senior Editor of Sports Illustrated, placed him third. No, I'm Alexanderhe's no Alexander. He rolled over, got to his right knee and then fell on his back again. Traduo Context Corretor Sinnimos Conjugao Conjugao Documents Dicionrio Dicionrio Colaborativo Gramtica Expressio Reverso Corporate [87], Liston was found dead by his wife, Geraldine, in their Las Vegas home on January 5, 1971. [30], Liston became the No. He found a quarter-ounce of heroin in a balloon in the kitchen, and a half-ounce of marijuana in Liston's pants pocket, but no syringes or needles. "[18], After Liston was released from prison on October 31, 1952, he had a brief amateur career that spanned less than a year. One memo, dated 24 May 1966, outlined an interview with Houston gambler Barnett Magids, who believed Liston would win. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. But then again, he took a pretty good beating in the fight. In these feckless clinches he only managed to tie up one of Liston's arms. Rogin discounted speculation that Patterson had thrown the fight, writing: "The genesis of all this wide-eyed theorizing and downright baloney was the fact that many spectators failed to see the knockout blows. Two more arrestsfor disorderly conduct and resisting arrest and another for impersonating a copled to Liston being suspended by the Pennsylvania Athletic Commission on July 14, 1961. He was a gentle man. C'mon now, this is for the title, this is the big apple. There was something caustic in both eyes." "[78] While much has been written about the effectiveness of his left jab, others have commented favorably on Liston's wide range of boxing skills. Helen had one child before she married Tobe, and Tobe had 13 children with his first wife. One mile up on a mountain 13 miles west of Denver is the Shrine of Mother Cabrini. Because of the shirt he wore during robberies, the St. Louis police called Liston the "Yellow Shirt Bandit." [62] The promoters needed a new location quickly, whatever the size, to rescue their closed-circuit television commitment around the country. "Sonnyboyliston | Race Record & Form | Racing Post", "Moonfire (1972), a film by Michael Parkhurst -Theiapolis", NYSAC World Heavyweight Champion - BoxRec, Lyrics to a song about Liston by Mark Knopfler, FBI Records: The Vault - Charles Sonny Liston, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sonny_Liston&oldid=1137950795, International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees, 20th-century African-American sportspeople, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2016, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2022, Articles with unsourced statements from December 2016, Pages with login required references or sources, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Hackman, Timothy. Charles "Sonny" Liston was born c.1930 into a sharecropping family that farmed the poor land of Morledge Plantation near Johnson Township, St.Francis County, Arkansas. "He had a left like Henry's hammer," Knopfler sings, "a right like Betty Bamalam. At that point, the fight was scored as even on the official scorecards. Never before seen Sonny Liston interview. Support this Channel: https://www.patreon.com/join/LegendsofBoxing Merchandise: https://www.redbubble.com/peo. Dr. Alexander Robbins, chief physician for the Miami Beach Boxing Commission, diagnosed Liston with a torn tendon in his left shoulder. [58] Despite Liston carrying an injury and being undertrained, Clay stated in 1975 that the first fight with Liston was the toughest of his career. It was the first time in his career that Liston had been cut. Because of that, Cage may have thought Sonny was an informant and shot him with a hot dose as retribution. However, there were again rumors of alcohol abuse in training. Liston believed his date of birth to be May 8, 1932, and used this for official purposes[11] but by the time he won the world title an aged appearance added credence to rumors that he was actually several years older. Ali called it "the anchor punch." He could have remained typecast as a musician performing rock songs. When caught in January 1950, Liston gave his age as 20, while the St. Louis Globe-Democrat reported that he was 22. Dave Anderson of the New York Times said Liston "looked awful" in his last workout before the fight. Liston was a heavy favorite. Hed shown up to the fight in the best shape of his life no hot dogs or beer in his diet this time and promised to take down Ali. His defense was described as "the gate-crossing of arms la Archie Moore. r/boxing does not tolerate racism or intolerance of any kind. When Patterson met with the president in January 1962, Kennedy suggested that Patterson avoid Liston, citing Justice Department concerns over Liston's ties to organized crime. Liston appears as a character in James Ellroy's novel The Cold Six Thousand. Don't confuse shyness with dullness, Sonny was reluctant to talk to the press - the always painted a bad picture of him.Dwight Muhammad Qawi Braxton ATG Philly Joe Frazier Bernard HopkinsTags:pernell whitaker jersey joe walcott louis julio chavez evander holyfield lennox lewis felix sturm oscar de la hoya floyd mayweather miguel cotto marquez manny pacquiao pacman boxing boxer ko knockout tribute robbery mike tyson rocky marciano oscar de la hoya manny pacquiao foreman fight miguel cotto dead death muhammad ali cassius mike tyson clay lennox lewis eric morales barrera floyd mayweather fedor emelianenko ufc boxing ko k.o. At one point in this attack, Liston was rocked as he was driven to the ropes. Governor John H. Reed of Maine stepped forward, and within a few hours the promoters had a new site: Lewiston, Maine, a mill town with a population of about 41,000 located 140 miles (230km) north of Boston. Skeptics called the knockout blow "the phantom punch." The Murder of Sonny Liston: A Story of Fame, Heroin, Boxing & Las Vegas. He took one and went down. For those too young to remember, Sonny "The Big Bear" Liston was a legendary heavyweight boxer. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. [76][77] Foreman stated: "There wasn't anything missing from Sonny Liston. [59], Liston trained hard for the rematch, which was scheduled to take place November 13, 1964, in Boston. Muhammad Ali stands over Sonny Liston after dropping Liston with a short hard right to the jaw on May 25, 1965, in Lewiston, Maine, Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston: The Controversial Fight Behind Their Iconic Boxing Photo, Remembering Just Fontaine and His World Cup Record, an official member of the Nation of Islam, Senate subcommittee hearing turned up no evidence, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. "He said: 'Look what they did!' [101], Liston played a fist fighter in the 1965 film Harlow, made a cameo appearance in the 1968 film Head, which starred The Monkees, and played the part of The Farmer in the 1970 film Moonfire, which starred Richard Egan and Charles Napier. Sonny Liston shot a gun at Muhammad Ali. "[75], Future world heavyweight champion George Foreman, who sparred with Liston after Foreman's amateur career, assessed Liston's jab as the most formidable he faced and Liston as the strongest man he encountered in the ring, describing Liston as having the most natural talent and skill. To the rest of the world, it would be known as "The Phantom Punch." That shot, which Ali dropped Sonny Liston with on May 25, 1965, was far from a phantom. I know it", Liston said afterward. Controversy followed with claims that Liston had been drinking heavily the night before the fight and had entered the bout with a lame shoulder. [29] Machen's taunting and his spoiling tactics of dodging and grapplingat one point almost heaving Liston over the ropesso alienated the audience that Liston received unaccustomed support from the crowd. Sonny Liston is considered by many as the most intimidating boxer of all time with a devastating jab which is widely regarded as one of the best in heavyweight history. Suffolk County, where Boston is located, ultimately pulled the plug, leaving them without a venue with less than a month to go. Rode with the muggers in the dark and dread and all them sluggers went down like lead. It was probably Liston's best moment in the entire fight. Felix later said Clay was seconds from being disqualified. Reminds me of former UFC fighter Shane Carwin. Geraldine remembered her husband as "Great with me, great with the kids. There were plenty of tough questions after the first fight for Liston, too, namely, why didnt he come out for another round?