He would later employ McCarter as a sparring partner. Some writers thought Liston brought bad press on himself by a surly and hostile attitude toward journalists. Liston won his final fight, a tough but one-sided match against future world title challenger Chuck Wepner in June 1970. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Was Pariah boxing legend Sonny Listons OD really a mob murder? [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. During a ringside interview after the fight, Terrellwith his swollen eye and deflated egowould later say he respected all boxers. 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. Naturally, they decided that Ali would take on Liston. ", Hutchison, Phillip J. While true he also sent women to the hospital, which his sparring partner confirms. Larry Merchant, then a writer with the Philadelphia Daily News, wrote: "A celebration for Philadelphia's first heavyweight champ is now in order. 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. The ending of the fight remains one of the most controversial in boxing history. "Johnny wasn't a braggart," Davi told Liston biographer Paul Gallender. I wasn't hit. He could have remained typecast as a musician performing rock songs. The mysterious life of Sonny Liston. 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. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. The fight lasted four seconds longer than the first one. Time magazine said Liston had worked himself into the best shape of his career. "[35], Patterson and Liston had a rematch clause in their contract. 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. 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. Suffolk County, where Boston is located, ultimately pulled the plug, leaving them without a venue with less than a month to go. Never before seen Sonny Liston interview. Support this Channel: https://www.patreon.com/join/LegendsofBoxing Merchandise: https://www.redbubble.com/peo. Maybe he was. The NAACP had urged Patterson not to fight Liston, fearing that a Liston victory would hurt the civil rights movement. This is a place for friendly and civil debate about the greatest sport on earth. Three days before the fight, Ali needed emergency surgery for a strangulated hernia. One of the reasons why sports stays alive in us is that there's part of us that wants to keep the child alive and recognizes that there is something important in doing that. 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. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. [100] A successful racehorse which won the Irish St Leger classic race in 2021 was named Sonnyboyliston. Knopfler said the track "uses a lot of the country-blues style of playing that I started to absorb when I was young.". . [31] While Liston began working into shape with hopes for a heavyweight title shot, he also continued his criminal behavior. You could feel the deflation, see the look of hurt in his eyes. Boston: Little, Brown. 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.'" C'mon now, this is for the title, this is the big apple. Banker later learned that the police told Liston the same thing to his face. "There's no doubt that he was mean," Knopfler said of Liston. For confetti we can use torn-up arrest warrants." [8] Convicted and sentenced to five years in the Missouri State Penitentiary, Liston started his prison time on June 1, 1950. Patterson wanted a chance to redeem himself, so they met again on July 22, 1963, in Las Vegas. [5][6] Alfie Potts Harmer in The Sportster also ranked him the third greatest heavyweight and the sixth greatest boxer at any weight. and he was pointing at some little bandage over the needle mark in his arm. "I was rooting around in my childhood, maybe the way you do when you get to a certain age," Knopfler said. Charles L. "Sonny" Liston (c. 1930 - December 30, 1970) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1953 to 1970. 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. [38], Patterson finally signed to meet Liston for the world title on September 25, 1962, in Comiskey Park in Chicago. [74], Writer Gilbert Rogin assessed Liston's style and physique after his win over Zora Folley. Walcott never did pick up the count. In the third round, Marshall nailed Listonreportedly while he was laughingand broke his jaw. Liston assaulted the officer, breaking his knee and gashing his face. Rode with the muggers in the dark and dread and all them sluggers went down like lead. ", 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." Liston won 14 consecutive bouts, 13 by knockout, before fighting third-ranked Leotis Martin, previously beaten by Clark, in December 1969. The rumors swirling nearly canceled the fight the night prior, and when a reporter that morning broke tradition and asked if Clay was a member of the Black Muslims, as the group was often called, the boxer confirmed his new religion. The bout would need to be delayed by six months. There are no official records of his birth 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. In an Associated Press poll, 64 of 102 reporters picked Patterson. [92] He had been suffering from hardening of the heart muscle and lung disease before his death. However, David Remnick, for his book King of the World: Muhammad Ali and the Rise of an American Hero, interviewed one of Liston's cornermen, who told him that Liston could have continued: "[The shoulder] was all BS. 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. [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. In the months ahead of the fight, Muhammad Ali went all sorts of routes to get into Sonny Liston's head. It was the first time in his career that Liston had been cut. Liston biographer Paul Gallender claims that Liston fathered several children, though none with his wife. "He had a deadly fear of needles," said Davey Pearl, a boxing referee and friend of Liston's. Clay brought Malcolm X along with him to Miami, and amid the controversy, the fight was almost canceled. When you can kill almost anybody in the world with your bare hands, you don't really have to go around proclaiming it to everyone. Very rare interview of Sonny Liston talking about how he got started in boxing, his fights with Williams and Patterson and his training routine. The second round saw Liston continue to pursue Clay. [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. After the second loss to Ali, Liston stayed out of the ring for more than a year. [50] Reminds me of former UFC fighter Shane Carwin. But former Las Vegas police Sgt. In his own words in Thomas Hauser's 1991 biography: "The punch jarred him. He offered no comment on the matter, but his victory would soon turn it into an international story. Less than 10 days later, he was Muhammad Ali, a name given him to Elijah Muhammad, the head of the Nation of Islam. [45][46] A clearly angered Liston rallied at the end of the round when Clay seemed tired, delivering punishing body shots. interview with Alex Haley in Muhammad Ali by Thomas Hauser. I'm Sonny Liston, I'm Jack Dempsey, there's no one like I'm from their . Soon, he was known as Cassius X, eschewing the last name given to his enslaved family by their owners. [49], Clay later said that in round five he could only see a faint shadow of Liston during most of the round, but by circling and moving frantically he managed to avoid Liston and somehow survive. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. 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. 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. [16] Listonaged around 13, according to his later reckoningsremained in Arkansas with his father. Machen's mobility enabled him to go the distance but he was clearly outpointed despite Liston being penalised for a low blow in the 11th round. And the face, it was an unforgettable face. 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. And it was probably for the best ticket-buyers didnt exactly get their moneys worth. r/boxing does not tolerate racism or intolerance of any kind. Stuttgarter Amtsblatt No. He was still a world-ranked boxer when he died in mysterious circumstances in 1970. The toxicology report said his body was too decomposed for the tests to be conclusive. [51], Liston failed to answer the bell for the seventh round, and Clay was declared the winner by technical knockout. RARE Sonny Liston Interview before the first Ali fight 1964 in Color Legends of Boxing in Color 22K views 10 months ago On the Spot show with Max Goldberg featuring the heavyweight champion. 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 suppose Sonny Liston always stuck with me. It became known as the phantom punch and has been the subject of controversy and speculation for the last 55 years. Liston was knocked down in the first round, but came back to control the next two rounds and had Griffin hanging on at the end. Never seen this one before, thanks alot. Gary Beckwith said, "It wasn't uncommon for family members in these cases to go through and tidy up to save family embarrassment. For me, the most fascinating thing about Liston was the fact that his birth date is unknown. Tosches, Nick (2000). Joe Louis commenting on TV at ringside said "It's looking good for Sonny Liston". In that same book Liston was quoted two years after the fight: "Ali knocked me down with a sharp punch. 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. [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]. I never saw. Liston appears as a character in James Ellroy's novel The Cold Six Thousand. In an interview with The Associated Press shortly before his death in May 2009, Liston said he regretted . 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 Byrne sought an injunction blocking the fight in Boston because Inter-Continental Promotions was promoting the fight without a Massachusetts license. He was hardly leading a life of health and fitness. No, I'm Alexanderhe's no Alexander. There's something really primal about the whole thing, obviously. I was down but not hurt, but I looked up and saw Ali standing over me. Liston knocked out Hermann Schreibauer of West Germany at 2:16 of the first round. Don't confuse shyness with dullness, Sonny was. In an unearthed, unaired TV interview, Sonny Liston's wife once said that the fighter needed to get out of the ring as fast as possible because he had diarrhea. [35] Liston's victory was loudly booed. . In his next fight, he had a rematch with Summerlin and again won an eight-round decision. 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. One of the victories was over Amos Johnson, Liston's former sparring partner, who had recently defeated British champion Henry Cooper. "[42], Liston made his second title defense on February 25, 1964, in Miami Beach, Florida against Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali). 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." 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. With the proceeds, he traveled to St. Louis to live with his mother. He won eight fights that year, six by knockout. (. One mile up on a mountain 13 miles west of Denver is the Shrine of Mother Cabrini. Liston also appears in the sequel, Blood's a Rover. Sonny Liston in Denver, Colorado. 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. But then again, he took a pretty good beating in the fight. "He had a left like Henry's hammer," Knopfler sings, "a right like Betty Bamalam. For those too young to remember, Sonny "The Big Bear" Liston was a legendary heavyweight boxer. 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. However, there were again rumors of alcohol abuse in training. These transcripts contain material that did not appear in the final program. This interview is missing a "BOOOOOOOMZQUAD!!" [89], Following an investigation, Las Vegas police concluded there were no signs of foul play and declared Liston's death a heroin overdose. Sonny Liston, I think was possibly the greatest intimidator of all time. Convention Center, Winchester, Nevada, U.S. Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. Municipal Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. St. Louis Arena, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. Midwest Gymnasium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Pittsburgh Gardens, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. New Masonic Temple, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. Motor City Arena, Detroit, Michigan, U.S. Sources vary on his reach, with some listing it as 80in, Reputations: Sonny Liston: The Champion Nobody Wanted (2001), 50 min, BBC Documentary, Mailer: A Biography By Mary V. Dearborn, page 186. Liston was depicted as a bad guy by the media, a handbreaker for the mafia. [8][9], There is no official record of Liston's birth. On April 21, 1955, he defeated Marshall in a rematch, dropping him four times en route to a sixth-round knockout. He won by a seventh-round technical knockout, and seemed on the verge of making a comeback to the big time. Sports Illustrated predicted a Patterson victory in 15 rounds, stating: "Sonny has neither Floyd's speed nor the versatility of his attack. His "Speedway at Nazareth" was about auto racing. 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. Banker said he was told by police that Liston had been seen at a house that would be the target of a drug raid. All Rights Reserved. The World Boxing Association one of several boxing organizations was not too pleased, moving to strip Ali of his title and advising states not to agree to host the rematch. Walcott then rushed back to the fighters, who had resumed boxing, and stopped the fightawarding Ali a first-round knockout victory. Paul R Gallender, 2012. Liston had thrown a jab with his left arm and, leaning forward, took a right hook from Ali right to the skull. 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. .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. Dr. Alexander Robbins, chief physician for the Miami Beach Boxing Commission, diagnosed Liston with a torn tendon in his left shoulder. [22], Early in his career, Liston faced capable opponents. 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[79][80][81] These include Muhammad Ali, who stated in a 1975 interview that he was a great admirer of Liston's talents: "Liston had a tremendous jab, could punch with either hand, was smart in the ring and as strong as any heavyweight Ive ever seen. Patterson, a 4-1 betting underdog, was knocked down three times and counted out at 2:10 of the first round. Tocco left the house before the police did. He talked of a fight with Joe Frazier, claiming, "It'd be like shooting fish in a barrel." [67] Some felt the knockdown was real but the knockout was fake. [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. Watch the interview you be the judge. More on that in a second. And, while Patterson was growing as a fighter, Sonny was taking on mostly journeyman and starting to age. A lot of his life was mysterious and messy. He took one and went down. Audiences at home were confused and outraged. [93] Liston had been hospitalized in early December, complaining of chest pains. In his sixth bout, he faced ranked heavyweight Johnny Summerlin (18-1-2) on national television and won in an eight-round decision. Dude was only 6'2 and his hands dwarfed Lesnar's. Liston's story, Knopfler said, "is great for a writer for many reasons. Liston went down on his back. 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. [61] The new date was set for May 25, 1965. "Some songs just seem to reverberate with people.". Tradues em contexto de "with Sonny" en ingls-portugus da Reverso Context : I think you should stay here with Sonny. [84], Liston married Geraldine Chambers in St. Louis, Missouri, on September 3, 1957. Underworld connections and his unrecorded dates of birth and death added to the enigma. Once he went down, I got excited. Because of the shirt he wore during robberies, the St. Louis police called Liston the "Yellow Shirt Bandit." [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! "When he first got to the big city, he was hanging out with a bunch of people who were just looking for trouble.". "[98], Some claim Liston was murdered. [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". Geraldine called Liston's attorney and his doctor, but did not notify the police until two to three hours later. #muhammadali #henrycooper #sonnyliston #dougjones #heavyweight #greatness #boxing #legend #larryholmes #ironmike #sonnyliston #intimidating #bad #big #greatb. Pan, 2017. Also in 1970, Liston appeared on an episode of the TV series Love, American Style and in a television commercial for Braniff Airlines with Andy Warhol.[12][102]. [citation needed], Liston competed in the 1953 United States National Championships at Boston Garden and passed the preliminaries, stopping Lou Graff in the second round on April 13, but lost in the quarterfinals to 17-year-old Jimmy McCarter on April 15. In "Sailing to Philadelphia," a duet with James Taylor, Knopfler told of Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon traveling from England to North America to draw the Mason-Dixon line. Liston was allegedly present at dealer Earl Cage's residence during a raid by narcotics detectives. Welcome to r/boxing, the official home of pro boxing on Reddit!
sonny liston interview