", Knopfler compared writing a song about Liston to the work a sculptor performs on a statue. 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. Referee Jersey Joe Walcott, a former world heavyweight champion, had a hard time getting Ali to go to a neutral corner. [25][26], In 1960 Liston won five more fights, including a rematch with Williams, who lasted only two rounds. The mysterious life of Sonny Liston. [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. Furthermore, that count cannot be started until the fighter scoring the knockdown goes to and remains in a neutral corner. 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 To this day, I'm convinced that's what the coroner saw in his examthat hospital needle mark. (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. The commotion was not lost on referee Barney Felix, who was walking toward Clay's corner. But by the sixth round his sight had cleared, and a clearly enraged Clay fought a blisteringly aggressive round landing numerous combination punches. "[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. When Machen clinched in . Underworld connections and his unrecorded dates of birth and death added to the enigma. Unfortunately for Martin, however, his career ended after that fight due to a detached retina he suffered during the bout. 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. 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. He rounded out the year by stopping Nino Valdez and Willi Besmanoff. 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. He pulled the same stuff Walcott did against Marciano. While valuing the photograph, appraiser Kathleen Guzman told. Top contender Zora Folley was stopped in three rounds. 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. It was the first time in his career that Liston had been cut. [85] Geraldine had a daughter from a previous marriage, and the Listons subsequently adopted a boy from Sweden. Shaun Assael. Very Rare interview with Sonny Liston and Joe Louis. Support this Channel:https://www.patreon.com/LegendsofBoxing Merchandise:LegendsofBoxing.redbubble.com I restore \u0026 colorize your projects, PayPal Donations: LegendsofBoxingYT@gmail.comThank you!________________________________________________________________________________All My YouTube ChannelsMy Main Channel \"Legends of Boxing\": https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC73ffQAknNEWJlRoFSWH_awMy Second Boxing Channel \"Legends of Boxing Strikes Back\": 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/ [22], Early in his career, Liston faced capable opponents. Sonny Liston had a controversial boxing career, winning 54 of 58 bouts from 1953 to 1970. Liston angrily responded by questioning whether Dempsey's failure to serve in World War I qualified him to moralize. Sonny Liston shot a gun at Muhammad Ali. Stuttgarter Amtsblatt No. In the months ahead of the fight, Muhammad Ali went all sorts of routes to get into Sonny Liston's head. Liston knocked out Hermann Schreibauer of West Germany at 2:16 of the first round. "And I suppose Sonny Liston always stuck with me. Muhammad Ali biographer Jonathan Eig shared a new theory as to why Sonny Liston may have taken a dive in the boxers' second bout. Sports Illustrated writer Gilbert Rogin wrote that "that final left hook crashed into Patterson's cheek like a diesel rig going downhill, no brakes." Knopfler, 55, said inspiration for the Liston song has been growing for a long time. Patterson, a 4-1 betting underdog, was knocked down three times and counted out at 2:10 of the first round. Frank Mir was around that height and was noticeably taller than Carwin. [99] (3) The mob promised Liston some money to throw the second Ali fight, but they never paid him. Because of that, Cage may have thought Sonny was an informant and shot him with a hot dose as retribution. ", 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. Pan, 2017. [5][6] Alfie Potts Harmer in The Sportster also ranked him the third greatest heavyweight and the sixth greatest boxer at any weight. 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. In his 1965 rematch with Ali, Liston suffered an unexpected first-round knockout that led to unresolved suspicions of a fix. He is a relatively elementary, one-track fighter." 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.. "When he first got to the big city, he was hanging out with a bunch of people who were just looking for trouble.". "[35] Although largely illiterate through lack of schooling, Liston was a more complex and interesting individual than has often been acknowledged. Sonny Liston had a very sad upbringing & had to learn to survive at a young age. But others contend he just was not the same Liston. My man. "[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. "[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. We cooked up that shoulder thing on the spot. The Murder of Sonny Liston is an absorbing, albeit speculative, attempt at addressing the mystery that died with the man. [8][9], There is no official record of Liston's birth. 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. Never before seen Sonny Liston interview. 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[84], Liston married Geraldine Chambers in St. Louis, Missouri, on September 3, 1957. A few months after Alis fight, Liston was dead from lung congestion though even that was shrouded in mystery and controversy. [61] The new date was set for May 25, 1965. 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. 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. A grateful Liston found there was no need to give chase. One memo, dated 24 May 1966, outlined an interview with Houston gambler Barnett Magids, who believed Liston would win. Audiences at home were confused and outraged. "But they'll have to swing along until somebody comes to beat me. [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. Sonny Liston was a bad, bad guy who was also a victim, and I dont know that anyone can point to when a victim becomes a perpetrator and how much sympathy he deserves, but I also think any holistic take is fair this far in history. [66], Former champions Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, Floyd Patterson and Gene Tunney, as well as contender George Chuvalo all declared they considered the fight to be a fake. [36], Jack Dempsey spoke for many when he was quoted as saying that Sonny Liston should not be allowed to fight for the title. C'mon now, this is for the title, this is the big apple. His defense was described as "the gate-crossing of arms la Archie Moore. "[96], Many people who knew Liston insisted he was afraid of needles and never would have used heroin. Also, scar tissue, possibly from needle marks, was found in the bend of Liston's left elbow. They fought for a third time on March 6, 1956, which Liston won by a ten-round unanimous decision. "[94], A bronze copy of a marble statue of Liston sculpted by Alfred Hrdlicka in 1964 was erected in 2008 between Old Castle and Karlsplatz in Stuttgart, Germany. [15] In 1946, Helen Baskin, along with some of her children, moved to St. Louis to seek factory work. [55], There is ample evidence that Liston did carry an injury to his left shoulder into the fight. And, while Patterson was growing as a fighter, Sonny was taking on mostly journeyman and starting to age. However, there were again rumors of alcohol abuse in training. Liston's story, Knopfler said, "is great for a writer for many reasons. "I was rooting around in my childhood, maybe the way you do when you get to a certain age," Knopfler said. Roy Harris, who had gone 13 rounds with Floyd Patterson in a title match, was crushed in one round by Liston. One of the victories was over Amos Johnson, Liston's former sparring partner, who had recently defeated British champion Henry Cooper. A couple weeks later, he was still complainin' about that needle mark. But a Senate subcommittee hearing turned up no evidence of any match-fixing, and doctors confirmed his explanation that hed taken such damage to his shoulder that he couldnt feel his arm. Liston was depicted as a bad guy by the media, a handbreaker for the mafia. Standing 185 centimeters (6'1) tall and packing over 90 kilograms (200 lb) of pure muscle, there's a reason he was nicknamed "The Big Bear," and it wasn't for the hugs he gave.. His career in heavyweight boxing spanned from 1953 to 1970, and he spent all 17 of those years going guts for glory against the . "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." [47] Sitting on his stool between rounds, however, Liston was breathing heavily as his cornermen worked on his cut. We had a return bout clause with Clay, but if you say your guy just quit, who is gonna get a return bout? He had been deliberately snubbed. Liston has been referenced in many songs by artists such as Curtis Eller, Sun Kil Moon, the Animals, Tom Petty, Mark Knopfler, Phil Ochs, Morrissey, Freddy Blohm, Chuck E. Weiss, This Bike is a Pipe Bomb, the Roots, Wu-Tang Clan, Gone Jackals, Billy Joel, the Mountain Goats, Lil Wayne, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and the Killers. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. After the second loss to Ali, Liston stayed out of the ring for more than a year. Tosches, Nick (2000). 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. #1 December 1963 extended Interview with Champion Sonny Liston - discusses Ali defense, his contenders, even the JFK Assassination 12-02-2022, 12:32 PM Pretty cool interview. Known for his powerful punch, the majority of his victories were knockouts. . 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.. After two rounds, Wilson had taken enough. Geraldine remembered her husband as "Great with me, great with the kids. Rare interview of Sonny Liston colorized. 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. Liston returned to the United States and won seven fights, all by knockout, in 1968, increasing his string to eleven. 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. His death was, too. Liston was particularly known for his immense strength, formidable jab, long reach, toughness, and his infamously intimidating appearance. Before he left for his bout with Clay, Sonny's training in Denver took him to some strange places. [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. In the third round, Marshall nailed Listonreportedly while he was laughingand broke his jaw. "I didn't know what the heck was going on", Angelo Dundee, Clay's trainer, recalled on an NBC special 25 years later. I dont have to be what you want me to be, Clay told agitated reporters. The fight quickly descended into chaos. Entire books have been written about the fight, and one, released in 2015, sought to end the suggestion that Liston took another fall. It was a good punch, but I didn't think I hit him so hard that he couldn't have gotten up. A widely publicized account of Liston resisting arresteven after nightsticks were allegedly broken over his skulladded to the public perception of him as a nightmarish "monster" impervious to physical punishment. Tobe and Helen had 12 children together; Sonny was the second youngest child. During these same years Sonny Liston was on the comeback trail as well. 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. A lot of his life was mysterious and messy. Create Space Independent Publishing Platform. He said they found Liston lying on his bed with a needle sticking out of his arm. You could feel the deflation, see the look of hurt in his eyes. Joe Louis commenting on TV at ringside said "It's looking good for Sonny Liston". 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. That saw him drive a big red bus to Liston's home that read, "Sonny Liston is a great but will fall in eight" along with the words "World's most colorful fighter Cassius Clay.". Numerous fans booed and started yelling, "Fix!" I remember thinking as a child that this was a man who wanted to be left alone.". The highly-anticipated May 1965 rematch between the heavyweight champions almost didn't happen. 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 was scared of the black-power movement. 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. "Better get me out of this ring," exclaimed Wilson, "he is going to kill me! The opening round was fought an extra eight seconds, since both fighters and referee Barney Felix apparently did not hear the bell. 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. 9, 1 March 2018, p. 8, New York Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions, "Photographic image of 'Tale of the Tape', "Sonny Liston vs. Floyd Patterson (Tale of the tape)", "From THE RING: The greatest heavyweight of all time", "25 Greatest Fighters of All Time (Heavyweight)", "ESPN Classic - Liston was trouble in and out of ring", "Jacob's Beach by Kevin Mitchell: review", "Hard Times, Good Times: Charles "Sonny" Liston - Boxing.com", "Dismayed D'Amato Is Expecting To Get Back Manager's License", "Esquire covers commemorate boxing's prime", "Cassius Clay-Sonny Liston I: 50 Years Later", "Sonny Liston vs. Cassius Clay (1st meeting) - BoxRec", "1964 Clay vs. Liston Judges' Scorecards from Miami Beach Bout. | Lot #80073 | Heritage Auctions", "Muhammad Ali's Toughest Fight Wasn't Against Joe Frazier", "Fifty Years Later: The Mystery of Muhammad Ali's 'Phantom Punch', "I WAS THERE: George Chuvalo Watches Sonny Liston Take a Dive - YouTube", "Fifty Years Later: The Mystery of Muhammad Ali's 'Phantom Punch' | Boxing News", "Daytona Beach Morning Journal - Google News Archive Search", "Sonny Liston the most talented Heavyweight in history", "George Foreman Discusses Friendship With Sonny Liston", "Sonny Liston: Say Goodnight to the Bad Guy Boxing News", "LOTIERZO'S LOWDOWN Sonny Liston: The Most Underrated Heavyweight Champ In History", "The Most Feared Fighter in Boxing History: Charles 'Sonny' Liston remembered", "Liston KO'd Popular Patterson for Title", "O Unlucky Man: Fortune never smiled on Sonny Liston", "Sonny Liston Meets the Press - Boxing.com", "Like Fights Against Ali, Liston Death a Mystery", "December 30, 1970: Mysterious Death of Sonny Liston", "19 YEARS LATER: Liston Death Remains Mystery to His Friends". In The Greatest, the 1977 film about the life of boxer Muhammad Ali in which Ali played himself, Liston was portrayed by Roger E. Mosley. In an interview with The Associated Press shortly before his death in May 2009, Liston said he regretted . Philadelphia wanted nothing to do with him. "A blues song just for fighters: The legend of Sonny Liston. But he spoke to his friend Resnick on the day of the fight and was told not to bet on the champion. There's something really primal about the whole thing, obviously. The most iconic photo in boxing history documents the knockout that almost nobody saw happen. 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." In the 2001 film Ali, Liston was portrayed by former WBO Heavyweight Champion Michael Bentt. [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. Wepner, who also fought George Foreman and Muhammad Ali, said after his career was over that Liston was the hardest puncher he faced. Concert Preview/Interview: John Lodge of the Moody Blues on Reprising "Days of Future Passed . "The timekeeper was waving both hands and saying, 'I counted him outthe fight is over,'" Walcott said after the fight. Charles L. "Sonny" Liston (c. 1930 - December 30, 1970) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1953 to 1970. Suffolk County, where Boston is located, ultimately pulled the plug, leaving them without a venue with less than a month to go. Soon, he was known as Cassius X, eschewing the last name given to his enslaved family by their owners. "You're putting things on and you're taking this out and molding it," Knopfler said. During a ringside interview after the fight, Terrellwith his swollen eye and deflated egowould later say he respected all boxers. This is a place for friendly and civil debate about the greatest sport on earth. The bout would need to be delayed by six months. Walcott never did pick up the count. Jim Murray of the Los Angeles Times wrote that it was "no phantom punch." It burned like hell. Liston won 14 consecutive bouts, 13 by knockout, before fighting third-ranked Leotis Martin, previously beaten by Clark, in December 1969. ", The Liston song appears on an album called "Shangri-La." [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. [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. 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." There are echoes of slavery in his upbringing." "[35] However, in 1963 in the aftermath of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, Liston broke off a European boxing exhibition tour to return home and was quoted as saying he was "ashamed to be in America. "The only thing my old man ever gave me was a beating," Liston said. According to a New York Times report the day after the fight, Clay was indeed an official member of the Nation of Islam. 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. He was also seeking to prove himself after his two embarrassing and suspicious losses to Ali. He could have remained typecast as a musician performing rock songs. [20], Liston signed a contract in September 1953, proclaiming: "Whatever you tell me to do, I'll do. [35] Liston's victory was loudly booed. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Liston was a heavy favorite. The fight lasted less than one full round, with Ali knocking out Liston at the 1:44 mark.

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