Charles L. "Sonny" Liston (c. 1930 - December 30, 1970) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1953 to 1970. The Murder of Sonny Liston: A Story of Fame, Heroin, Boxing & Las Vegas. 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. 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. [24], In 1958, Liston returned to boxing. That got him killed. Muhammad Ali stands over Sonny Liston after dropping Liston with a short hard right to the jaw on May 25, 1965, in Lewiston, Maine, Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston: The Controversial Fight Behind Their Iconic Boxing Photo, Remembering Just Fontaine and His World Cup Record, an official member of the Nation of Islam, Senate subcommittee hearing turned up no evidence, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. Rogin called Liston's physique "awesomearms like fence posts, thighs like silos." Soon, he was known as Cassius X, eschewing the last name given to his enslaved family by their owners. 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. "From Bad Buck to White Hope: Journalism and Sonny Liston, 19581965. He was scared of the black-power movement. "He would do everything to avoid taking shots." "[35], U.S. President John F. Kennedy also did not want Patterson to fight Liston. But he spoke to his friend Resnick on the day of the fight and was told not to bet on the champion. Two of the best-known are "The Boxer" by Simon and Garfunkel and "Hurricane" by Bob Dylan. Subsequently, Liston spent some months in Denver where a Catholic priest who acted as his spiritual adviser attempted to help bring his drinking under control. 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. Shaun Assael. 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. "When he first got to the big city, he was hanging out with a bunch of people who were just looking for trouble.". 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. Knopfler, 55, said inspiration for the Liston song has been growing for a long time. In an interview with The Associated Press shortly before his death in May 2009, Liston said he regretted . In the third round, Marshall nailed Listonreportedly while he was laughingand broke his jaw. I want to prove to the world there's dirty work afoot.' 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. While valuing the photograph, appraiser Kathleen Guzman told. Gary Beckwith said, "It wasn't uncommon for family members in these cases to go through and tidy up to save family embarrassment. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. [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. [21], Liston made his professional debut on September 2, 1953, knocking out Don Smith in the first round in St. Louis, where he fought his first five bouts. The mysterious life of Sonny Liston. In a pre-fight poll, 43 of 46 sportswriters picked Liston to win by knockout. [8], Liston turned to crime and led a gang of thugs who committed muggings and armed robberies. Liston was the subject of a 1995 HBO documentary titled Sonny Liston: The Mysterious Life and Death of a Champion. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. ", This page was last edited on 7 February 2023, at 06:36. In the third round, Clay began to take control of the fight. I forgot about the rules." Because of the shirt he wore during robberies, the St. Louis police called Liston the "Yellow Shirt Bandit." The second round saw Liston continue to pursue Clay. "[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. For confetti we can use torn-up arrest warrants." 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. Many in attendance did not see Ali deliver the punch. "[95], Sgt. His fists measured 15 inches (38cm) around, the largest of any heavyweight champion. He had a whiplash, so they took him to the hospital," said boxing trainer Johnny Tocco. [42], Liston's run-ins with the police had continued in Philadelphia. [39] Leading up to the fight, Liston was an 85 betting favorite, although many picked Patterson to win. Patterson, a 4-1 betting underdog, was knocked down three times and counted out at 2:10 of the first round. Officially, Liston died of lung congestion and heart failure. Before he left for his bout with Clay, Sonny's training in Denver took him to some strange places. The interference of ringside reporters regarding interpretation of the rules, the fight stoppage and the controversy after the fight had not been seen since The Long Count Fight between champion Gene Tunney and challenger Jack Dempsey in 1927. [5][6] Alfie Potts Harmer in The Sportster also ranked him the third greatest heavyweight and the sixth greatest boxer at any weight. 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. ", Still, some found it hard to believe that the punch could have floored a man like Liston. [35] Liston's victory was loudly booed. "Yes, it was good and honest". "[35], Patterson and Liston had a rematch clause in their contract. . Shaun Assael wrote "The Murder of Sonny Liston: Las Vegas, Heroin, and Heavyweights", published in 2016. Ali initially stood over his fallen opponent, gesturing and yelling at him, "Get up and fight, sucker!" 589 Share 23K views 1 year ago Rare interview of Sonny Liston colorized. The toxicology report said his body was too decomposed for the tests to be conclusive. On May 5, 1956, a policeman confronted Liston and a friend about a cab parked near Liston's home. [107] The story speculates that Liston threw the Ali match for the good of society. [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]. 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. Liston had thrown a jab with his left arm and, leaning forward, took a right hook from Ali right to the skull. Mark Knopfler's tribute to Liston, "Song for Sonny Liston", appeared on his 2004 album Shangri-La. Cleveland Williams was the last person to defeat Liston and made $100,000 for his efforts. Ali brought his big personality to the small town, but Liston was still the favorite. [20], Liston signed a contract in September 1953, proclaiming: "Whatever you tell me to do, I'll do. "At about noon on the day of the fight, (Magids) reached Resnick again by phone," the memo read. 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. For me, the most fascinating thing about Liston was the fact that his birth date is unknown. The Devil and Sonny Liston. [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. 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. 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. [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. "You're putting things on and you're taking this out and molding it," Knopfler said. Numerous fans booed and started yelling, "Fix!" ", 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. Sonny Liston shot a gun at Muhammad Ali. He rolled over, got to his right knee and then fell on his back again. 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. 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. Im free to be who I want.. Writer Jack McKinney said, "I watched Sonny. Liston's wife also recalled that her husband would refuse basic medical care for common colds because of his dislike of needles. "It was common knowledge that Sonny was a heroin addict," said Sgt. kos k.o.s ko.s knockouts fight of the year joe louis lewis primo carnera buddy max baer tony galento lamon brewster monte barrett barret amir khan oleg maskaev nicolai valuev nikolai joe calzaghe sergej sergey liakhovich liakovich shannon briggs evander holyfield zultan ibragimov sultan meldrick taylor pauli ayala paul spadafora prince prinze naseem hamed naz johnny tapia john ruiz wilfredo gomez wilfried benitez george foreman big ron lyle earnie shavers joe frazier ken norton angelo dundee eddie futch riddick bowe Henry Akinwande Muhammad Ali Max Baer Michael Bentt Riddick Bowe James J. Braddock Shannon Briggs Tommy Burns Primo Carnera Ruslan Chagaev Ezzard Charles Gerrie Coetzee James J. Corbett Francesco Damiani Jack Dempsey Michael Dokes Jimmy Ellis Bob Fitzsimmons Joe Frazier Marvin Hart Herbie Hide Evander Holyfield James J. Jeffries Ingemar Johansson Jack Johnson Vitali Klitschko Sonny Liston Joe Louis Rocky Marciano Ray Mercer Tommy Morrison Greg Page Floyd Patterson John Ruiz Max Schmeling Bruce Seldon Jack Sharkey James Smith John L. 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He was paroled after serving six months of a nine-month sentence, and was not prohibited from boxing during 1957. I dont have to be what you want me to be, Clay told agitated reporters.
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