We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. He was hardly leading a life of health and fitness. Banker later learned that the police told Liston the same thing to his face. It was the first time in his career that Liston had been cut. The highly-anticipated May 1965 rematch between the heavyweight champions almost didn't happen. [33], Civic leaders were also reluctant, worrying that Liston's unsavory character would set a bad example for youth. 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. Very rare interview of Sonny Liston talking about how he got started in boxing, his fights with Williams and Patterson and his training routine. Sonny Liston fought for only $10,000 during his career. 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. interview with Alex Haley in Muhammad Ali by Thomas Hauser. Numerous fans booed and started yelling, "Fix!" It'll just be for slow guitar, soft trumpet and a bell.". Tocco said that the living room furniture was in disarray, but the house did not yet smell of death. Liston was particularly known for his immense strength, formidable jab, long reach, toughness, and his infamously intimidating appearance. ", This page was last edited on 7 February 2023, at 06:36. Although Clay often carried his gloves down at his waist, seemingly open to attack, he proved very difficult to hit. "[18], After Liston was released from prison on October 31, 1952, he had a brief amateur career that spanned less than a year. 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 [61] The new date was set for May 25, 1965. ", Knopfler compared writing a song about Liston to the work a sculptor performs on a statue. Maule, Tex (March 9, 1964). "But they'll have to swing along until somebody comes to beat me. 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. "He had a deadly fear of needles," said Davey Pearl, a boxing referee and friend of Liston's. With the proceeds, he traveled to St. Louis to live with his mother. [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. 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.. 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. 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. Concert Preview/Interview: John Lodge of the Moody Blues on Reprising "Days of Future Passed . The torn tendon had bled down into the mass of the biceps, swelling and numbing the arm. This is a place for friendly and civil debate about the greatest sport on earth. Liston had thrown a jab with his left arm and, leaning forward, took a right hook from Ali right to the skull. He could have remained typecast as a musician performing rock songs. Authorities theorized that he was undressing for bed when he fell over backward with such force that he broke the rail of the bench. 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. The match had more storylines than a soap opera. Liston assaulted the officer, breaking his knee and gashing his face. One memo, dated 24 May 1966, outlined an interview with Houston gambler Barnett Magids, who believed Liston would win. Patterson wanted a chance to redeem himself, so they met again on July 22, 1963, in Las Vegas. The story goes that Liston was born somewhere . Walcott never did pick up the count. Two of the three official scorers, or judges, awarded the round to Liston, and the other scored the round even. Many in attendance did not see Ali deliver the punch. In an interview with The Associated Press shortly before his death in May 2009, Liston said he regretted . Liston also appears in the sequel, Blood's a Rover. [34] Many African-Americans disdained Liston. Like Dylan's subject, Rubin Carter, Knopfler's version of Liston is sympathetic. Washington University Libraries, Film and Media Archive, Henry Hampton Collection. He is a relatively elementary, one-track fighter." Sonny Liston, I think was possibly the greatest intimidator of all time. Either way, nat fleisher as the KD timekeeper had NO right telling Walcott the fight was over. This interview is missing a "BOOOOOOOMZQUAD!!" It burned like hell. Sonny was definitely a specimen. He talked of a fight with Joe Frazier, claiming, "It'd be like shooting fish in a barrel." Liston appears as a character in James Ellroy's novel The Cold Six Thousand. There are echoes of slavery in his upbringing." [55], There is ample evidence that Liston did carry an injury to his left shoulder into the fight. In the 2001 film Ali, Liston was portrayed by former WBO Heavyweight Champion Michael Bentt. These transcripts contain material that did not appear in the final program. 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]. Gary Beckwith said, "It wasn't uncommon for family members in these cases to go through and tidy up to save family embarrassment. [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. and he was pointing at some little bandage over the needle mark in his arm. "[35], Patterson and Liston had a rematch clause in their contract. "Johnny wasn't a braggart," Davi told Liston biographer Paul Gallender. 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. Create Space Independent Publishing Platform. He won eight fights that year, six by knockout. 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. Both fights were in Summerlin's hometown of Detroit.[23]. 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. "He had a left like Henry's hammer," Knopfler sings, "a right like Betty Bamalam. Maybe he was. [108] The book suggests that Sonny Liston may have been murdered and a possibility that the crime was never investigated. [20], Liston signed a contract in September 1953, proclaiming: "Whatever you tell me to do, I'll do. "But can he hit!" The fight ranks as one of the shortest heavyweight title bouts in history. The fight quickly descended into chaos. This is a clip out of the \"The Other Side\" Documentary. Support this Channel:https://www.patreon.com/LegendsofBoxing Merchandise:LegendsofBoxing.redbubble.com I restore \u0026 colorize your projects, PayPal Donations: [email protected] you!________________________________________________________________________________ Credit Original B\u0026W Footage:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CLMlEpRb9wSonny Liston Interview uploaded by haNZAgodAll My YouTube ChannelsMy Main Channel \"Legends of Boxing\": https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC73ffQAknNEWJlRoFSWH_awMy Second Boxing Channel \"Legends of Boxing\": https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-QLrFyDnskqz5_z95mcOAMy History Channel \"Time Travel: Colorized Archive\": https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC29VFkNvVVi6_OzwFV2oTqQMy Documentary Channel \"Tales From The Past\":https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZpFIIYrCc1lOHbG-fUo5vwMein Dokumentation Channel \"Geschichten aus der Vergangenheit\" (Tales From The Past in Deutsch) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXBfWoE1KVXEzh9d2NrwBhASocial https://www.instagram.com/legends_of_boxing1/ He then left the fighters to go over to McDonough. Rogin called Liston's physique "awesomearms like fence posts, thighs like silos." Liston was depicted as a bad guy by the media, a handbreaker for the mafia. Sonny Liston interview with Max Goldberg before his fight with Cassius 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. He said they found Liston lying on his bed with a needle sticking out of his arm. Suddenly, the world had to come to grips with a new kind of heavyweight champion. The film starred Ving Rhames as Liston and was produced by Rhames, Hassain Zaidi and Marek Posival. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Muhammad Ali (at the time a rising contender named Cassius Clay), however, predicted a knockout by Liston in the first five rounds. [105], Singer/Songwriter Rod Picott wrote and recorded a song titled "Sonny Liston" for his 2022 album "Paper Hearts and Broken Arrows. Tosches, Nick (2000). 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. But others contend he just was not the same Liston. ", Still, some found it hard to believe that the punch could have floored a man like Liston. Interviewing and trash-talk have both gone through some tremendous evolutions, havent they? Never before seen Sonny Liston interview. Support this Channel:https://www.patreon.com/join/LegendsofBoxing Merchandise:https://www.redbubble.com/people/LegendsofBoxing/shop I restore \u0026 colorize your projects, PayPal Donations: [email protected] you!______________________________________________________________________ Footage Credit:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4oGEeOJ7-Ahttps://archives.denverlibrary.org/repositories/3/resources/9093______________________________________________________________________ Join my Discord Server:https://discord.gg/9QzFSw4TvfAll My YouTube ChannelsMy Main Channel \"Legends of Boxing\": https://www.youtube.com/c/LegendsofBoxingMy Second Boxing Channel \"Legends of Boxing in Color\": https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-QLrFyDnskqz5_z95mcOAMy History Channel \"Time Travel: Colorized Archive\": https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC29VFkNvVVi6_OzwFV2oTqQMy Documentary Channel \"Tales From The Past\":https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZpFIIYrCc1lOHbG-fUo5vwMy German Channel/ Deutscher Kanal: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXBfWoE1KVXEzh9d2NrwBhASocial https://www.instagram.com/legends_of_boxing1/#boxing #LegendsofBoxing #boxingclassics #Legend #boxinghistory #fight #knockout #boxingstories #athletestories #lifestories #pugilism #bareknuckle #fighting #boxinghistory #boxer #boxingclassics #boxinglegends #halloffame #boxinghalloffame #goldenera #boxinggoldenera #boxergram #boxerlife #boxerlifestyle #boxing #boxinghistory #barefist #pugilist #bareknuckle #houseofdevlin #legendaryfighter #classics #Legendary #motivation #boxingmotivation #dempsey #boxers #UnseenHistories #VisualHistory #ColorGraph #Colorized #Colorization #ColorizedPhoto #History #HistoricalPhotos #Deoldify #AIcolorization #colorizao #colourised #historia #colourise #colorization #restauracao #colourisedphoto #colorizedphoto #colouryourpast #colorizedhistory #colorizedhistoricalphotos Naturally, they decided that Ali would take on Liston. Watch the interview you be the judge.. America's first look at Liston since the Ali rematch was when he fought fifthranked Henry Clark in a nationally broadcast bout in July 1968. In the 2015 British crime film Legend, Liston is played by Mark Theodore in a scene where gangster Reggie Kray poses for a picture with the boxer. McDonough, however, claimed Walcott was looking at the crowd and never at him. [66], Former champions Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, Floyd Patterson and Gene Tunney, as well as contender George Chuvalo all declared they considered the fight to be a fake. . For confetti we can use torn-up arrest warrants." Sonny Liston - Wikipedia He died circa December 30,. There's something really primal about the whole thing, obviously. While true he also sent women to the hospital, which his sparring partner confirms. and "Nobody will believe this!"[63]. In the novel, Liston not only drinks but also pops pills and works as a sometime enforcer for a heroin ring in Las Vegas. Geraldine called Liston's attorney and his doctor, but did not notify the police until two to three hours later. [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. Emily Post would probably recommend a ticker-tape parade. Remembering One Of Boxing's Storied Bouts : NPR When Machen clinched in . Be respectful and come chat with us. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. Wepner needed 72 stitches and suffered a broken cheekbone and nose. He would later employ McCarter as a sparring partner. It became known as the phantom punch and has been the subject of controversy and speculation for the last 55 years. Did Sonny Liston Take a Dive in His Second Muhammad Ali - Sportscasting Tobe and Helen had 12 children together; Sonny was the second youngest child. Liston, with a 25-pound weight advantage, 214lb (97kg) to 189lb (86kg), knocked out Patterson at 2:06 of the first round, putting him down for the count with a powerful left hook to the jaw. During the fourth round Liston appeared dominant as Clay coasted, keeping his distance. Sonny Liston Interview in Color - YouTube Hed shown up to the fight in the best shape of his life no hot dogs or beer in his diet this time and promised to take down Ali. Savant Sundays: Sonny Liston - Bad Left Hook 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, . [31] While Liston began working into shape with hopes for a heavyweight title shot, he also continued his criminal behavior. There were plenty of tough questions after the first fight for Liston, too, namely, why didnt he come out for another round? [12], Liston never complained about prison, saying he was guaranteed three meals every day. His family's home state of Arkansas did not make birth certificates mandatory until 1965. His "Speedway at Nazareth" was about auto racing. 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. I know it", Liston said afterward. In The Devil and Sonny Liston by Nick Tosches, published in 2000, when many of Liston's former acquaintances were still alive, Tosches posits that Liston's idol Joe Louis introduced him to heroin, and that he ultimately overdosed. I know!" 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. I forgot about the rules." 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 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. Caputo, one of the investigating police officers, "The whole department knew about it." 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." [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. ", Chuck Wepner on Liston's intimidating appearance. To this day, I'm convinced that's what the coroner saw in his examthat hospital needle mark. But by the sixth round his sight had cleared, and a clearly enraged Clay fought a blisteringly aggressive round landing numerous combination punches. He had a whiplash, so they took him to the hospital," said boxing trainer Johnny Tocco. Knopfler said he enjoys boxing and other sports but reflected on a conversation he had with a friend about the fights. Who needed that? Sonny Liston Vs Floyd Patterson What If There Had Been A Third Fight Liston was a heavy favorite. "[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. Lennox is a conqueror? One mile up on a mountain 13 miles west of Denver is the Shrine of Mother Cabrini. I never saw. Sonny Liston in Denver, Colorado. Sonny Liston RARE Interview - YouTube 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. . When Patterson met with the president in January 1962, Kennedy suggested that Patterson avoid Liston, citing Justice Department concerns over Liston's ties to organized crime. On May 5, 1956, a policeman confronted Liston and a friend about a cab parked near Liston's home. Known for his powerful punch, the majority of his victories were knockouts. The most iconic photo in boxing history documents the knockout that almost nobody saw happen. Banker said he was told by police that Liston had been seen at a house that would be the target of a drug raid. Rocky Marciano, the former heavyweight champion, said that he appreciated the punchs strength upon re-examination. They fought for a third time on March 6, 1956, which Liston won by a ten-round unanimous decision. 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. [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". Jim Murray of the Los Angeles Times wrote that it was "no phantom punch." 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 . In his 1965 rematch with Ali, Liston suffered an unexpected first-round knockout that led to unresolved suspicions of a fix. Sonny Liston | Boxing's Most Intimidating and Unwanted Champion Rainy Day Boxing 302K subscribers 5.6M views 1 year ago Join Rainy Day Boxing for an in depth career tribute to arguably the most. Sonny Liston had a very sad upbringing & had to learn to survive at a young age. 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. "[57] Those findings were confirmed in a formal investigation immediately after the fight by Florida State Attorney Richard Gerstein, who also noted that there was little doubt that Liston went into the fight with a sore or lame shoulder. After Liston arose, Walcott wiped off his gloves. It made a champion out of Clay, who declared that hed shook up the world.. He would not close in until the accumulated inside damage and Liston's own frustration had sapped the challenger's strength and will." This victory is regarded by some as Liston's most impressive performance. [87], Liston was found dead by his wife, Geraldine, in their Las Vegas home on January 5, 1971. "[95], Sgt. Former champions James J. Braddock, Jersey Joe Walcott, Ezzard Charles, Rocky Marciano and Ingemar Johansson all picked Patterson to win. [51], Liston failed to answer the bell for the seventh round, and Clay was declared the winner by technical knockout. [42], Liston's run-ins with the police had continued in Philadelphia. Liston retired in his corner due to an inflamed shoulder. 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. Philadelphia wanted nothing to do with him. Two more arrestsfor disorderly conduct and resisting arrest and another for impersonating a copled to Liston being suspended by the Pennsylvania Athletic Commission on July 14, 1961. World light-heavyweight champion Jos Torres said, "It was a perfect punch." Odds makers gave Liston 71 to win. Sonny Liston, once the heavyweight champ, died at the age of who-knows-what some days before Dec. 30, 1970. He then outpointed Julius Griffin, winner of the New York Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions, to capture the Intercity Golden Gloves Championship on March 26 (representing Chicago). "He was afraid of needles," echoed Father Edward Murphy. Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston: The Controversial Fight Behind Their 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. [84], Liston married Geraldine Chambers in St. Louis, Missouri, on September 3, 1957. It was 1965, not 1955. that startles everyone in a 100 foot radius. 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.'" [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. The Real Story behind the Ali-Liston Fights. "[82] Johnny Tocco, a trainer who worked with George Foreman and Mike Tyson as well as Liston, said Liston was the hardest hitter of the three. 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. At one point in this attack, Liston was rocked as he was driven to the ropes. He rounded out the year by stopping Nino Valdez and Willi Besmanoff. Because of the shirt he wore during robberies, the St. Louis police called Liston the "Yellow Shirt Bandit." [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]. I'm Sonny Liston, I'm Jack Dempsey, there's no one like I'm from their . The mysterious life of Sonny Liston. 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. I was about to say look at those mitts! His fists measured 15 inches (38cm) around, the largest of any heavyweight champion. (, Shaun Assael. Who are the four people who knocked out Sonny Liston? After he won the title, Liston relocated to Denver permanently, saying, "I'd rather be a lamppost in Denver than the mayor of Philadelphia. "There was nothing Sonny feared more than a needle. "[98], Some claim Liston was murdered. 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. [14], Tobe Liston inflicted whippings so severe on Sonny that the scars were still visible decades later. Dr. Alexander Robbins, chief physician for the Miami Beach Boxing Commission, diagnosed Liston with a torn tendon in his left shoulder. He also had a reputation for bullying people such as porters and waitresses. Some writers thought Liston brought bad press on himself by a surly and hostile attitude toward journalists. 'Raising Ali' Remembers The 'Worst Mess In The History Of Sports' - NPR Sonny Liston was one of the hardest hitters the boxing world has ever seen. Joe Frazier vs Sonny Liston : r/Boxing - Reddit Clay brought Malcolm X along with him to Miami, and amid the controversy, the fight was almost canceled. Sonny Liston shot a gun at Muhammad Ali. The Murder of Sonny Liston: A Story of Fame, Heroin, Boxing & Las Vegas Pan publisher; 2017.

Bioluminescent Waves 2022, Radisson Hotels Americas Appffxiv Wind Up Dullahan, Articles S