", Chuck Wepner on Liston's intimidating appearance. Liston biographer Paul Gallender claims that Liston fathered several children, though none with his wife. What are you doing? I know it", Liston said afterward. Genuinely kind mobster who had been convicted of armed robbery and assault. "A blues song just for fighters: The legend of Sonny Liston. The film starred Ving Rhames as Liston and was produced by Rhames, Hassain Zaidi and Marek Posival. 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 poking the bear a bit there . Liston won his final fight, a tough but one-sided match against future world title challenger Chuck Wepner in June 1970. 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. But he spoke to his friend Resnick on the day of the fight and was told not to bet on the champion. [61] The new date was set for May 25, 1965. He also had a reputation for bullying people such as porters and waitresses. All Rights Reserved. "He had a deadly fear of needles," said Davey Pearl, a boxing referee and friend of Liston's. 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. 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. In a pre-fight poll, 43 of 46 sportswriters picked Liston to win by knockout. 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. Walcott never did pick up the count. And it was probably for the best ticket-buyers didnt exactly get their moneys worth. [33], Civic leaders were also reluctant, worrying that Liston's unsavory character would set a bad example for youth. Concert Preview/Interview: John Lodge of the Moody Blues on Reprising "Days of Future Passed . He said they found Liston lying on his bed with a needle sticking out of his arm. He had a whiplash, so they took him to the hospital," said boxing trainer Johnny Tocco. Skeptics called the knockout blow "the phantom punch." He claimed the officer used racial slurs. Ali is waiting to hit me, the ref can't control him. Cleveland Williams was the last person to defeat Liston and made $100,000 for his efforts. 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. Sonny Liston in his prime . Sonny Liston was a bad, bad guy who was also a victim, and I dont know that anyone can point to when a victim becomes a perpetrator and how much sympathy he deserves, but I also think any holistic take is fair this far in history. The story goes that Liston was born somewhere . He rounded out the year by stopping Nino Valdez and Willi Besmanoff. Also, scar tissue, possibly from needle marks, was found in the bend of Liston's left elbow. Soon, he was known as Cassius X, eschewing the last name given to his enslaved family by their owners. Ali would lose his title a year later, though it didnt happen in the ring. Was Pariah boxing legend Sonny Listons OD really a mob murder? "He was scared of the police. On May 5, 1956, a policeman confronted Liston and a friend about a cab parked near Liston's home. For me, the most fascinating thing about Liston was the fact that his birth date is unknown. I'm Sonny Liston, I'm Jack Dempsey, there's no one like I'm from their . It burned like hell. 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 won eight fights that year, six by knockout. 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. 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. 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. You really never watched the first fight did you? There are echoes of slavery in his upbringing." ", Ali clearly did not think he knocked Liston out. Less than 10 days later, he was Muhammad Ali, a name given him to Elijah Muhammad, the head of the Nation of Islam. Because of that, Cage may have thought Sonny was an informant and shot him with a hot dose as retribution. There are no official records of his birth [37] Frustrated, Liston changed his management in 1961 and applied pressure through the media by remarking that Patterson, who had faced mostly white challengers since becoming champion, was drawing the color line against his own race. Jim Murray of the Los Angeles Times wrote that it was "no phantom punch." [94], On January 1, Liston's wife, Geraldine, called Johnny Tocco and said she had not heard from her husband in three days and was worried. [7] Liston was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991. I forgot about the rules." The bout would need to be delayed by six months. 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. After Liston arose, Walcott wiped off his gloves. [92] He had been suffering from hardening of the heart muscle and lung disease before his death. [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. A lot of his life was mysterious and messy. Liston also appears in the sequel, Blood's a Rover. This is a place for friendly and civil debate about the greatest sport on earth. I didn't want anything to do with him. Tosches, Nick (2000). 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. This victory is regarded by some as Liston's most impressive performance. Caputo, one of the investigating police officers, "The whole department knew about it." ", The Liston song appears on an album called "Shangri-La." 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. The photo depicted Ali standing over his opponent, Sonny Liston, after delivering a final blow that knocked Liston to the ground. [56] Sports Illustrated writer Tex Maule wrote that Liston's shoulder injury was legitimate. I want to prove to the world there's dirty work afoot.' He pulled the same stuff Walcott did against Marciano. Either way, nat fleisher as the KD timekeeper had NO right telling Walcott the fight was over. 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. Liston was depicted as a bad guy by the media, a handbreaker for the mafia. Dude was only 6'2 and his hands dwarfed Lesnar's. Geraldine called Liston's attorney and his doctor, but did not notify the police until two to three hours later. The Murder of Sonny Liston: A Story of Fame, Heroin, Boxing & Las Vegas. Before he left for his bout with Clay, Sonny's training in Denver took him to some strange places. Liston knocked out Hermann Schreibauer of West Germany at 2:16 of the first round. While true he also sent women to the hospital, which his sparring partner confirms. One memo, dated 24 May 1966, outlined an interview with Houston gambler Barnett Magids, who believed Liston would win. The fight quickly descended into chaos. Liston was depicted as a bad guy by the media, a handbreaker for the mafia. From the opening bell Liston attempted to close with Clay, looking to land a hard punch to the head to end the fight quickly and decisively. 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.'" Some writers thought Liston brought bad press on himself by a surly and hostile attitude toward journalists. 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. Liston won 14 consecutive bouts, 13 by knockout, before fighting third-ranked Leotis Martin, previously beaten by Clark, in December 1969. In the novel, Liston not only drinks but also pops pills and works as a sometime enforcer for a heroin ring in Las Vegas. [8], Liston turned to crime and led a gang of thugs who committed muggings and armed robberies. He was also seeking to prove himself after his two embarrassing and suspicious losses to Ali. 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. Wepner, who also fought George Foreman and Muhammad Ali, said after his career was over that Liston was the hardest puncher he faced. World light-heavyweight champion Jos Torres said, "It was a perfect punch." 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]. Patterson's fatal mistake was that he "did not punch enough and frequently tried to clinch with Liston. 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. "I was rooting around in my childhood, maybe the way you do when you get to a certain age," Knopfler said. Sonny Liston shot a gun at Muhammad Ali. 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. Liston's wife also recalled that her husband would refuse basic medical care for common colds because of his dislike of needles. that startles everyone in a 100 foot radius. Mark Knopfler's tribute to Liston, "Song for Sonny Liston", appeared on his 2004 album Shangri-La. Known for his powerful punch, the majority of his victories were knockouts. [55], There is ample evidence that Liston did carry an injury to his left shoulder into the fight. Top contender Zora Folley was stopped in three rounds. [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. Wepner needed 72 stitches and suffered a broken cheekbone and nose. Gallender claimed, "A lot of officers knew Sonny was dead before Geraldine returned home on January 5, but they chose to let him rot.
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