In these feckless clinches he only managed to tie up one of Liston's arms. 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. [7] Liston was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991. He was scared of the black-power movement. "And I suppose Sonny Liston always stuck with me. 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 "Some songs just seem to reverberate with people.". Im free to be who I want.. Liston was particularly known for his immense strength, formidable jab, long reach, toughness, and his infamously intimidating appearance. 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). [33], Civic leaders were also reluctant, worrying that Liston's unsavory character would set a bad example for youth. After demolishing these top-ranked fighters in the heavyweight division, Liston was regarded as the top-contender champion-in-waiting. [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]. It was probably Liston's best moment in the entire fight. Don't confuse shyness with dullness, Sonny was. 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. He had a whiplash, so they took him to the hospital," said boxing trainer Johnny Tocco. Patterson's fatal mistake was that he "did not punch enough and frequently tried to clinch with Liston. 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.. The mysterious life of Sonny Liston. 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. With Clay quickly ducking his head left, right or away, Liston's leading left jabs largely failed to land. For confetti we can use torn-up arrest warrants." It is hardly the first recording by a rock musician about boxing. According to a New York Times report the day after the fight, Clay was indeed an official member of the Nation of Islam. "You're putting things on and you're taking this out and molding it," Knopfler said. [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. 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. Muhammad Ali biographer Jonathan Eig shared a new theory as to why Sonny Liston may have taken a dive in the boxers' second bout. He allegedly later told an assistant that he took a dive because he was afraid of the consequences of beating Ali he thought it would put a target on his own back. The photo captures the champions exhortations, with all the fire and passion and dynamic physicality that made him such a phenomenon. [52][53] It was the first time since 1919when Jack Dempsey defeated Jess Willardthat a world heavyweight champion had quit on his stool. Liston retired in his corner due to an inflamed shoulder. 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. 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. ", 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. Liston went down at 1:44, got up at 1:56, and Walcott stopped the fight at 2:12. 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. Soon, he was known as Cassius X, eschewing the last name given to his enslaved family by their owners. C'mon now, this is for the title, this is the big apple. (2) Professional gambler Lem Banker insists that Liston was murdered by drug dealers with whom he'd become involved. The connections to organized crime were an advantage early in his career but were later used against him. His family's home state of Arkansas did not make birth certificates mandatory until 1965. With the proceeds, he traveled to St. Louis to live with his mother. ", This page was last edited on 7 February 2023, at 06:36. During a ringside interview after the fight, Terrellwith his swollen eye and deflated egowould later say he respected all boxers. [88] On returning home from a two-week trip, Geraldine had smelled a foul odor emanating from the main bedroom and on entering saw him slumped up against the bed, a broken foot bench on the floor. The fight ranks as one of the shortest heavyweight title bouts in history. [105], Singer/Songwriter Rod Picott wrote and recorded a song titled "Sonny Liston" for his 2022 album "Paper Hearts and Broken Arrows. The Murder of Sonny Liston: A Story of Fame, Heroin, Boxing & Las Vegas Pan publisher; 2017. Top contender Zora Folley was stopped in three rounds. 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 was knocked down in the first round, but came back to control the next two rounds and had Griffin hanging on at the end. Inter-Continental said local veteran Sam Silverman was the promoter. [55], There is ample evidence that Liston did carry an injury to his left shoulder into the fight. He particularly resented a 1961 arrest by a black patrolman for loitering, claiming to have merely been signing autographs and chatting with fans outside a drugstore. His death was, too. [17] The athletic director at Missouri State Penitentiary, Rev. It was the first time in his career that Liston had been cut. The most iconic photo in boxing history documents the knockout that almost nobody saw happen. In his own words in Thomas Hauser's 1991 biography: "The punch jarred him. He then left the fighters to go over to McDonough. His fists measured 15 inches (38cm) around, the largest of any heavyweight champion. Felix later said Clay was seconds from being disqualified. [22], Early in his career, Liston faced capable opponents. In his sixth bout, he faced ranked heavyweight Johnny Summerlin (18-1-2) on national television and won in an eight-round decision. [15] In 1946, Helen Baskin, along with some of her children, moved to St. Louis to seek factory work. 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. "The only thing my old man ever gave me was a beating," Liston said. "But they'll have to swing along until somebody comes to beat me. 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. 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 . [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. I was about to say look at those mitts! [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". 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.'" "Better get me out of this ring," exclaimed Wilson, "he is going to kill me! Sonny Liston had a very sad upbringing & had to learn to survive at a young age. 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. He offered no comment on the matter, but his victory would soon turn it into an international story. In the 2001 film Ali, Liston was portrayed by former WBO Heavyweight Champion Michael Bentt. "It was common knowledge that Sonny was a heroin addict," said Sgt. ", 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." His eyes swept the whole scene. Knopfler said he enjoys boxing and other sports but reflected on a conversation he had with a friend about the fights. The second round saw Liston continue to pursue Clay. Sheed says that the punch and the knockdown "may have been genuine, but when referee Joe Walcott blew the count and gave him all evening to get up, Liston's rendition of a coma wouldn't have fooled a possum. [67] Some felt the knockdown was real but the knockout was fake. World light-heavyweight champion Jos Torres said, "It was a perfect punch." "There's no doubt that he was mean," Knopfler said of Liston. [87], Liston was found dead by his wife, Geraldine, in their Las Vegas home on January 5, 1971. You've seen him before but probably didn't realize it because the most famous photo ever taken of Sonny was not at his best angle. Tocco left the house before the police did. "From Bad Buck to White Hope: Journalism and Sonny Liston, 19581965. Tradues em contexto de "with Sonny" en ingls-portugus da Reverso Context : I think you should stay here with Sonny. r/boxing does not tolerate racism or intolerance of any kind. [84], Liston married Geraldine Chambers in St. Louis, Missouri, on September 3, 1957. ", Hutchison, Phillip J. [8] Convicted and sentenced to five years in the Missouri State Penitentiary, Liston started his prison time on June 1, 1950. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Referee Jersey Joe Walcott, a former world heavyweight champion, had a hard time getting Ali to go to a neutral corner. [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. 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. 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. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. The story goes that Liston was born somewhere . He had the whole package. Caputo, one of the investigating police officers, "The whole department knew about it." ", Ali clearly did not think he knocked Liston out. At the IBHOF, the casts of Listons hands were bigger than Lennox Lewis' which were also gigantic. But others contend he just was not the same Liston. One memo, dated 24 May 1966, outlined an interview with Houston gambler Barnett Magids, who believed Liston would win. 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.
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