I wasn't hit. What are you doing? "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." 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. One memo, dated 24 May 1966, outlined an interview with Houston gambler Barnett Magids, who believed Liston would win. Stuttgarter Amtsblatt No. Patterson, a 4-1 betting underdog, was knocked down three times and counted out at 2:10 of the first round. 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]. "He told me in the strictest confidence, but it was like he wanted to get it off his chest." [74], Writer Gilbert Rogin assessed Liston's style and physique after his win over Zora Folley. Soon, he was known as Cassius X, eschewing the last name given to his enslaved family by their owners. Inter-Continental said local veteran Sam Silverman was the promoter. For confetti we can use torn-up arrest warrants." Tocco left the house before the police did. He also had a reputation for bullying people such as porters and waitresses. In the 2001 film Ali, Liston was portrayed by former WBO Heavyweight Champion Michael Bentt. #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. Muhammad Ali biographer Jonathan Eig shared a new theory as to why Sonny Liston may have taken a dive in the boxers' second bout. 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." In the first fight, in Miami, a 22-year-old Cassius Clay danced around the ring, taunted Liston, promised reporters hed shock the world, and then delivered on that promise with a blistering late attack that prompted Liston to toss in the towel after the sixth round. 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 . During the interim, officials in Boston also got cold feet. [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. [27][28], Liston's streak of nine straight knockout victories ended when he won a unanimous twelve-round decision against Eddie Machen on September 7, 1960. But audiences attending Knopfler's concerts around North America this summer are hearing and responding favorably to a song of a different genre, a bluesy narrative ballad called "Song for Sonny Liston," about the troubled fighter who preceded Muhammad Ali as heavyweight champion in the early 1960's. [89], Following an investigation, Las Vegas police concluded there were no signs of foul play and declared Liston's death a heroin overdose. 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. Liston went down on his back. "[35], Patterson and Liston had a rematch clause in their contract. [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. 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. #muhammadali #henrycooper #sonnyliston #dougjones #heavyweight #greatness #boxing #legend #larryholmes #ironmike #sonnyliston #intimidating #bad #big #greatb. Liston believed his date of birth to be May 8, 1932, and used this for official purposes[11] but by the time he won the world title an aged appearance added credence to rumors that he was actually several years older. But then again, he took a pretty good beating in the fight. 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. He was scared of the black-power movement. He was 6ft 1in (1.85m), and had an exceptionally powerful physique, with a disproportionately long reach at 84 inches (2.13m). Liston was particularly known for his immense strength, formidable jab, long reach, toughness, and his infamously intimidating appearance. Unfortunately for Martin, however, his career ended after that fight due to a detached retina he suffered during the bout. [84], Liston married Geraldine Chambers in St. Louis, Missouri, on September 3, 1957. In his own words in Thomas Hauser's 1991 biography: "The punch jarred him. It made a champion out of Clay, who declared that hed shook up the world.. Boston: Little, Brown. "[35] Although largely illiterate through lack of schooling, Liston was a more complex and interesting individual than has often been acknowledged. Referee Jersey Joe Walcott, a former world heavyweight champion, had a hard time getting Ali to go to a neutral corner. 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. [72], "I was an 'intimidator' until I fought Sonny Liston. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. "[35], U.S. President John F. Kennedy also did not want Patterson to fight Liston. 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. Although Clay often carried his gloves down at his waist, seemingly open to attack, he proved very difficult to hit. Top contender Zora Folley was stopped in three rounds. Mark Knopfler's tribute to Liston, "Song for Sonny Liston", appeared on his 2004 album Shangri-La. Liston had thrown a jab with his left arm and, leaning forward, took a right hook from Ali right to the skull. I know it", Liston said afterward. I forgot about the rules." Because of the shirt he wore during robberies, the St. Louis police called Liston the "Yellow Shirt Bandit." Sonny Liston had a very sad upbringing & had to learn to survive at a young age. The connections to organized crime were an advantage early in his career but were later used against him. Concert Preview/Interview: John Lodge of the Moody Blues on Reprising "Days of Future Passed . He claimed the officer used racial slurs. The fight lasted less than one full round, with Ali knocking out Liston at the 1:44 mark. Dude was only 6'2 and his hands dwarfed Lesnar's. 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. 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. "I'm doing a portrait of a life, really, in a way, so you are trying to get the whole thing into just a few verses. Clay brought Malcolm X along with him to Miami, and amid the controversy, the fight was almost canceled. Some writers thought Liston brought bad press on himself by a surly and hostile attitude toward journalists. "Now (after seeing video) I think Clay, seeing the opening, snapped the punch the last six inches. [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. Liston assaulted the officer, breaking his knee and gashing his face. The victim sought out the executioner." Banker said, "Sheriff [Ralph] Lamb told me, 'Tell your pal Sonny to stay away from the West Side because we're going to bust the drug dealers.'" There were plenty of tough questions after the first fight for Liston, too, namely, why didnt he come out for another round? He was still a world-ranked boxer when he died in mysterious circumstances in 1970. 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 "Speedway at Nazareth" was about auto racing. Knopfler said the track "uses a lot of the country-blues style of playing that I started to absorb when I was young.". Liston was a heavy favorite. His fists measured 15 inches (38cm) around, the largest of any heavyweight champion. The second fight? 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. 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 Underworld connections and his unrecorded dates of birth and death added to the enigma. Three days before the fight, Ali needed emergency surgery for a strangulated hernia. It was 1965, not 1955. It was the first time in his career that Liston had been cut. He was paroled after serving six months of a nine-month sentence, and was not prohibited from boxing during 1957. [67] Some felt the knockdown was real but the knockout was fake. Liston appears as a character in James Ellroy's novel The Cold Six Thousand. He offered no comment on the matter, but his victory would soon turn it into an international story. 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. In the 2020 film One Night in Miami, Liston is played by Aaron D. Alexander. Remembering One Of Boxing's Storied Bouts Robert Siegel and Melissa Block recall the fight between Cassius Clay and and Sonny Liston, the fight at the heart of the off-Broadway play Fetch Clay, . Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. "He was scared of the police. 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. The fight quickly descended into chaos. "[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. [42], Liston's run-ins with the police had continued in Philadelphia. Skeptics called the knockout blow "the phantom punch." As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. But former Las Vegas police Sgt. [105], Singer/Songwriter Rod Picott wrote and recorded a song titled "Sonny Liston" for his 2022 album "Paper Hearts and Broken Arrows. [48] The challenger, his arms held high in surrender, was demanding that the fight be stopped and Dundee, fearing the fight might indeed be halted, gave his charge a one-word order: "Run! 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. Banker said he was told by police that Liston had been seen at a house that would be the target of a drug raid. Liston won his final fight, a tough but one-sided match against future world title challenger Chuck Wepner in June 1970. [35] Liston's victory was loudly booed. Both fights were in Summerlin's hometown of Detroit.[23]. The Murder of Sonny Liston: A Story of Fame, Heroin, Boxing & Las Vegas. 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. Roy Harris, who had gone 13 rounds with Floyd Patterson in a title match, was crushed in one round by Liston. [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]. "[18] The only backers willing to put up the necessary money for him to turn professional were close to underworld figures, and Liston supplemented his income by working for racketeers as an intimidator-enforcer. During the fourth round Liston appeared dominant as Clay coasted, keeping his distance. 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. [101], Liston played a fist fighter in the 1965 film Harlow, made a cameo appearance in the 1968 film Head, which starred The Monkees, and played the part of The Farmer in the 1970 film Moonfire, which starred Richard Egan and Charles Napier. It was more likely that Liston was out of shape according to a story in Esquire at the time, Liston trained as normal, running around five miles a day, eating hot dogs and drinking beer. He was also possibly much older than his listed 32 years than anything else Liston was the second-youngest of 25 children to parents who didnt exactly keep records of birthdates. The second round saw Liston continue to pursue Clay. 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. RARE Sonny Liston Interview before the first Ali fight 1964 in Color Legends of Boxing in Color 2.47K subscribers Subscribe 16K views 8 months ago Very Rare interview with Sonny Liston and. Also, McDonough did not bang on the canvas or motion a number count with his fingers. Rogin wrote. 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. He had a whiplash, so they took him to the hospital," said boxing trainer Johnny Tocco. Tale of the tape: Fight poster for Sonny Liston v Cassius Clay in 1964. . [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. In a pre-fight poll, 43 of 46 sportswriters picked Liston to win by knockout. The toxicology report said his body was too decomposed for the tests to be conclusive. [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". Liston returned to the United States and won seven fights, all by knockout, in 1968, increasing his string to eleven. Please read the rules before posting/commenting. Sonny Liston was one of the hardest hitters the boxing world has ever seen. World light-heavyweight champion Jos Torres said, "It was a perfect punch." 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. There's something really primal about the whole thing, obviously. 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. 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. On May 5, 1956, a policeman confronted Liston and a friend about a cab parked near Liston's home. 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. After Liston arose, Walcott wiped off his gloves. [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. There's never been anybody as ruthless. [56] Sports Illustrated writer Tex Maule wrote that Liston's shoulder injury was legitimate. Byrne sought an injunction blocking the fight in Boston because Inter-Continental Promotions was promoting the fight without a Massachusetts license. A couple weeks later, he was still complainin' about that needle mark. [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. 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. Interview Date: March 13, 1989 Camera Rolls: 2104-2105 Sound Rolls: 248 Editorial Notes: Interview with , conducted by Blackside, Inc. on March 13, 1989, for . Geraldine called Liston's attorney and his doctor, but did not notify the police until two to three hours later. Anyone can read what you share. Elizabeth Bear wrote the short story "Sonny Liston Takes the Fall", published in The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy in 2008. Rode with the muggers in the dark and dread and all them sluggers went down like lead. One mile up on a mountain 13 miles west of Denver is the Shrine of Mother Cabrini. At one point, Liston had Clay against the ropes and landed a hard left hook. Shaun Assael. Mike DeJohn was the highest paid boxer at $15,000 while James Dickey received $20,000. But upon arrival, Liston was met by only a handful of reporters and public-relations staff. Paul R Gallender, 2012. 589 Share 23K views 1 year ago Rare interview of Sonny Liston colorized. A dominant contender of his era, he became the world heavyweight champion in 1962 after knocking out Floyd Patterson in the first round, repeating the knockout the following year in defense of the title; in the latter fight he also became the inaugural WBC heavyweight champion. [8][9], There is no official record of Liston's birth. In the third round, Clay began to take control of the fight. He would later employ McCarter as a sparring partner. Very rare interview of Sonny Liston talking about how he got started in boxing, his fights with Williams and Patterson and his training routine. "[96], Many people who knew Liston insisted he was afraid of needles and never would have used heroin. The highly-anticipated May 1965 rematch between the heavyweight champions almost didn't happen. Walcott never did pick up the count. The fight lasted four seconds longer than the first one. [47] Sitting on his stool between rounds, however, Liston was breathing heavily as his cornermen worked on his cut. Odds makers gave Liston 71 to win. 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. Press J to jump to the feed. A grateful Liston found there was no need to give chase. 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. He said it was taught to him by comedian and film actor Stepin Fetchit, who learned it from Jack Johnson. I want to prove to the world there's dirty work afoot.' Rogin called Liston's physique "awesomearms like fence posts, thighs like silos." "From Bad Buck to White Hope: Journalism and Sonny Liston, 19581965. [8] Convicted and sentenced to five years in the Missouri State Penitentiary, Liston started his prison time on June 1, 1950. When caught in January 1950, Liston gave his age as 20, while the St. Louis Globe-Democrat reported that he was 22. [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. "I didn't know what the heck was going on", Angelo Dundee, Clay's trainer, recalled on an NBC special 25 years later. Who needed that? "The only thing my old man ever gave me was a beating," Liston said. One of the victories was over Amos Johnson, Liston's former sparring partner, who had recently defeated British champion Henry Cooper. Charles L. "Sonny" Liston (c.1930 December 30, 1970) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1953 to 1970. His defense was described as "the gate-crossing of arms la Archie Moore. While true he also sent women to the hospital, which his sparring partner confirms. [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. Liston captured the Chicago Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions on March 6, 1953, with a victory over 1952 Olympic Heavyweight Champion Ed Sanders. After repeated overnight detention by the St. Louis police and a thinly veiled threat to his life, Liston left for Philadelphia. Sonny Liston, I think was possibly the greatest intimidator of all time. After the second loss to Ali, Liston stayed out of the ring for more than a year. And I said, 'Whoa, whoa, back up, baby. "He was afraid of needles," echoed Father Edward Murphy. Suddenly, the world had to come to grips with a new kind of heavyweight champion. [33], Civic leaders were also reluctant, worrying that Liston's unsavory character would set a bad example for youth. He had been deliberately snubbed. Sad how they portrayed sonny in such a negative light he seems like a genuinely kind person. He then left the fighters to go over to McDonough. 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. 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. Either way, nat fleisher as the KD timekeeper had NO right telling Walcott the fight was over. Two of the best-known are "The Boxer" by Simon and Garfunkel and "Hurricane" by Bob Dylan. One memo, dated 24 May 1966, outlined an interview with Houston gambler Barnett Magids, who believed Liston would win. Carwin probably wasn't even that tall. Helen had one child before she married Tobe, and Tobe had 13 children with his first wife. In an Associated Press poll, 64 of 102 reporters picked Patterson. The bout would need to be delayed by six months. "[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. Dr. Alexander Robbins, chief physician for the Miami Beach Boxing Commission, diagnosed Liston with a torn tendon in his left shoulder. I'm Sonny Liston, I'm Jack Dempsey, there's no one like I'm from their . The opening round was fought an extra eight seconds, since both fighters and referee Barney Felix apparently did not hear the bell. 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. "Better get me out of this ring," exclaimed Wilson, "he is going to kill me!