and "Nobody will believe this!"[63]. At that point, the fight was scored as even on the official scorecards. In the third round, Clay began to take control of the fight. [7] Liston was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991. Shaun Assael. [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. [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. You could feel the deflation, see the look of hurt in his eyes. I know!" I was about to say look at those mitts! Rode with the muggers in the dark and dread and all them sluggers went down like lead. Create Space Independent Publishing Platform. Maybe he was. 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. [71] Credence to the latter theory is provided by the fact that Liston, immediately after his fight with Chuck Wepner, seemed more concerned about supporting the proposed Ali-Frazier bout and Ali's claims to be champion than promoting his own career. "He was scared of the police. 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. In his own words in Thomas Hauser's 1991 biography: "The punch jarred him. #muhammadali #henrycooper #sonnyliston #dougjones #heavyweight #greatness #boxing #legend #larryholmes #ironmike #sonnyliston #intimidating #bad #big #greatb. He was a gentle man. Suddenly, the world had to come to grips with a new kind of heavyweight champion. There are no official records of his birth 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. "You're putting things on and you're taking this out and molding it," Knopfler said. Charles L. "Sonny" Liston (c.1930 December 30, 1970) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1953 to 1970. It was a shocking result, not only because Liston was favored in the match, but because hardly anybody saw the punch that took him down. He talked of a fight with Joe Frazier, claiming, "It'd be like shooting fish in a barrel." A few months after Alis fight, Liston was dead from lung congestion though even that was shrouded in mystery and controversy. Very rare interview of Sonny Liston talking about how he got started in boxing, his fights with Williams and Patterson and his training routine. Liston returned to the United States and won seven fights, all by knockout, in 1968, increasing his string to eleven. "But they'll have to swing along until somebody comes to beat me. In The Greatest, the 1977 film about the life of boxer Muhammad Ali in which Ali played himself, Liston was portrayed by Roger E. Mosley. Liston was the subject of a 1995 HBO documentary titled Sonny Liston: The Mysterious Life and Death of a Champion. Naturally, they decided that Ali would take on Liston. [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. 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). Ali brought his big personality to the small town, but Liston was still the favorite. Rogin wrote. Cleveland Williams was the last person to defeat Liston and made $100,000 for his efforts. Liston's wife also recalled that her husband would refuse basic medical care for common colds because of his dislike of needles. He had the whole package. .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. "He said, 'Cut the gloves off. Reminds me of former UFC fighter Shane Carwin. Tocco called the police, and they broke into the house. 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. "There is power in both his left and his right, even though the fists move with the languor of motoring royalty or as if passing through a gaseous envelope more dense than air." 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. There were some, however, who believed the fight was legitimate. 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. [31] While Liston began working into shape with hopes for a heavyweight title shot, he also continued his criminal behavior. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Never before seen Sonny Liston interview. Support this Channel: https://www.patreon.com/join/LegendsofBoxing Merchandise: https://www.redbubble.com/peo. [10][11] It has been suggested Liston himself may not have known what year he was born, as he was not precise on the matter. 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." Liston captured the Chicago Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions on March 6, 1953, with a victory over 1952 Olympic Heavyweight Champion Ed Sanders. Controversy followed with claims that Liston had been drinking heavily the night before the fight and had entered the bout with a lame shoulder. 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. Authorities theorized that he was undressing for bed when he fell over backward with such force that he broke the rail of the bench. "[96], Many people who knew Liston insisted he was afraid of needles and never would have used heroin. "[69] The fact that Liston did not complain about the clear breach of boxing rules (being declared knocked out without a count) and Ali's obvious state of bewilderment, shouting at Liston "Nobody will believe this" and asking his handlers "Did I hit him? This victory is regarded by some as Liston's most impressive performance. He also took his gun. ", Liston appeared on the December 1963 cover of Esquire magazine (cover photograph by Carl Fischer) "the last man on earth America wanted to see coming down its chimney".[106]. "He was scared, he was scared of so many things," Knopfler said. ", The Liston song appears on an album called "Shangri-La." 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. The highly-anticipated May 1965 rematch between the heavyweight champions almost didn't 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. Knopfler, 55, said inspiration for the Liston song has been growing for a long time. After repeated overnight detention by the St. Louis police and a thinly veiled threat to his life, Liston left for Philadelphia. 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. After the second loss to Ali, Liston stayed out of the ring for more than a year. There was something caustic in both eyes." Liston was particularly known for his immense strength, formidable jab, long reach, toughness, and his infamously intimidating appearance. We had a return bout clause with Clay, but if you say your guy just quit, who is gonna get a return bout? (4) Liston was supposed to take a dive when he fought Chuck Wepner six months earlier, and killing him was payback for his failure to do so. [22], Early in his career, Liston faced capable opponents. Although Liston was widely regarded as unbeatable, he lost the title in 1964 to Muhammad Ali (then known as Cassius Clay), who entered as a 71 underdog. 1 contender in 1960, but the handlers of world heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson refused to give him a shot at the title because of Liston's links to organized crime. Joe Louis commenting on TV at ringside said "It's looking good for Sonny Liston". Sonny Liston was one of the hardest hitters the boxing world has ever seen. "It really has made an impact, actually from the very first time I performed it on 'A Prairie Home Companion,"' Knopfler said in a telephone interview. [83] Herb Goldman stated that Liston, when in his prime between 1958 and 1963, was the most feared fighter in boxing history. [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. And I said, 'Whoa, whoa, back up, baby. Numerous fans booed and started yelling, "Fix!" Wepner needed 72 stitches and suffered a broken cheekbone and nose. A few years before Tocco died, he allegedly told one of his good friends, Tony Davi, that he went to Liston's house and found the door locked and his car in the driveway. "[95], Sgt. Helen had one child before she married Tobe, and Tobe had 13 children with his first wife. 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. In an Associated Press poll, 64 of 102 reporters picked Patterson. Tale of the tape: Fight poster for Sonny Liston v Cassius Clay in 1964. . Liston tried going to school but quickly left after jeers about his illiteracy; the only employment he could obtain was sporadic and exploitative. Soon, he was known as Cassius X, eschewing the last name given to his enslaved family by their owners. Patterson, a 4-1 betting underdog, was knocked down three times and counted out at 2:10 of the first round. 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. Known for his powerful punch, the majority of his victories were knockouts. A wax model of Liston appears in the front row of the iconic sleeve cover of the Beatles' Sgt. "[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. 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. 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.. 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. Patterson wanted a chance to redeem himself, so they met again on July 22, 1963, in Las Vegas. A lot of his life was mysterious and messy. [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. One mile up on a mountain 13 miles west of Denver is the Shrine of Mother Cabrini. He would not close in until the accumulated inside damage and Liston's own frustration had sapped the challenger's strength and will." Sonny Liston had a very sad upbringing & had to learn to survive at a young age. Sonny Liston Interview 82,818 views Apr 2, 2014 1.3K Dislike Share Save haNZAgod 93.2K subscribers Subscribe A rare interview with former Heavyweight champion of the world, Sonny Liston.. The opening round was fought an extra eight seconds, since both fighters and referee Barney Felix apparently did not hear the bell. "I was rooting around in my childhood, maybe the way you do when you get to a certain age," Knopfler said. The fight ranks as one of the shortest heavyweight title bouts in history. Felix later said Clay was seconds from being disqualified. 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. [100] A successful racehorse which won the Irish St Leger classic race in 2021 was named Sonnyboyliston. He would later employ McCarter as a sparring partner. "[54] Hall of Fame matchmaker Teddy Brenner also disputed the shoulder injury, claiming he saw Liston use the same arm to throw a chair in his dressing room after the match. But former Las Vegas police Sgt. Im free to be who I want.. knockout kimbo slice evander holyfield nogueira wladimir vitali klitschko haye mma brutal bareknuckle headbutt lowblow foul dirty boxer funny bob sapp david cesar chavez joe frazier rocky marciano larry holmes felix trinidad jackson new tribute video highlight dirtiest best brock lesnar julio cesar ricky hatton randy couture israel vasquez juan manuel marquez antonio margarito felix tito trinidad antonio rodrigo minotauro marco antonio barrera john ruiz freddie roach hector camacho pernell whitaker willie pep sugar ray robinson shane mosley antonio tarver roy jones joe cortez lennox lewis david haye haymaker wladimir vitali vladimir klitschko klitchko prediction prefight postfight press conferencetex cobb gerry cooney jerry pierre coetzer floyd roger mayweather arturo gatti rocky graziano graciano tony zale dariusz michalczewski rocky rocchigiani henry maske james toney vassily jirov vasily unbelievable knockout ko k.o. "[98], Some claim Liston was murdered. "Better get me out of this ring," exclaimed Wilson, "he is going to kill me! Liston also appears in the sequel, Blood's a Rover. "He had a left like Henry's hammer," Knopfler sings, "a right like Betty Bamalam. Theories regarding the circumstance of Liston's death. Either way, nat fleisher as the KD timekeeper had NO right telling Walcott the fight was over. Geraldine remembered her husband as "Great with me, great with the kids. 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. . Roy Harris, who had gone 13 rounds with Floyd Patterson in a title match, was crushed in one round by Liston. There's something really primal about the whole thing, obviously. "[18], After Liston was released from prison on October 31, 1952, he had a brief amateur career that spanned less than a year. I didn't want anything to do with him. "He had a deadly fear of needles," said Davey Pearl, a boxing referee and friend of Liston's. More on that in a second. The connections to organized crime were an advantage early in his career but were later used against him. The fight quickly descended into chaos. "Some songs just seem to reverberate with people.". "From Bad Buck to White Hope: Journalism and Sonny Liston, 19581965. Walcott never did pick up the count. In this case, Intercontinental Promotions Inc., which had the rights to Listons fight, also got to choose the first opponent for the new champion, should Liston lose. Mark Knopfler's tribute to Liston, "Song for Sonny Liston", appeared on his 2004 album Shangri-La. 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. 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. Mark Knopfler enjoyed widespread popularity in the 1980's as the leader of Dire Straits, lending his husky voice to hit songs like "Sultans of Swing" and "Money for Nothing." [5][6] Alfie Potts Harmer in The Sportster also ranked him the third greatest heavyweight and the sixth greatest boxer at any weight. Sonny Liston shot a gun at Muhammad Ali. Liston retired in his corner due to an inflamed shoulder. The toxicology report said his body was too decomposed for the tests to be conclusive. Liston was allegedly present at dealer Earl Cage's residence during a raid by narcotics detectives. He then left the fighters to go over to McDonough. "It was common knowledge that Sonny was a heroin addict," said Sgt. Emily Post would probably recommend a ticker-tape parade. I wasn't hit. Sonny was definitely a specimen. He said he could not hear McDonough, who did not have a microphone. Be respectful and come chat with us. In the novel, Liston not only drinks but also pops pills and works as a sometime enforcer for a heroin ring in Las Vegas. 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. On April 21, 1955, he defeated Marshall in a rematch, dropping him four times en route to a sixth-round knockout. The Real Story behind the Ali-Liston Fights. "[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. Maule, Tex (March 9, 1964). interview with Alex Haley in Muhammad Ali by Thomas Hauser. During the interim, officials in Boston also got cold feet. Rogin called Liston's physique "awesomearms like fence posts, thighs like silos." We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. He won by a seventh-round technical knockout, and seemed on the verge of making a comeback to the big time. "Now (after seeing video) I think Clay, seeing the opening, snapped the punch the last six inches.

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