[35] Liston's victory was loudly booed. 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. "[98], Some claim Liston was murdered. Tocco said that the living room furniture was in disarray, but the house did not yet smell of death. [83] Herb Goldman stated that Liston, when in his prime between 1958 and 1963, was the most feared fighter in boxing history. Carwin probably wasn't even that tall. He also took his gun. The rumors swirling nearly canceled the fight the night prior, and when a reporter that morning broke tradition and asked if Clay was a member of the Black Muslims, as the group was often called, the boxer confirmed his new religion. The NAACP had urged Patterson not to fight Liston, fearing that a Liston victory would hurt the civil rights movement. Sonny Liston Interview - Rare - YouTube RARE Sonny Liston Interview before the first Ali fight 1964 in Color Legends of Boxing in Color 22K views 10 months ago On the Spot show with Max Goldberg featuring the heavyweight champion. [30] Before his bout with Liston, Muhammad Ali consulted Machen and was advised that the key to survival was to make Liston lose his temper. He said he could not hear McDonough, who did not have a microphone. [94], Liston was buried at Paradise Memorial Gardens in Las Vegas, Nevada. Knopfler, who was born in Scotland and grew up in northern England, said Liston's story was "exciting subject matter because it's so mysterious." (4) Liston was supposed to take a dive when he fought Chuck Wepner six months earlier, and killing him was payback for his failure to do so. Tocco left the house before the police did. No, I'm Alexanderhe's no Alexander. [88] On returning home from a two-week trip, Geraldine had smelled a foul odor emanating from the main bedroom and on entering saw him slumped up against the bed, a broken foot bench on the floor. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. I don't think there was any way for him to beat Clay at that time, but if he entered the ring in a different mindset, to box and not try and get him like Patterson and others, he could of went the distance. When caught in January 1950, Liston gave his age as 20, while the St. Louis Globe-Democrat reported that he was 22. [8][9], There is no official record of Liston's birth. He was more angry about that shot than he was about the car wreck. Sonny Liston - Wikipedia Sonny was definitely a specimen. In these feckless clinches he only managed to tie up one of Liston's arms. that startles everyone in a 100 foot radius. [10][11] It has been suggested Liston himself may not have known what year he was born, as he was not precise on the matter. For Sonny Liston, a Ballad to a Heavyweight - The New York Times On April 21, 1955, he defeated Marshall in a rematch, dropping him four times en route to a sixth-round knockout. "I remember him telling me one day that he found himself watching boxing but he didn't like the way it made him feel," Knopfler said. At about 30 seconds into the round he hit Liston with several combinations, causing a bruise under Liston's right eye and a cut under his left, which eventually required eight stitches to close. Another depicts Liston's death scene and autopsy: "There was dope in his veins and a pistol on the drawer Criss-crossed on his back, scars from his daddy like slavery tracks.". Patterson, a 4-1 betting underdog, was knocked down three times and counted out at 2:10 of the first round. knockout kimbo slice evander holyfield nogueira wladimir vitali klitschko haye mma brutal bareknuckle headbutt lowblow foul dirty boxer funny bob sapp david cesar chavez joe frazier rocky marciano larry holmes felix trinidad jackson new tribute video highlight dirtiest best brock lesnar julio cesar ricky hatton randy couture israel vasquez juan manuel marquez antonio margarito felix tito trinidad antonio rodrigo minotauro marco antonio barrera john ruiz freddie roach hector camacho pernell whitaker willie pep sugar ray robinson shane mosley antonio tarver roy jones joe cortez lennox lewis david haye haymaker wladimir vitali vladimir klitschko klitchko prediction prefight postfight press conferencetex cobb gerry cooney jerry pierre coetzer floyd roger mayweather arturo gatti rocky graziano graciano tony zale dariusz michalczewski rocky rocchigiani henry maske james toney vassily jirov vasily unbelievable knockout ko k.o. "At about noon on the day of the fight, (Magids) reached Resnick again by phone," the memo read. Muhammad Ali called it his "anchor punch," a quick right hand that the young heavyweight champion claimed he had learned from his friend, actor Stepin Fetchit. Book Review: Was Sonny Liston Murdered? - The Arts Fuse Stevens organized a sparring session with a professional heavyweight named Thurman Wilson to showcase Liston's potential. Dave Anderson of the New York Times said Liston "looked awful" in his last workout before the fight. He won by a seventh-round technical knockout, and seemed on the verge of making a comeback to the big time. Liston said he quit because of a shoulder injury. "[54] Hall of Fame matchmaker Teddy Brenner also disputed the shoulder injury, claiming he saw Liston use the same arm to throw a chair in his dressing room after the match. A lot of his life was mysterious and messy. THE PREFIGHT MOODS OF SONNY LISTON - Sports Illustrated Liston decked Martin with a left hook in the fourth round and dominated most of the fight, but Martin came back and knocked Liston out cold in the ninth round. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. In the third round, Marshall nailed Listonreportedly while he was laughingand broke his jaw. 1 contender in 1960, but the handlers of world heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson refused to give him a shot at the title because of Liston's links to organized crime. Rocky Marciano, the former heavyweight champion, said that he appreciated the punchs strength upon re-examination. Tosches, Nick (2000). He is a relatively elementary, one-track fighter." RARE Sonny Liston Interview before the first Ali fight 1964 in Color Night Train is like $11 on Amazon, peep that if you want to get more of the story, i don't like how max was squeezing sonny's bicep. On May 7, backers of the rematch ended the court battle by pulling the fight out of Boston. 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. Liston, with a 25-pound weight advantage, 214lb (97kg) to 189lb (86kg), knocked out Patterson at 2:06 of the first round, putting him down for the count with a powerful left hook to the jaw. Sonny Liston in Denver, Colorado. When Walcott got back to Liston and looked at the knockdown timekeeper, Francis McDonough, to pick up the count, Liston had fallen back on the canvas. "I was rooting around in my childhood, maybe the way you do when you get to a certain age," Knopfler said. Maule, Tex (March 9, 1964). Although the opening round saw Clay largely on the defensive, it was soon established that Clay could reverse roles quickly and take to the offensive with a remarkably fast series of combinations delivered to Liston's head. Geraldine remembered her husband as "Great with me, great with the kids. [71] Credence to the latter theory is provided by the fact that Liston, immediately after his fight with Chuck Wepner, seemed more concerned about supporting the proposed Ali-Frazier bout and Ali's claims to be champion than promoting his own career. [79][80][81] These include Muhammad Ali, who stated in a 1975 interview that he was a great admirer of Liston's talents: "Liston had a tremendous jab, could punch with either hand, was smart in the ring and as strong as any heavyweight Ive ever seen. "[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. Very rare interview of Sonny Liston talking about how he got started in boxing, his fights with Williams and Patterson and his training routine. [91] Coroner Mark Herman said traces of heroin byproducts were found in Liston's system, but not in amounts large enough to have caused his death. Sonny Liston: The Tragic Story of a Terrifying Man Liston did eventually rise from the mat, but soon after, the referee broke up the two boxers once again the former champion had been down for more than 10 seconds, ending the fight. Both fights were in Summerlin's hometown of Detroit.[23]. After the second loss to Ali, Liston stayed out of the ring for more than a year. [52][53] It was the first time since 1919when Jack Dempsey defeated Jess Willardthat a world heavyweight champion had quit on his stool. [56] Sports Illustrated writer Tex Maule wrote that Liston's shoulder injury was legitimate. At that point, the fight was scored as even on the official scorecards. [92] He had been suffering from hardening of the heart muscle and lung disease before his death. Mark Knopfler enjoyed widespread popularity in the 1980's as the leader of Dire Straits, lending his husky voice to hit songs like "Sultans of Swing" and "Money for Nothing." Sonny Liston had a very sad upbringing & had to learn to survive at a young age. The opening round was fought an extra eight seconds, since both fighters and referee Barney Felix apparently did not hear the bell. said Liston's Philadelphia dentist, Dr. Nick Ragni. "Yes, it was good and honest". Concert Preview/Interview: John Lodge of the Moody Blues on Reprising "Days of Future Passed . Press J to jump to the feed. Sonny Liston was one of the hardest hitters the boxing world has ever seen. "But can he hit!" The mysterious life of Sonny Liston. He particularly resented a 1961 arrest by a black patrolman for loitering, claiming to have merely been signing autographs and chatting with fans outside a drugstore. The suspension was honored in all states. "A blues song just for fighters: The legend of Sonny Liston. But former Las Vegas police Sgt. Inter-Continental said local veteran Sam Silverman was the promoter. In the 2020 film One Night in Miami, Liston is played by Aaron D. Alexander. Writer Jack McKinney said, "I watched Sonny. "[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. Felix later said Clay was seconds from being disqualified. "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. I dont have to be what you want me to be, Clay told agitated reporters. His "Speedway at Nazareth" was about auto racing. Subsequently, Liston spent some months in Denver where a Catholic priest who acted as his spiritual adviser attempted to help bring his drinking under control. [62] The promoters needed a new location quickly, whatever the size, to rescue their closed-circuit television commitment around the country. This interview is missing a "BOOOOOOOMZQUAD!!" In a pre-fight poll, 43 of 46 sportswriters picked Liston to win by knockout. The victim sought out the executioner." Liston's story, Knopfler said, "is great for a writer for many reasons. Philadelphia wanted nothing to do with him. The match had more storylines than a soap opera. The second fight? ", During an era when white journalists still described black athletes in stereotypes, Liston had long been a target of racially charged slurs; he was called a "gorilla" and "a jungle beast" in print. I'm the best ever. You really never watched the first fight did you? I was down but not hurt, but I looked up and saw Ali standing over me. This victory is regarded by some as Liston's most impressive performance. 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. Sonny Liston interview with Max Goldberg before his fight with Cassius As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Two of the three official scorers, or judges, awarded the round to Liston, and the other scored the round even. Although Liston was widely regarded as unbeatable, he lost the title in 1964 to Muhammad Ali (then known as Cassius Clay), who entered as a 71 underdog. Sonny Liston Interview in Color - YouTube [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! Like Dylan's subject, Rubin Carter, Knopfler's version of Liston is sympathetic. [30], Liston became the No. ", One of the most vivid verses creates a word-picture of Liston in his prime with photographic clarity: "Black Cadillac, alligator boots, money in the pockets of his sharkskin suits." "When he first got to the big city, he was hanging out with a bunch of people who were just looking for trouble.". There's never been anybody as ruthless. One mile up on a mountain 13 miles west of Denver is the Shrine of Mother Cabrini. The champion was stripped of the belt when he refused to be drafted into the armed services during the Vietnam War, and he didnt box again in a match that counted until 1970. [citation needed], The fight turned out to be a mismatch. 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. Mark Knopfler's tribute to Liston, "Song for Sonny Liston", appeared on his 2004 album Shangri-La. He took one and went down. Rare interview of Sonny Liston colorized. "There is power in both his left and his right, even though the fists move with the languor of motoring royalty or as if passing through a gaseous envelope more dense than air." Please read the rules before posting/commenting. Suffolk County, where Boston is located, ultimately pulled the plug, leaving them without a venue with less than a month to go. [citation needed], Liston competed in the 1953 United States National Championships at Boston Garden and passed the preliminaries, stopping Lou Graff in the second round on April 13, but lost in the quarterfinals to 17-year-old Jimmy McCarter on April 15. There are no official records of his birth He returned with four consecutive knockout victories in Sweden between July 1966 and April 1967, all four co-promoted by former world heavyweight champion Ingemar Johansson. His wife said he was a kind & gentle hearted person who cared deeply for children & that no one ever saw that side of him except those closest to him, I believe theres a documentary somewhere on YouTube Id recommend watching it. Even before the first punch was thrown, the May 25, 1965 bout between Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston . At one point, Clay was wiping his eyes with his right hand while extending his left arm"like a drunk leaning on a lamppost" Bert Sugar wroteto keep Liston at bay. Anyone can read what you share. [107] The story speculates that Liston threw the Ali match for the good of society. Welcome to r/boxing, the official home of pro boxing on Reddit! Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. [21], Liston made his professional debut on September 2, 1953, knocking out Don Smith in the first round in St. Louis, where he fought his first five bouts. Liston was overwhelmed by an abusive father, confrontations with the law, underworld managers and a change in African-American culture represented by Ali, Knopfler said. December 1963 extended Interview with Champion Sonny Liston - discusses [24], In 1958, Liston returned to boxing. A grateful Liston found there was no need to give chase. [citation needed] At this time, the head coach of the St. Louis Golden Gloves team, Tony Anderson, stated that Liston was the strongest fighter he had seen. ", Hutchison, Phillip J. 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. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. 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. Name: Sonny Liston Birth Name: Charles L. Liston Hometown: Saint Louis, Missouri, USA Birthplace: Johnson Township, Arkansas, USA Died: 1970-12-30 (Age:40) Stance: Orthodox Height: 185cm Reach: 213cm Referee: Record Pro Boxer: Record Amateur Boxer: Record Managers: Jack Nilon, Joe (Pep) Barone, Eddie Polino, George Katz, Frank Mitchell, Dick Sadler Sonny Liston shot a gun at Muhammad Ali. #muhammadali #henrycooper #sonnyliston #dougjones #heavyweight #greatness #boxing #legend #larryholmes #ironmike #sonnyliston #intimidating #bad #big #greatb. Interview with Floyd Patterson - Washington University in St. Louis Helen had one child before she married Tobe, and Tobe had 13 children with his first wife. [74], Writer Gilbert Rogin assessed Liston's style and physique after his win over Zora Folley. It was a shocking result, not only because Liston was favored in the match, but because hardly anybody saw the punch that took him down. "I didn't know what the heck was going on", Angelo Dundee, Clay's trainer, recalled on an NBC special 25 years later. One memo, dated 24 May 1966, outlined an interview with Houston gambler Barnett Magids, who believed Liston would win. He would later employ McCarter as a sparring partner. He could have remained typecast as a musician performing rock songs. 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. He won eight fights that year, six by knockout. Remembering One Of Boxing's Storied Bouts : NPR And the Muslims were coming up. Boston: Little, Brown. The fight lasted less than one full round, with Ali knocking out Liston at the 1:44 mark. Due to Listons long association with the mafia and the reputation as a peerless tough guy, there was speculation that hed thrown the fight for some financial reward. The bout would need to be delayed by six months. [84], Liston married Geraldine Chambers in St. Louis, Missouri, on September 3, 1957. One of the victories was over Amos Johnson, Liston's former sparring partner, who had recently defeated British champion Henry Cooper. "He had a deadly fear of needles," said Davey Pearl, a boxing referee and friend of Liston's. Officially, Liston died of lung congestion and heart failure. Muhammad Ali (at the time a rising contender named Cassius Clay), however, predicted a knockout by Liston in the first five rounds. and he was pointing at some little bandage over the needle mark in his arm. You've seen him before but probably didn't realize it because the most famous photo ever taken of Sonny was not at his best angle. [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]. Walcott then rushed back to the fighters, who had resumed boxing, and stopped the fightawarding Ali a first-round knockout victory. "Some songs just seem to reverberate with people.". Liston went down on his back. He said that Liston was not quick with his hand or footwork, that he relied too much on his ability to take a punch, and that he could be vulnerable to an opponent with more hand speed. 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. And, while Patterson was growing as a fighter, Sonny was taking on mostly journeyman and starting to age. 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. It was a good punch, but I didn't think I hit him so hard that he couldn't have gotten up. The connections to organized crime were an advantage early in his career but were later used against him. C'mon now, this is for the title, this is the big apple. Geraldine called Liston's attorney and his doctor, but did not notify the police until two to three hours later. I remember thinking as a child that this was a man who wanted to be left alone.". During a ringside interview after the fight, Terrellwith his swollen eye and deflated egowould later say he respected all boxers. Boxings brightest young star was again squaring off against a renowned bruiser in a rematch of their thrilling and controversial heavyweight championship fight one year prior, a fight that was followed by 14 months of international intrigue and the combustible politics of the 1960s. "It was common knowledge that Sonny was a heroin addict," said Sgt. His eyes swept the whole scene. "Now (after seeing video) I think Clay, seeing the opening, snapped the punch the last six inches. "He was scared of the police. Also, McDonough did not bang on the canvas or motion a number count with his fingers. Banker later learned that the police told Liston the same thing to his face. Wepner needed 72 stitches and suffered a broken cheekbone and nose. Also, scar tissue, possibly from needle marks, was found in the bend of Liston's left elbow. Liston angrily responded by questioning whether Dempsey's failure to serve in World War I qualified him to moralize. Liston was a heavy favorite. 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. The grave's marker-plate bears the dedication: "A Man. [34] Many African-Americans disdained Liston. Knopfler, who now records as a soloist and performs with a backup band, has a wide-ranging curiosity that has produced an eclectic collection of songs. "[69] The fact that Liston did not complain about the clear breach of boxing rules (being declared knocked out without a count) and Ali's obvious state of bewilderment, shouting at Liston "Nobody will believe this" and asking his handlers "Did I hit him? [105], Singer/Songwriter Rod Picott wrote and recorded a song titled "Sonny Liston" for his 2022 album "Paper Hearts and Broken Arrows. Knopfler said the track "uses a lot of the country-blues style of playing that I started to absorb when I was young.". Pan, 2017. [27][28], Liston's streak of nine straight knockout victories ended when he won a unanimous twelve-round decision against Eddie Machen on September 7, 1960. 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. Create Space Independent Publishing Platform. "[95], Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. He used the platform to expound on the political theory that was so reviled in white America, defending Malcolm X and condemning racial oppression this was still months before President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Murder of Sonny Liston is an absorbing, albeit speculative, attempt at addressing the mystery that died with the man. The year 1959 was a banner one for Liston: after knocking out contender Mike DeJohn in six rounds he faced Cleveland Williams, a fast-handed fighter who was billed as the hardest-hitting heavyweight in the world against whom he showed durability, power and skill, nullifying Williams' best work before stopping him in the third round. 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. Emily Post would probably recommend a ticker-tape parade. [19], On June 23, 1953, a team consisting of ten recent St. Louis Golden Gloves champions of all weight classes, with Liston on top as the heavyweight, was gathered to represent the United States in an International Golden Gloves (USA vs. West Europe) competition at Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis. [89], Following an investigation, Las Vegas police concluded there were no signs of foul play and declared Liston's death a heroin overdose.