THE PREFIGHT MOODS OF SONNY LISTON - Sports Illustrated Liston was the subject of a 1995 HBO documentary titled Sonny Liston: The Mysterious Life and Death of a Champion. Cleveland Williams was the last person to defeat Liston and made $100,000 for his efforts. You could feel the deflation, see the look of hurt in his eyes. During the fourth round Liston appeared dominant as Clay coasted, keeping his distance. In his sixth bout, he faced ranked heavyweight Johnny Summerlin (18-1-2) on national television and won in an eight-round decision. [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. The following year, Sonnydetermined to reunite with his mother and siblingsthrashed the pecans from his brother-in-law's tree and sold them in Forrest City, Arkansas. On July 28, 1963, Liston joined a group of 500 African Americans in Denver who marched to a post office to mail letters urging the Colorado congressional delegation to pass the Kennedy administration's civil rights package. Welcome to r/boxing, the official home of pro boxing on Reddit! 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. "[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. Patterson, a 4-1 betting underdog, was knocked down three times and counted out at 2:10 of the first round. In an interview with The Associated Press shortly before his death in May 2009, Liston said he regretted . Walcott then rushed back to the fighters, who had resumed boxing, and stopped the fightawarding Ali a first-round knockout victory. Either way, nat fleisher as the KD timekeeper had NO right telling Walcott the fight was over. These transcripts contain material that did not appear in the final program. Liston had never been knocked out before, and most people didnt even see the punch happen. He said he could not hear McDonough, who did not have a microphone. Shaun Assael wrote "The Murder of Sonny Liston: Las Vegas, Heroin, and Heavyweights", published in 2016. I never saw. Sad how they portrayed sonny in such a negative light he seems like a genuinely kind person. "[35], Patterson and Liston had a rematch clause in their contract. Furthermore, that count cannot be started until the fighter scoring the knockdown goes to and remains in a neutral corner. The official time of the stoppage was announced as 1:00 into the first round, which was wrong. Many did not see the punch land, and some who did questioned that it was powerful enough to knock Liston out. [33], Civic leaders were also reluctant, worrying that Liston's unsavory character would set a bad example for youth. "He had a left like Henry's hammer," Knopfler sings, "a right like Betty Bamalam. (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. In the third round, Marshall nailed Listonreportedly while he was laughingand broke his jaw. 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. Odds makers gave Liston 71 to win. 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. Concert Preview/Interview: John Lodge of the Moody Blues on Reprising "Days of Future Passed . To the rest of the world, it would be known as "The Phantom Punch." That shot, which Ali dropped Sonny Liston with on May 25, 1965, was far from a phantom. ", Still, some found it hard to believe that the punch could have floored a man like Liston. [92] He had been suffering from hardening of the heart muscle and lung disease before his death. 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. "He was scared, he was scared of so many things," Knopfler said. Like Dylan's subject, Rubin Carter, Knopfler's version of Liston is sympathetic. ", It was later theorized that a substance used on Liston's cuts by Joe Pollino, his cut man, may have caused the irritation. [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. Savant Sundays: Sonny Liston - Bad Left Hook "The only thing my old man ever gave me was a beating," Liston said. [17] The athletic director at Missouri State Penitentiary, Rev. With Clay quickly ducking his head left, right or away, Liston's leading left jabs largely failed to land. There's something really primal about the whole thing, obviously. Rogin discounted speculation that Patterson had thrown the fight, writing: "The genesis of all this wide-eyed theorizing and downright baloney was the fact that many spectators failed to see the knockout blows. After Ali's win against Sonny Liston, he wouldn't . He would later employ McCarter as a sparring partner. There were plenty of tough questions after the first fight for Liston, too, namely, why didnt he come out for another round? 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. 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. That got him killed. During the interim, officials in Boston also got cold feet. All Rights Reserved. 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. [15] In 1946, Helen Baskin, along with some of her children, moved to St. Louis to seek factory work. Maule, Tex (March 9, 1964). 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. I wasn't hit. Entire books have been written about the fight, and one, released in 2015, sought to end the suggestion that Liston took another fall. 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. Half a mile above and beyond the shrine, looking down from the summit of the mountain, is a statue of the Sacred Heart. At one point in this attack, Liston was rocked as he was driven to the ropes. [74], Writer Gilbert Rogin assessed Liston's style and physique after his win over Zora Folley. But he spoke to his friend Resnick on the day of the fight and was told not to bet on the champion. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Ali is waiting to hit me, the ref can't control him. Sonny was definitely a specimen. Liston went down on his back. He claimed the officer used racial slurs. Liston returned to the United States and won seven fights, all by knockout, in 1968, increasing his string to eleven. The second fight? At that point, the fight was scored as even on the official scorecards. Any objective observer would have had to concede that Ali's counterpunch had landed, and landed with enough force to turn Liston's head, Rob Sneddon wrote in The Phantom Punch: The Story Behind Boxing's Most Controversial Bout. 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. "At about noon on the day of the fight, (Magids) reached Resnick again by phone," the memo read. 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. Muhammad Ali talking about Henry Cooper, Sonny Liston, and - YouTube As the years passed and Liston's financial situation worsened, he got angry and told the mob he would go public with the story unless they gave him the money. 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. Sonny Liston shot a gun at Muhammad Ali. Gallender claimed, "A lot of officers knew Sonny was dead before Geraldine returned home on January 5, but they chose to let him rot. Controversy followed with claims that Liston had been drinking heavily the night before the fight and had entered the bout with a lame shoulder. The most iconic photo in boxing history documents the knockout that almost nobody saw happen. Banker later learned that the police told Liston the same thing to his face. 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 . . The Murder of Sonny Liston is an absorbing, albeit speculative, attempt at addressing the mystery that died with the man. It was a good punch, but I didn't think I hit him so hard that he couldn't have gotten up. ", confirmed most people's belief that Liston had taken a dive. Liston's wife also recalled that her husband would refuse basic medical care for common colds because of his dislike of needles. 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. Genuinely kind mobster who had been convicted of armed robbery and assault. Both fights were in Summerlin's hometown of Detroit.[23]. The match had more storylines than a soap opera. I'm Sonny Liston, I'm Jack Dempsey, there's no one like I'm from their . [94], Liston was buried at Paradise Memorial Gardens in Las Vegas, Nevada. Liston didn't seem to mind though. 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. One Journalist's Attempt To Solve 'The Murder Of Sonny Liston' - WBUR Interviewing and trash-talk have both gone through some tremendous evolutions, havent they? After repeated overnight detention by the St. Louis police and a thinly veiled threat to his life, Liston left for Philadelphia. Boston: Little, Brown. Liston had thrown a jab with his left arm and, leaning forward, took a right hook from Ali right to the skull. [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. [105], Singer/Songwriter Rod Picott wrote and recorded a song titled "Sonny Liston" for his 2022 album "Paper Hearts and Broken Arrows. "He said: 'Look what they did!' Mike Tyson - Tyson's Speech | Genius Never before seen Sonny Liston interview. Support this Channel: https://www.patreon.com/join/LegendsofBoxing Merchandise: https://www.redbubble.com/peo. It is hardly the first recording by a rock musician about boxing. In his next fight, he had a rematch with Summerlin and again won an eight-round decision. Banker said he was told by police that Liston had been seen at a house that would be the target of a drug raid. Felix later said Clay was seconds from being disqualified. [100] A successful racehorse which won the Irish St Leger classic race in 2021 was named Sonnyboyliston. The film starred Ving Rhames as Liston and was produced by Rhames, Hassain Zaidi and Marek Posival. and he was pointing at some little bandage over the needle mark in his arm. At one point, Liston had Clay against the ropes and landed a hard left hook. "[35], U.S. President John F. Kennedy also did not want Patterson to fight Liston. He said they found Liston lying on his bed with a needle sticking out of his arm. [51], Liston failed to answer the bell for the seventh round, and Clay was declared the winner by technical knockout. "[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. He had the whole package. 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. Mike DeJohn was the highest paid boxer at $15,000 while James Dickey received $20,000. Liston kept running into trouble with the law and Ali had a target on his back after the assassination of Malcolm X, whom he had disavowed after Elijah Muhammad forced him out of the Nation of Islam. [70] There have been a number of unproven theories as to the background to the purported dive including that Liston was threatened by the Muslims, or agreed to lose in return for a share in the more marketable Ali's future purses. His death was, too. #muhammadali #henrycooper #sonnyliston #dougjones #heavyweight #greatness #boxing #legend #larryholmes #ironmike #sonnyliston #intimidating #bad #big #greatb. [8] Convicted and sentenced to five years in the Missouri State Penitentiary, Liston started his prison time on June 1, 1950. Elizabeth Bear wrote the short story "Sonny Liston Takes the Fall", published in The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy in 2008. Liston was allegedly present at dealer Earl Cage's residence during a raid by narcotics detectives. I know it", Liston said afterward. Sonny Liston - BoxRec [107] The story speculates that Liston threw the Ali match for the good of society. Ali initially stood over his fallen opponent, gesturing and yelling at him, "Get up and fight, sucker!" 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. He could probably drive his thumb through your skull like Michael Myers, It's crazy to think about the fact that Sonny Liston was an actual gangster running with gangs.. and then he looks so soft spoken in the interview. Clay countered in verse, "If you want to lose your money, then bet on Sonny! Liston was supremely confident of easily beating Clay, trained minimally for the fight and went ahead with it despite an injury to his left shoulder.[44]. 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. Audiences at home were confused and outraged. Reminds me of former UFC fighter Shane Carwin. He won by a seventh-round technical knockout, and seemed on the verge of making a comeback to the big time. #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. 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. ", Knopfler compared writing a song about Liston to the work a sculptor performs on a statue. Knopfler said the track "uses a lot of the country-blues style of playing that I started to absorb when I was young.". "Johnny wasn't a braggart," Davi told Liston biographer Paul Gallender. ", 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." In a pre-fight poll, 43 of 46 sportswriters picked Liston to win by knockout. He was poking the bear a bit there . He also took his gun. However, when Clay returned to his corner, he started complaining that there was something burning in his eyes and he could not see. [50] 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." "[95], Sgt. [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. The suspension was honored in all states. 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.. 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.. Liston assaulted the officer, breaking his knee and gashing his face. We had a return bout clause with Clay, but if you say your guy just quit, who is gonna get a return bout? Even before the first punch was thrown, the May 25, 1965 bout between Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston . Carwin probably wasn't even that tall. [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]. Ali would lose his title a year later, though it didnt happen in the ring. Suffolk County, where Boston is located, ultimately pulled the plug, leaving them without a venue with less than a month to go. [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. Gary Beckwith said, "It wasn't uncommon for family members in these cases to go through and tidy up to save family embarrassment. And Tex Maule of Sports Illustrated wrote, "The blow had so much force it lifted Liston's left foot, upon which most of his weight was resting, well off the canvas. 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. Sonny Liston interview with Max Goldberg before his fight with Cassius He would not close in until the accumulated inside damage and Liston's own frustration had sapped the challenger's strength and will." "When he first got to the big city, he was hanging out with a bunch of people who were just looking for trouble.". Naturally, they decided that Ali would take on Liston. Liston won his final fight, a tough but one-sided match against future world title challenger Chuck Wepner in June 1970. While valuing the photograph, appraiser Kathleen Guzman told. I was down but not hurt, but I looked up and saw Ali standing over me. It burned like hell. Traduo Context Corretor Sinnimos Conjugao Conjugao Documents Dicionrio Dicionrio Colaborativo Gramtica Expressio Reverso Corporate Although Clay often carried his gloves down at his waist, seemingly open to attack, he proved very difficult to hit. Sonny Liston: The mysterious death that haunts boxing Sonny Liston, I think was possibly the greatest intimidator of all time. Joe Louis commenting on TV at ringside said "It's looking good for Sonny Liston". Tosches, Nick (2000). Geraldine called Liston's attorney and his doctor, but did not notify the police until two to three hours later. Known for his powerful punch, the majority of his victories were knockouts. 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. Rare interview of Sonny Liston colorized. Liston also appears in the sequel, Blood's a Rover. "Yes, it was good and honest". Be respectful and come chat with us. Never seen this one before, thanks alot. 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 [8][9], There is no official record of Liston's birth. The second round saw Liston continue to pursue Clay. ", 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. 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 death under mysterious circumstances. The previous month, Schreibauer had won a bronze medal in the European Championships. He was 6ft 1in (1.85m), and had an exceptionally powerful physique, with a disproportionately long reach at 84 inches (2.13m). [25][26], In 1960 Liston won five more fights, including a rematch with Williams, who lasted only two rounds. [97], "The month before he died, some guy ran into Sonny while he was making a left turn. "[18], After Liston was released from prison on October 31, 1952, he had a brief amateur career that spanned less than a year. 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. ", This page was last edited on 7 February 2023, at 06:36. Interview with Floyd Patterson - Washington University in St. Louis In the 2020 film One Night in Miami, Liston is played by Aaron D. Alexander. He also went with a new manager in 1958: Joseph "Pep" Barone, who was a front man for mobsters Frankie Carbo and Frank "Blinky" Palermo. Joe Frazier vs Sonny Liston : r/Boxing - Reddit A lot of his life was mysterious and messy. "[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. (2) Professional gambler Lem Banker insists that Liston was murdered by drug dealers with whom he'd become involved. On This Day: Muhammad Ali knocks out Sonny Liston with - The Ring 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 People around the world tuned in via satellite to watch the match, which was fought in front of 2,434 paying ticket-holders, the smallest crowd in heavyweight championship fight history; people there suggested the crowd was more like 4,000, but nonetheless, it was a very small in-person audience. 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. 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. "He told me in the strictest confidence, but it was like he wanted to get it off his chest." I know!" He rounded out the year by stopping Nino Valdez and Willi Besmanoff. Jim Murray of the Los Angeles Times wrote that it was "no phantom punch." Caputo, one of the investigating police officers, "The whole department knew about it." His eyes swept the whole scene. Also, McDonough did not bang on the canvas or motion a number count with his fingers. 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." Emily Post would probably recommend a ticker-tape parade. You really never watched the first fight did you? 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. 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. Numerous fans booed and started yelling, "Fix!" Tocco called the police, and they broke into the house. On May 7, backers of the rematch ended the court battle by pulling the fight out of Boston. Dave Anderson of the New York Times said Liston "looked awful" in his last workout before the fight. Unlike Dylan or Carter, however, Knopfler does not present Liston as innocent of a crime for which he was imprisoned. On April 21, 1955, he defeated Marshall in a rematch, dropping him four times en route to a sixth-round knockout. Very rare interview of Sonny Liston talking about how he got started in boxing, his fights with Williams and Patterson and his training routine.
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