", The Liston song appears on an album called "Shangri-La." There are echoes of slavery in his upbringing." [35] There are several theories as to why: (1) publicist Harold Conrad and others believed Liston had been deeply involved as a bill collector of a loansharking ring in Las Vegas. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. 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. The torn tendon had bled down into the mass of the biceps, swelling and numbing the arm. said Liston's Philadelphia dentist, Dr. Nick Ragni. "But they'll have to swing along until somebody comes to beat me. On May 5, 1956, a policeman confronted Liston and a friend about a cab parked near Liston's home. Liston captured the Chicago Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions on March 6, 1953, with a victory over 1952 Olympic Heavyweight Champion Ed Sanders. 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. He also had a reputation for bullying people such as porters and waitresses. that startles everyone in a 100 foot radius. "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." "When he first got to the big city, he was hanging out with a bunch of people who were just looking for trouble.". The fight ranks as one of the shortest heavyweight title bouts in history. "[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. Sonny Liston Interview in Color - YouTube "[95], Sgt. Clay brought Malcolm X along with him to Miami, and amid the controversy, the fight was almost canceled. In an Associated Press poll, 64 of 102 reporters picked Patterson. Very rare interview of Sonny Liston talking about how he got started in boxing, his fights with Williams and Patterson and his training routine. And I said, 'Whoa, whoa, back up, baby. Patterson, a 4-1 betting underdog, was knocked down three times and counted out at 2:10 of the first round. Patterson's fatal mistake was that he "did not punch enough and frequently tried to clinch with Liston. Did Sonny Liston Take a Dive in His Second Muhammad Ali - Sportscasting He was also seeking to prove himself after his two embarrassing and suspicious losses to Ali. On the album's lyric sheet, below the Liston song, Knopfler includes a famous quotation from Liston from 1962: "Some day, they're gonna write a blues for fighters. The NAACP had urged Patterson not to fight Liston, fearing that a Liston victory would hurt the civil rights movement. Remembering One Of Boxing's Storied Bouts : NPR Suddenly, the world had to come to grips with a new kind of heavyweight champion. The victim sought out the executioner." [94], Liston was buried at Paradise Memorial Gardens in Las Vegas, Nevada. 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. 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. However, when Clay returned to his corner, he started complaining that there was something burning in his eyes and he could not see. 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. [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. The second round saw Liston continue to pursue Clay. Gallender claimed, "A lot of officers knew Sonny was dead before Geraldine returned home on January 5, but they chose to let him rot. [33], Civic leaders were also reluctant, worrying that Liston's unsavory character would set a bad example for youth. Paul R Gallender, 2012. "He had a deadly fear of needles," said Davey Pearl, a boxing referee and friend of Liston's. Naturally, they decided that Ali would take on Liston. The Murder of Sonny Liston is an absorbing, albeit speculative, attempt at addressing the mystery that died with the man. In an interview with The Associated Press shortly before his death in May 2009, Liston said he regretted . Liston's noticeably more muscular left arm, crushing left jab and powerful left hook lent credence to the widely held belief that he was left-handed, although he fought in an orthodox stance. Thom Jones titled his 2000 collection of short stories Sonny Liston Was a Friend of Mine. Sonny Liston: The mysterious death that haunts boxing ", Hutchison, Phillip J. Rocky Marciano, the former heavyweight champion, said that he appreciated the punchs strength upon re-examination. Cleveland Williams was the last person to defeat Liston and made $100,000 for his efforts. 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. Like Dylan's subject, Rubin Carter, Knopfler's version of Liston is sympathetic. "From Bad Buck to White Hope: Journalism and Sonny Liston, 19581965. McDonough, however, claimed Walcott was looking at the crowd and never at him. .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}Remembering Just Fontaine and His World Cup Record, The Man Behind the First All-Black Basketball Team, 8 Times Brothers Have Faced Off in a Championship, Every Black Quarterback to Play in the Super Bowl, Soccer Star Christian Atsu Survived an Earthquake. Liston was the subject of a 2008 feature film based upon his life titled Phantom Punch. While valuing the photograph, appraiser Kathleen Guzman told. The organization was seen as an extremist anti-white people hate group and opponents of desegregation and Martin Luther King Jr. Clays propensity for self-promotion and controversy seemed to fit in with the groups inflammatory rhetoric. Even before the first punch was thrown, the May 25, 1965 bout between Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston . Tocco called the police, and they broke into the house. Sonny Liston had a controversial boxing career, winning 54 of 58 bouts from 1953 to 1970. Liston won 14 consecutive bouts, 13 by knockout, before fighting third-ranked Leotis Martin, previously beaten by Clark, in December 1969. 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. Stevens organized a sparring session with a professional heavyweight named Thurman Wilson to showcase Liston's potential. 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. According to Liston's trainer, Willie Reddish, Liston cancelled a planned tour to Africa in 1963 because he refused to get the required inoculations. Beat me to it! 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. But others contend he just was not the same Liston. He is a relatively elementary, one-track fighter." Ali would lose his title a year later, though it didnt happen in the ring. [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. 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. The Devil and Sonny Liston. Geraldine remembered her husband as "Great with me, great with the kids. C'mon now, this is for the title, this is the big apple. 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. [25][26], In 1960 Liston won five more fights, including a rematch with Williams, who lasted only two rounds. [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. Patterson wanted a chance to redeem himself, so they met again on July 22, 1963, in Las Vegas. Never seen this one before, thanks alot. The photo depicted Ali standing over his opponent, Sonny Liston, after delivering a final blow that knocked Liston to the ground. After the second loss to Ali, Liston stayed out of the ring for more than a year. My man. Liston knocked out Hermann Schreibauer of West Germany at 2:16 of the first round. But as it approached, there were fears that the promoters were tied to organized crime and Massachusetts officials, most notably Suffolk County District Attorney Garrett H. Byrne, began to have second thoughts. Liston's wife also recalled that her husband would refuse basic medical care for common colds because of his dislike of needles. Liston had never been knocked out before, and most people didnt even see the punch happen. Sonny Liston vs Eddie Machen (1960) As usual, Liston wasted no time throwing his jab and keeping Machen at bay, who was trying to get his hands off with minimal success. 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. Many in attendance did not see Ali deliver the punch. In the third round, Marshall nailed Listonreportedly while he was laughingand broke his jaw. Genuinely kind mobster who had been convicted of armed robbery and assault. "Nat Fleischer [editor of The Ring] was sitting beside McDonough and he was waving his hands, too, saying it was over." 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. 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. THE PREFIGHT MOODS OF SONNY LISTON - Sports Illustrated Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. [5][6] Alfie Potts Harmer in The Sportster also ranked him the third greatest heavyweight and the sixth greatest boxer at any weight. Sonny Liston Interview - YouTube (2) Professional gambler Lem Banker insists that Liston was murdered by drug dealers with whom he'd become involved. 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. 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. "[35], U.S. President John F. Kennedy also did not want Patterson to fight Liston. At one point, Liston had Clay against the ropes and landed a hard left hook. 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. [24], In 1958, Liston returned to boxing. Knopfler, 55, said inspiration for the Liston song has been growing for a long time. 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. THE PREFIGHT MOODS OF SONNY LISTON. Jim Murray of the Los Angeles Times wrote that it was "no phantom punch." [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]. 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. There's something really primal about the whole thing, obviously. He was a gentle man. It was a good punch, but I didn't think I hit him so hard that he couldn't have gotten up. 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. "[96], Many people who knew Liston insisted he was afraid of needles and never would have used heroin. "A blues song just for fighters: The legend of Sonny Liston. He is seen in the far left part of the row, wearing a white and gold robe, standing beside the original-look Beatle wax figures. 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. [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. RARE Sonny Liston Interview before the first Ali fight 1964 in Color [31] While Liston began working into shape with hopes for a heavyweight title shot, he also continued his criminal behavior. "[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. Concert Preview/Interview: John Lodge of the Moody Blues on Reprising "Days of Future Passed . The Real Story behind the Ali-Liston Fights. Was Pariah boxing legend Sonny Listons OD really a mob murder? While true he also sent women to the hospital, which his sparring partner confirms. Two of the three official scorers, or judges, awarded the round to Liston, and the other scored the round even. Walcott never began a count in the ring because of Ali's non-compliance and his physical struggle with getting Ali to go to that neutral corner. Referee Jersey Joe Walcott, a former world heavyweight champion, had a hard time getting Ali to go to a neutral corner. Banker said he was told by police that Liston had been seen at a house that would be the target of a drug raid. 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.". A stoic Liston finished the fight, but lost in an eight-round split decision. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. [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 Interview - Rare - YouTube But former Las Vegas police Sgt. and "Nobody will believe this!"[63]. Liston's story, Knopfler said, "is great for a writer for many reasons. Underworld connections and his unrecorded dates of birth and death added to the enigma. In the 2001 film Ali, Liston was portrayed by former WBO Heavyweight Champion Michael Bentt. Joe Frazier vs Sonny Liston : r/Boxing - Reddit Muhammad Ali biographer Jonathan Eig shared a new theory as to why Sonny Liston may have taken a dive in the boxers' second bout. Geraldine called Liston's attorney and his doctor, but did not notify the police until two to three hours later. "[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. During these same years Sonny Liston was on the comeback trail as well. 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. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Washington University Libraries, Film and Media Archive, Henry Hampton Collection. Liston went down at 1:44, got up at 1:56, and Walcott stopped the fight at 2:12. 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. 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. For confetti we can use torn-up arrest warrants." Odds makers gave Liston 71 to win. Book Review: Was Sonny Liston Murdered? - The Arts Fuse One memo, dated 24 May 1966, outlined an interview with Houston gambler Barnett Magids, who believed Liston would win. Asked by a young white reporter why he was not fighting for freedom in the South, Liston deadpanned, "I ain't got no dog-proof ass. 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. 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. 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. Savant Sundays: Sonny Liston - Bad Left Hook Liston had thrown a jab with his left arm and, leaning forward, took a right hook from Ali right to the skull. 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 was paroled after serving six months of a nine-month sentence, and was not prohibited from boxing during 1957. The Murder of Sonny Liston is an absorbing, albeit speculative, attempt at addressing the mystery that died with the man. After Ali's win against Sonny Liston, he wouldn't . 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. "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. What are you doing? But then again, he took a pretty good beating in the fight. "[35], Patterson and Liston had a rematch clause in their contract. The fight lasted less than one full round, with Ali knocking out Liston at the 1:44 mark. [51], Liston failed to answer the bell for the seventh round, and Clay was declared the winner by technical knockout. On April 21, 1955, he defeated Marshall in a rematch, dropping him four times en route to a sixth-round knockout. I'm the best ever. Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston: The Controversial Fight Behind Their According to a New York Times report the day after the fight, Clay was indeed an official member of the Nation of Islam. Ali biographer Wilfrid Sheed wrote, in his Muhammad Ali: A Portrait in Words and Photographs, that Liston planned to throw the fight for reasons unknown and used the legitimate first-round knockdown for that end. He then left the fighters to go over to McDonough. 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. 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." Dave Anderson of the New York Times said Liston "looked awful" in his last workout before the fight. [60] The extent to which Liston's heavy drinking and possible drug use may have contributed to his surprisingly poor performances against Ali is not known.[15]. #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. "There's no doubt that he was mean," Knopfler said of Liston. [8] Convicted and sentenced to five years in the Missouri State Penitentiary, Liston started his prison time on June 1, 1950. [83] Herb Goldman stated that Liston, when in his prime between 1958 and 1963, was the most feared fighter in boxing history. Walcott never did pick up the count. Sad how they portrayed sonny in such a negative light he seems like a genuinely kind person. [15] In 1946, Helen Baskin, along with some of her children, moved to St. Louis to seek factory work. There were plenty of tough questions after the first fight for Liston, too, namely, why didnt he come out for another round? 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.