[14], Tobe Liston inflicted whippings so severe on Sonny that the scars were still visible decades later. [22], Early in his career, Liston faced capable opponents. [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. And it was probably for the best ticket-buyers didnt exactly get their moneys worth. 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. Byrne sought an injunction blocking the fight in Boston because Inter-Continental Promotions was promoting the fight without a Massachusetts license. [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. 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. 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 . So I went down. 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. 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. The governor of nearby Maine, John Reed, stepped up and volunteered to host it in the small town of Lewiston, where a resort and ice rink could provide some infrastructure. When he tried to muscle in for a bigger share, Conrad thinks his employers got him very drunk, took him home and stuck him with a needle. "The only thing my old man ever gave me was a beating," Liston said. 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 . He said it was taught to him by comedian and film actor Stepin Fetchit, who learned it from Jack Johnson. Patterson's fatal mistake was that he "did not punch enough and frequently tried to clinch with Liston. "[98], Some claim Liston was murdered. But upon arrival, Liston was met by only a handful of reporters and public-relations staff. While valuing the photograph, appraiser Kathleen Guzman told. [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. Traduo Context Corretor Sinnimos Conjugao Conjugao Documents Dicionrio Dicionrio Colaborativo Gramtica Expressio Reverso Corporate "He had a left like Henry's hammer," Knopfler sings, "a right like Betty Bamalam. Sonny Liston had a controversial boxing career, winning 54 of 58 bouts from 1953 to 1970. [55], There is ample evidence that Liston did carry an injury to his left shoulder into the fight. "[78] While much has been written about the effectiveness of his left jab, others have commented favorably on Liston's wide range of boxing skills. Geraldine called Liston's attorney and his doctor, but did not notify the police until two to three hours later. "He was scared, he was scared of so many things," Knopfler said. 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. 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. Furthermore, that count cannot be started until the fighter scoring the knockdown goes to and remains in a neutral corner. Liston was depicted as a bad guy by the media, a handbreaker for the mafia. It is hardly the first recording by a rock musician about boxing. He won eight fights that year, six by knockout. 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. 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. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Also, scar tissue, possibly from needle marks, was found in the bend of Liston's left elbow. Charles L. "Sonny" Liston (c.1930 December 30, 1970) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1953 to 1970. My man. One mile up on a mountain 13 miles west of Denver is the Shrine of Mother Cabrini. 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. Sonny Liston, I think was possibly the greatest intimidator of all time. ", It was later theorized that a substance used on Liston's cuts by Joe Pollino, his cut man, may have caused the irritation. [83] Herb Goldman stated that Liston, when in his prime between 1958 and 1963, was the most feared fighter in boxing history. Sonny Liston became world heavyweight champion in 1962 and fought Muhammad Ali twice In January 1971, former heavyweight champion of the world Sonny Liston was found dead at his Las Vegas. In his own words in Thomas Hauser's 1991 biography: "The punch jarred him. People around the world tuned in via satellite to watch the match, which was fought in front of 2,434 paying ticket-holders, the smallest crowd in heavyweight championship fight history; people there suggested the crowd was more like 4,000, but nonetheless, it was a very small in-person audience. His eyes swept the whole scene. [35] There are several theories as to why: (1) publicist Harold Conrad and others believed Liston had been deeply involved as a bill collector of a loansharking ring in Las Vegas. Three days before the fight, Ali needed emergency surgery for a strangulated hernia. The photo captures the champions exhortations, with all the fire and passion and dynamic physicality that made him such a phenomenon. Sonny Liston had a very sad upbringing & had to learn to survive at a young age. "He had a deadly fear of needles," said Davey Pearl, a boxing referee and friend of Liston's. Liston appears as a character in James Ellroy's novel The Cold Six Thousand. 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. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. [42], Liston's run-ins with the police had continued in Philadelphia. But others contend he just was not the same Liston. "I didn't know what the heck was going on", Angelo Dundee, Clay's trainer, recalled on an NBC special 25 years later. After Ali's win against Sonny Liston, he wouldn't . [94], Liston was buried at Paradise Memorial Gardens in Las Vegas, Nevada. [34] Many African-Americans disdained Liston. "From Bad Buck to White Hope: Journalism and Sonny Liston, 19581965. I was down but not hurt, but I looked up and saw Ali standing over me. Rocky Marciano, the former heavyweight champion, said that he appreciated the punchs strength upon re-examination. and he was pointing at some little bandage over the needle mark in his arm. I know!" In these feckless clinches he only managed to tie up one of Liston's arms. Liston was allegedly present at dealer Earl Cage's residence during a raid by narcotics detectives. Sit down!' [85] Geraldine had a daughter from a previous marriage, and the Listons subsequently adopted a boy from Sweden. Banker later learned that the police told Liston the same thing to his face. [76][77] Foreman stated: "There wasn't anything missing from Sonny Liston. 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. "There's no doubt that he was mean," Knopfler said of Liston. The ending of the fight remains one of the most controversial in boxing history. But former Las Vegas police Sgt. Sonny Liston, once the heavyweight champ, died at the age of who-knows-what some days before Dec. 30, 1970. I wasn't hit. [7] Liston was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991. [12], Liston never complained about prison, saying he was guaranteed three meals every day. Never before seen Sonny Liston interview. Support this Channel: https://www.patreon.com/join/LegendsofBoxing Merchandise: https://www.redbubble.com/peo. Liston was particularly known for his immense strength, formidable jab, long reach, toughness, and his infamously intimidating appearance. "[68], While Liston publicly denied taking a dive, Sports Illustrated writer Mark Kram said that years later Liston told him, "That guy [Ali] was crazy. We had a return bout clause with Clay, but if you say your guy just quit, who is gonna get a return bout? 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. Shaun Assael. "Some songs just seem to reverberate with people.". On May 7, backers of the rematch ended the court battle by pulling the fight out of Boston. There were plenty of tough questions after the first fight for Liston, too, namely, why didnt he come out for another round? Naturally, they decided that Ali would take on Liston. During the fourth round Liston appeared dominant as Clay coasted, keeping his distance. [58] Despite Liston carrying an injury and being undertrained, Clay stated in 1975 that the first fight with Liston was the toughest of his career. [5][6] Alfie Potts Harmer in The Sportster also ranked him the third greatest heavyweight and the sixth greatest boxer at any weight. The match had more storylines than a soap opera. His family's home state of Arkansas did not make birth certificates mandatory until 1965. 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. Odds makers gave Liston 71 to win. [30] Before his bout with Liston, Muhammad Ali consulted Machen and was advised that the key to survival was to make Liston lose his temper. Interviewing and trash-talk have both gone through some tremendous evolutions, havent they? "The public is not with me. Half a mile above and beyond the shrine, looking down from the summit of the mountain, is a statue of the Sacred Heart. [citation needed] At this time, the head coach of the St. Louis Golden Gloves team, Tony Anderson, stated that Liston was the strongest fighter he had seen. [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. Boxings brightest young star was again squaring off against a renowned bruiser in a rematch of their thrilling and controversial heavyweight championship fight one year prior, a fight that was followed by 14 months of international intrigue and the combustible politics of the 1960s. [45][46] A clearly angered Liston rallied at the end of the round when Clay seemed tired, delivering punishing body shots. After demolishing these top-ranked fighters in the heavyweight division, Liston was regarded as the top-contender champion-in-waiting. 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. His defense was described as "the gate-crossing of arms la Archie Moore. Welcome to r/boxing, the official home of pro boxing on Reddit! 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. Carwin probably wasn't even that tall. Time magazine said Liston had worked himself into the best shape of his career. [61] The new date was set for May 25, 1965. Was Pariah boxing legend Sonny Listons OD really a mob murder? interview with Alex Haley in Muhammad Ali by Thomas Hauser. [100] A successful racehorse which won the Irish St Leger classic race in 2021 was named Sonnyboyliston. 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. Numerous fans booed and started yelling, "Fix!" He offered no comment on the matter, but his victory would soon turn it into an international story. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. ", Still, some found it hard to believe that the punch could have floored a man like Liston. It made a champion out of Clay, who declared that hed shook up the world.. 9, 1 March 2018, p. 8, New York Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions, "Photographic image of 'Tale of the Tape', "Sonny Liston vs. Floyd Patterson (Tale of the tape)", "From THE RING: The greatest heavyweight of all time", "25 Greatest Fighters of All Time (Heavyweight)", "ESPN Classic - Liston was trouble in and out of ring", "Jacob's Beach by Kevin Mitchell: review", "Hard Times, Good Times: Charles "Sonny" Liston - Boxing.com", "Dismayed D'Amato Is Expecting To Get Back Manager's License", "Esquire covers commemorate boxing's prime", "Cassius Clay-Sonny Liston I: 50 Years Later", "Sonny Liston vs. Cassius Clay (1st meeting) - BoxRec", "1964 Clay vs. Liston Judges' Scorecards from Miami Beach Bout. | Lot #80073 | Heritage Auctions", "Muhammad Ali's Toughest Fight Wasn't Against Joe Frazier", "Fifty Years Later: The Mystery of Muhammad Ali's 'Phantom Punch', "I WAS THERE: George Chuvalo Watches Sonny Liston Take a Dive - YouTube", "Fifty Years Later: The Mystery of Muhammad Ali's 'Phantom Punch' | Boxing News", "Daytona Beach Morning Journal - Google News Archive Search", "Sonny Liston the most talented Heavyweight in history", "George Foreman Discusses Friendship With Sonny Liston", "Sonny Liston: Say Goodnight to the Bad Guy Boxing News", "LOTIERZO'S LOWDOWN Sonny Liston: The Most Underrated Heavyweight Champ In History", "The Most Feared Fighter in Boxing History: Charles 'Sonny' Liston remembered", "Liston KO'd Popular Patterson for Title", "O Unlucky Man: Fortune never smiled on Sonny Liston", "Sonny Liston Meets the Press - Boxing.com", "Like Fights Against Ali, Liston Death a Mystery", "December 30, 1970: Mysterious Death of Sonny Liston", "19 YEARS LATER: Liston Death Remains Mystery to His Friends". Biographer Wilfrid Sheed wrote in his book, Muhammad Ali: A Portrait in Words and Photographs, that Clay's protests were heard by ringside members of the Nation of Islam who initially suspected Dundee had blinded his fighter, and that the trainer deliberately wiped his own eyes with the corner sponge to demonstrate to Clay's approaching bodyguards that he had not intentionally blinded him. [72], "I was an 'intimidator' until I fought Sonny Liston. [93] Liston had been hospitalized in early December, complaining of chest pains. [43] A month later, Liston was accused of impersonating a police officer by using a flashlight to wave down a female motorist in Fairmount Park, although all charges were later dropped. He also had a reputation for bullying people such as porters and waitresses. .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. I didn't think it was a powerful punch when I saw the fight from ringside," he said. 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. Sullivan John Tate Ernie Terrell Tony Tubbs Nikolay Valuev Jersey Joe Walcott Mike Weaver Jess Willard Tim Witherspoon Muhammad Ali Lou Ambers Sammy Angott Fred Apostoli Ray Arcel Alexis Argello Baby Arizmendi Henry Armstrong Abe Attell Max Baer Caleb Baldwin Carmen Basilio Wilfred Bentez Nino Benvenuti Jack Kid Berg Jimmy Bivins Umberto Branchini Joe Brown Panama Al Brown Ken Buchanan Charley Burley Orlando Canizales Miguel Canto Tony Canzoneri Michael Carbajal Jem Carney Jimmy Carter Marcel Cerdan Antonio Cervantes Bobby Chacon Arthur Chambers Ezzard Charles Kid Chocolate Joe Choynski Stanley Christodoulou Billy Conn Eugne Criqui Jos Cuevas Jack Dempsey Jack (Nonpareil) Dempsey Jack Dillon Professor Mike Donovan Paddy Duffy Don Dunphy Roberto Durn Lou Duva Billy Edwards Gabriel Elorde Jeff Fenech Bob Fitzsimmons George Foreman Bob Foster Joe Frazier Gene Fullmer Khaosai Galaxy Vctor Galndez Joe Gans Kid Gaviln Joey Giardello Mike Gibbons Wilfredo Gmez Humberto Mike Tyson 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. Only Massachusetts was willing to host the fight, though it was delayed from November 1964 to May 1965 so that Ali could recover from hernia surgery. 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. Many in the small crowd had not even settled in their seats when the fight was stopped. Emily Post would probably recommend a ticker-tape parade. Liston said he quit because of a shoulder injury. Although Clay often carried his gloves down at his waist, seemingly open to attack, he proved very difficult to hit. So I get him down, I get the sponge and I pour the water into his eyes trying to cleanse whatever's there, but before I did that I put my pinkie in his eye and I put it into my eye. After he won the title, Liston relocated to Denver permanently, saying, "I'd rather be a lamppost in Denver than the mayor of Philadelphia. "[42], Liston made his second title defense on February 25, 1964, in Miami Beach, Florida against Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali). Tradues em contexto de "with Sonny" en ingls-portugus da Reverso Context : I think you should stay here with Sonny. Don't confuse shyness with dullness, Sonny was. THE PREFIGHT MOODS OF SONNY LISTON. 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. Rare interview of Sonny Liston colorized. 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 won by a seventh-round technical knockout, and seemed on the verge of making a comeback to the big time. Cleveland Williams was the last person to defeat Liston and made $100,000 for his efforts. Hall of Fame announcer Don Dunphy said, "Here was a guy who was in prison and the guards used to beat him over the head with clubs and couldn't knock him down." 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. 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. Ali initially stood over his fallen opponent, gesturing and yelling at him, "Get up and fight, sucker!" [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. 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. Soon, he was known as Cassius X, eschewing the last name given to his enslaved family by their owners. For those too young to remember, Sonny "The Big Bear" Liston was a legendary heavyweight boxer. Liston knocked out Hermann Schreibauer of West Germany at 2:16 of the first round. [73] The bout was stopped after the ninth round due to cuts over both of Wepner's eyes. Please read the rules before posting/commenting. "But can he hit!" Never seen this one before, thanks alot. [16] Listonaged around 13, according to his later reckoningsremained in Arkansas with his father. When caught in January 1950, Liston gave his age as 20, while the St. Louis Globe-Democrat reported that he was 22. Referee Jersey Joe Walcott, a former world heavyweight champion, had a hard time getting Ali to go to a neutral corner. 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 was scared of the black-power movement. [30], Liston became the No. "[94], A bronze copy of a marble statue of Liston sculpted by Alfred Hrdlicka in 1964 was erected in 2008 between Old Castle and Karlsplatz in Stuttgart, Germany. One memo, dated 24 May 1966, outlined an interview with Houston gambler Barnett Magids, who believed Liston would win. He rolled over, got to his right knee and then fell on his back again. There was something caustic in both eyes." "[35] However, in 1963 in the aftermath of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, Liston broke off a European boxing exhibition tour to return home and was quoted as saying he was "ashamed to be in America. ", Knopfler compared writing a song about Liston to the work a sculptor performs on a statue. "Johnny wasn't a braggart," Davi told Liston biographer Paul Gallender. In the third round, Marshall nailed Listonreportedly while he was laughingand broke his jaw. The torn tendon had bled down into the mass of the biceps, swelling and numbing the arm.

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