After the second loss to Ali, Liston stayed out of the ring for more than a year. Liston's wife also recalled that her husband would refuse basic medical care for common colds because of his dislike of needles. Geraldine remembered her husband as "Great with me, great with the kids. Wepner needed 72 stitches and suffered a broken cheekbone and nose. The photo captures the champions exhortations, with all the fire and passion and dynamic physicality that made him such a phenomenon. 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. [64] Strict interpretation of the knockdown/count rule states it is the referee's count and not the timekeeper's that is the official count. Although Clay often carried his gloves down at his waist, seemingly open to attack, he proved very difficult to hit. In the third round, Clay began to take control of the fight. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Sonny Liston - Death, Muhammad Ali & Children - Biography Liston was depicted as a bad guy by the media, a handbreaker for the mafia. Joe Louis commenting on TV at ringside said "It's looking good for Sonny Liston". Sad how they portrayed sonny in such a negative light he seems like a genuinely kind person. [11][12][10][13][14] One writer concluded that Liston's most plausible date of birth was July 22, 1930, citing census records and statements from his mother during her lifetime. "[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? I remember thinking as a child that this was a man who wanted to be left alone.". I forgot about the rules." Two of the three official scorers, or judges, awarded the round to Liston, and the other scored the round even. Liston was a heavy favorite. Liston was the subject of a 2008 feature film based upon his life titled Phantom Punch. One memo, dated 24 May 1966, outlined an interview with Houston gambler Barnett Magids, who believed Liston would win. Please read the rules before posting/commenting. 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.". This interview is missing a "BOOOOOOOMZQUAD!!" NPR's Robert Siegel talks to Gary Robinov, director of Raising Ali, a film about the 50th anniversary of the heavyweight boxing match between Muhammed Ali and Sonny Liston in Lewiston, Maine.. 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 there's a documentary somewhere on YouTube I'd recommend watching it MatterUpbeat8803 19 days ago But by the sixth round his sight had cleared, and a clearly enraged Clay fought a blisteringly aggressive round landing numerous combination punches. You could feel the deflation, see the look of hurt in his eyes. After demolishing these top-ranked fighters in the heavyweight division, Liston was regarded as the top-contender champion-in-waiting. When you can kill almost anybody in the world with your bare hands, you don't really have to go around proclaiming it to everyone. [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. Charles L. "Sonny" Liston (c.1930 December 30, 1970) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1953 to 1970. Gallender claimed, "A lot of officers knew Sonny was dead before Geraldine returned home on January 5, but they chose to let him rot. He claimed the officer used racial slurs. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Welcome to r/boxing, the official home of pro boxing on Reddit! Many did not see the punch land, and some who did questioned that it was powerful enough to knock Liston out. The victim sought out the executioner." Before he left for his bout with Clay, Sonny's training in Denver took him to some strange places. ", This page was last edited on 7 February 2023, at 06:36. In an interview with The Associated Press shortly before his death in May 2009, Liston said he regretted . The torn tendon had bled down into the mass of the biceps, swelling and numbing the arm. A couple weeks later, he was still complainin' about that needle mark. 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. Ali did neither. [citation needed], The fight turned out to be a mismatch. [37] Frustrated, Liston changed his management in 1961 and applied pressure through the media by remarking that Patterson, who had faced mostly white challengers since becoming champion, was drawing the color line against his own race. THE PREFIGHT MOODS OF SONNY LISTON - Sports Illustrated Watch the interview you be the judge. [7] Liston was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991. Some found it suspicious that authorities could not locate any drug paraphernalia that Liston presumably would have needed to inject the fatal dose, such as a spoon to cook the heroin or a tourniquet to wrap around his arm. "At about noon on the day of the fight, (Magids) reached Resnick again by phone," the memo read. "He said, 'Cut the gloves off. Elizabeth Bear wrote the short story "Sonny Liston Takes the Fall", published in The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy in 2008. [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. The bout would need to be delayed by six months. The mysterious life of Sonny Liston. In this case, Intercontinental Promotions Inc., which had the rights to Listons fight, also got to choose the first opponent for the new champion, should Liston lose. And I said, 'Whoa, whoa, back up, baby. Liston won 14 consecutive bouts, 13 by knockout, before fighting third-ranked Leotis Martin, previously beaten by Clark, in December 1969. 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. Reminds me of former UFC fighter Shane Carwin. Never seen this one before, thanks alot. Liston appears as a character in James Ellroy's novel The Cold Six Thousand. 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 . Clay confessed later he had been hurt by the punch, but Liston was unable to press his advantage home. "[42], Liston made his second title defense on February 25, 1964, in Miami Beach, Florida against Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali). The grave's marker-plate bears the dedication: "A Man. It was probably Liston's best moment in the entire fight. Sonny Liston Interview - Rare - YouTube [51], Liston failed to answer the bell for the seventh round, and Clay was declared the winner by technical knockout. [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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. In his 1965 rematch with Ali, Liston suffered an unexpected first-round knockout that led to unresolved suspicions of a fix. The Real Story behind the Ali-Liston Fights. Liston tried going to school but quickly left after jeers about his illiteracy; the only employment he could obtain was sporadic and exploitative. Sonny Liston RARE Interview - YouTube [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. On the Spot show with Max Goldberg featuring the heavyweight champion The official time of the stoppage was announced as 1:00 into the first round, which was wrong. He was more angry about that shot than he was about the car wreck. He said they found Liston lying on his bed with a needle sticking out of his arm. "[59], Liston is ranked second in the ESPN.com list of "The Hardest Hitters in Heavyweight History. And, while Patterson was growing as a fighter, Sonny was taking on mostly journeyman and starting to age. Liston didn't seem to mind though. 10 Wild Stories From The Life Of Sonny Liston - Listverse Sonny Liston had a controversial boxing career, winning 54 of 58 bouts from 1953 to 1970. Entire books have been written about the fight, and one, released in 2015, sought to end the suggestion that Liston took another fall. And the face, it was an unforgettable face. Technically, contracts for boxing matches werent supposed to have rematch clauses, though pretty much all of them had some sort of loophole and agreement when each side wanted to guarantee a return bout again, the laws by which boxing governed itself were really more suggestions at the time. He won by a seventh-round technical knockout, and seemed on the verge of making a comeback to the big time. Then again, you can also have guys like Ali or Mike Tyson. [14], Tobe Liston inflicted whippings so severe on Sonny that the scars were still visible decades later. Sonny Liston in his prime . "Now (after seeing video) I think Clay, seeing the opening, snapped the punch the last six inches. Only Massachusetts was willing to host the fight, though it was delayed from November 1964 to May 1965 so that Ali could recover from hernia surgery. [76][77] Foreman stated: "There wasn't anything missing from Sonny Liston. 589 Share 23K views 1 year ago Rare interview of Sonny Liston colorized. Ali is waiting to hit me, the ref can't control him. Top contender Zora Folley was stopped in three rounds. 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. [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. On April 21, 1955, he defeated Marshall in a rematch, dropping him four times en route to a sixth-round knockout. [52][53] It was the first time since 1919when Jack Dempsey defeated Jess Willardthat a world heavyweight champion had quit on his stool. He was 6ft 1in (1.85m), and had an exceptionally powerful physique, with a disproportionately long reach at 84 inches (2.13m). "[40][41], Upon winning the world heavyweight title, Liston had a speech prepared for the crowd that friends had assured him would meet him at the Philadelphia airport. 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. Watch the interview you be the judge.. Two of the best-known are "The Boxer" by Simon and Garfunkel and "Hurricane" by Bob Dylan. Sonny Liston shot a gun at Muhammad Ali. He cited Liston's inability to lift his arm: "There is no doubt that Liston's arm was damaged. ", 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. Walcott never did pick up the count. Time magazine said Liston had worked himself into the best shape of his career. Soon, he was known as Cassius X, eschewing the last name given to his enslaved family by their owners. Sonny Liston in Denver, Colorado. [89], Following an investigation, Las Vegas police concluded there were no signs of foul play and declared Liston's death a heroin overdose. But upon arrival, Liston was met by only a handful of reporters and public-relations staff. "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. [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. Genuinely kind mobster who had been convicted of armed robbery and assault. But he spoke to his friend Resnick on the day of the fight and was told not to bet on the champion. So I get him down, I get the sponge and I pour the water into his eyes trying to cleanse whatever's there, but before I did that I put my pinkie in his eye and I put it into my eye. Tobe and Helen had 12 children together; Sonny was the second youngest child. However, there were again rumors of alcohol abuse in training. He also wrote that Liston's win over Patterson proved that "in a fair fight between good and evil, evil must win." Sonny Liston | Boxing's Most Intimidating and Unwanted Champion We had a return bout clause with Clay, but if you say your guy just quit, who is gonna get a return bout? When caught in January 1950, Liston gave his age as 20, while the St. Louis Globe-Democrat reported that he was 22. 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. His father, Tobe Liston, was in his mid 40s when he and his wife, Helen Baskin, who was almost 30 years younger than Tobe, moved to Arkansas from Mississippi in 1916. Ali would lose his title a year later, though it didnt happen in the ring. The date of death listed on his death certificate is December 30, 1970,[90] which police estimated by judging the number of milk bottles and newspapers around the front door of the property. I didn't think it was a powerful punch when I saw the fight from ringside," he said. "Better get me out of this ring," exclaimed Wilson, "he is going to kill me! #muhammadali #henrycooper #sonnyliston #dougjones #heavyweight #greatness #boxing #legend #larryholmes #ironmike #sonnyliston #intimidating #bad #big #greatb. In an Associated Press poll, 64 of 102 reporters picked Patterson. In "Song for Sonny Liston," Knopfler's voice is backed by electric guitar, a bass and drums as he tells the story of a sharecropper's son who went from prison to the championship to an early. [20], Liston signed a contract in September 1953, proclaiming: "Whatever you tell me to do, I'll do. Who needed that? I know it", Liston said afterward. Tocco said that the living room furniture was in disarray, but the house did not yet smell of death. (2) Professional gambler Lem Banker insists that Liston was murdered by drug dealers with whom he'd become involved. "[35] Although largely illiterate through lack of schooling, Liston was a more complex and interesting individual than has often been acknowledged. Arthur Daley of the New York Times wrote that Liston's handlers knew he "didn't have it anymore,"[65] and allegedly they had secretly paid sparring partner Amos Lincoln an extra $100 to take it easy on him -[citation needed] - the same man, incidentally, that Liston dismissed in less than two rounds a full three years later. 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 talked of a fight with Joe Frazier, claiming, "It'd be like shooting fish in a barrel." [47] Sitting on his stool between rounds, however, Liston was breathing heavily as his cornermen worked on his cut. Sonny Liston became world heavyweight champion in 1962 and fought Muhammad Ali twice In January 1971, former heavyweight champion of the world Sonny Liston was found dead at his Las Vegas. Jim Murray of the Los Angeles Times wrote that it was "no phantom punch." interview with Alex Haley in Muhammad Ali by Thomas Hauser. C'mon now, this is for the title, this is the big apple. Midway through the first round, Liston threw a left jab and Ali went over it with a fast right, knocking the former champion down. One of the victories was over Amos Johnson, Liston's former sparring partner, who had recently defeated British champion Henry Cooper. Sonny was definitely a specimen. Im free to be who I want.. Press J to jump to the feed. Ali brought his big personality to the small town, but Liston was still the favorite. "Johnny wasn't a braggart," Davi told Liston biographer Paul Gallender. Ali's "Phantom Punch" Controversy Explained - PBS [59], Liston trained hard for the rematch, which was scheduled to take place November 13, 1964, in Boston. "Yes, it was good and honest". "I was rooting around in my childhood, maybe the way you do when you get to a certain age," Knopfler said. "And I suppose Sonny Liston always stuck with me. [72], "I was an 'intimidator' until I fought Sonny Liston. His family's home state of Arkansas did not make birth certificates mandatory until 1965. 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. It was the first time in his career that Liston had been cut. Shaun Assael. [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". For Sonny Liston, a Ballad to a Heavyweight, https://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/13/sports/othersports/for-sonny-liston-a-ballad-to-a-heavyweight.html. "[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. Skeptics called the knockout blow "the phantom punch." The World Boxing Association one of several boxing organizations was not too pleased, moving to strip Ali of his title and advising states not to agree to host the rematch. Tale of the tape: Fight poster for Sonny Liston v Cassius Clay in 1964. . More on that in a second. Liston's story, Knopfler said, "is great for a writer for many reasons. For confetti we can use torn-up arrest warrants." Officially, Liston died of lung congestion and heart failure. 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]. [45][46] A clearly angered Liston rallied at the end of the round when Clay seemed tired, delivering punishing body shots. "[68], While Liston publicly denied taking a dive, Sports Illustrated writer Mark Kram said that years later Liston told him, "That guy [Ali] was crazy. Very rare interview of Sonny Liston talking about how he got started in boxing, his fights with Williams and Patterson and his training routine. In his next fight, he had a rematch with Summerlin and again won an eight-round decision. Dave Anderson of the New York Times said Liston "looked awful" in his last workout before the fight. Knopfler, 55, said inspiration for the Liston song has been growing for a long time. Liston was particularly known for his immense strength, formidable jab, long reach, toughness, and his infamously intimidating appearance. At the IBHOF, the casts of Listons hands were bigger than Lennox Lewis' which were also gigantic. [56] Sports Illustrated writer Tex Maule wrote that Liston's shoulder injury was legitimate. Some writers thought Liston brought bad press on himself by a surly and hostile attitude toward journalists. [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. With the proceeds, he traveled to St. Louis to live with his mother. In the 2001 film Ali, Liston was portrayed by former WBO Heavyweight Champion Michael Bentt. Book Review: Was Sonny Liston Murdered? - The Arts Fuse He rolled over, got to his right knee and then fell on his back again. Numerous fans booed and started yelling, "Fix!" There are no official records of his birth 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. Mike Tyson - Tyson's Speech | Genius Ali called it "the anchor punch." There were plenty of tough questions after the first fight for Liston, too, namely, why didnt he come out for another round? "He would do everything to avoid taking shots." [10] His family, but not one Charles (or Sonny) Liston, can be found in the 1930 census, and in the 1940 census he was listed as 10 years old. [5][6] Alfie Potts Harmer in The Sportster also ranked him the third greatest heavyweight and the sixth greatest boxer at any weight. Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston: The Controversial Fight Behind Their This is a clip out of the \"The Other Side\" Documentary. Support this Channel:https://www.patreon.com/LegendsofBoxing Merchandise:LegendsofBoxing.redbubble.com I restore \u0026 colorize your projects, PayPal Donations: LegendsofBoxingYT@gmail.comThank you!________________________________________________________________________________ Credit Original B\u0026W Footage:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CLMlEpRb9wSonny Liston Interview uploaded by haNZAgodAll My YouTube ChannelsMy Main Channel \"Legends of Boxing\": https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC73ffQAknNEWJlRoFSWH_awMy Second Boxing Channel \"Legends of Boxing\": https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-QLrFyDnskqz5_z95mcOAMy History Channel \"Time Travel: Colorized Archive\": https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC29VFkNvVVi6_OzwFV2oTqQMy Documentary Channel \"Tales From The Past\":https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZpFIIYrCc1lOHbG-fUo5vwMein Dokumentation Channel \"Geschichten aus der Vergangenheit\" (Tales From The Past in Deutsch) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXBfWoE1KVXEzh9d2NrwBhASocial https://www.instagram.com/legends_of_boxing1/ The story goes that Liston was born somewhere . I dont have to be what you want me to be, Clay told agitated reporters. 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. "[82] Johnny Tocco, a trainer who worked with George Foreman and Mike Tyson as well as Liston, said Liston was the hardest hitter of the three. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. The FBI was on the hunt for evidence for match-fixing, given Listons mob ties mobsters still owned much of his fight promotion contract and the sports shady business model. The match had more storylines than a soap opera. (. Interviewing and trash-talk have both gone through some tremendous evolutions, havent they? On May 7, backers of the rematch ended the court battle by pulling the fight out of Boston. [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. [83] Herb Goldman stated that Liston, when in his prime between 1958 and 1963, was the most feared fighter in boxing history. After Ali's win against Sonny Liston, he wouldn't . A grateful Liston found there was no need to give chase. 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. [12], Liston never complained about prison, saying he was guaranteed three meals every day. Did Sonny Liston Take a Dive in His Second Muhammad Ali - Sportscasting He also had a reputation for bullying people such as porters and waitresses. In his own words in Thomas Hauser's 1991 biography: "The punch jarred him. Pan, 2017. His "Speedway at Nazareth" was about auto racing. The most iconic photo in boxing history documents the knockout that almost nobody saw happen. Liston was knocked down in the first round, but came back to control the next two rounds and had Griffin hanging on at the end. He was still a world-ranked boxer when he died in mysterious circumstances in 1970. 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. 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. However, when Clay returned to his corner, he started complaining that there was something burning in his eyes and he could not see. Banker said he was told by police that Liston had been seen at a house that would be the target of a drug raid. Sonny Liston, I think was possibly the greatest intimidator of all time. This victory is regarded by some as Liston's most impressive performance. At that point, the fight was scored as even on the official scorecards.