Certainly Johnson had more going for him than enormous hands. With Clay quickly ducking his head left, right or away, Liston's leading left jabs largely failed to land. [103], Sonny Liston was featured in a novel "Girl Fighter" with a brief reference to his early life, his rise to WBC heavyweight champion and his eventual losses to Clay/Ali.[104]. [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. In five months, Sonny Liston had gone from unknown ex-con to amateur champion. Although in the second fight, Liston appears to have taken a dive Again with the mob stuff. [83] Herb Goldman stated that Liston, when in his prime between 1958 and 1963, was the most feared fighter in boxing history. I forgot about the rules." "But can he hit!" And in 1961 . Sports Illustrated predicted a Patterson victory in 15 rounds, stating:"Sonny has neither Floyd's speed nor the versatility of his attack. [108] The book suggests that Sonny Liston may have been murdered and a possibility that the crime was never investigated. Elizabeth Bear wrote the short story "Sonny Liston Takes the Fall", published in The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy in 2008. We cooked up that shoulder thing on the spot. Fifty years ago this week, Liston was discovered dead by his wife, Geraldine, on a bed in his Las Vegas home. Was Pariah boxing legend Sonny Listons OD really a mob murder? Sonny was one of 25 children of a sharecropper in Arkansas. The fight ranks as one of the shortest heavyweight title bouts in history. ", confirmed most people's belief that Liston had taken a dive. Official date of death put as December 30. And that guy did come along and beat him Twice And it was Muhammad Ali. Inter-Continental said local veteran Sam Silverman was the promoter. In the third round, Marshall nailed Listonreportedly while he was laughingand broke his jaw. Tocco called the police, and they broke into the house. Geraldine called Liston's attorney and his doctor, but did not notify the police until two to three hours later. Three days before the fight, Ali needed emergency surgery for a strangulated hernia. As the years passed and Liston's financial situation worsened, he got angry and told the mob he'd go public with the story unless they gave him the money. "Yes, it was good and honest". Boxing: Sonny Liston was murdered by Mob, claims hitman's son New book by Greg Swaim about his late father, James John Warjac, claims he helped kill the former World Heavyweight Champion via an. ", Still, some found it hard to believe that the punch could have floored a man like Liston. "[98], Some claim Liston was murdered. [36], Jack Dempsey spoke for many when he was quoted as saying that Sonny Liston should not be allowed to fight for the title. Born in Forrest City, Arkansas, sometime in the late 1920s and early. "The public is not with me. 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". Professor Liston's research interests . Born into poverty and the 12 th of 13 children born to Tobe and Helen Liston (and the 24 th of 25 children fathered by Tobe in total), Sonny did not enjoy a privileged upbringing. Liston said he quit because of a shoulder injury. He was not the tear-shedding type.. The grave's marker-plate bears the dedication: "A Man. They fought for a third time on March 6, 1956, which Liston won by a ten-round unanimous decision. As the years passed and Liston's financial situation worsened, he got angry and told the mob he'd go public with the story unless they gave him the money. 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. World light-heavyweight champion Jos Torres said, "It was a perfect punch." School of Education. 126 pages of former heavy weight boxing champion, Sonny Liston, FBI files.. Charles "Sonny" Liston was born in 1932, into a family where he became one of twenty-five children. ", This page was last edited on 7 February 2023, at 06:36. Hn voitti maailmanmestaruutensa Floyd Pattersonilta vuonna 1962 ja puolusti sit kerran uusintaottelussa. In remembrance of Muhammed Ali, NPR looks back at Robert Siegel's conversation with filmmaker Gary Robinov, director of Raising Ali, about the . 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. Eddie's brother, Joe, is Sonny's cut man and his trainers, Willie Reddish and Johnny Tocco, round out his entourage. January 5, 2017. "Nat Fleischer [editor of The Ring] was sitting beside McDonough and he was waving his hands, too, saying it was over." Painting by Damien Burton. Controversy followed with claims that Liston had been drinking heavily the night before the fight and had entered the bout with a lame shoulder. ", ("You know what they say about big fists, sweetheart?"). For confetti we can use torn-up arrest warrants." [105], Singer/Songwriter Rod Picott wrote and recorded a song titled "Sonny Liston" for his 2022 album "Paper Hearts and Broken Arrows. He got out of prison in 52, won the Golden Gloves in Chicago, and went pro after less than a year Unfortunately, the only financial backers willing to put up the necessary money for him to turn professional were local mobsters, and Liston supplemented his income by working for the local mob as an intimidator-enforcer. Liston appears as a character in James Ellroy's novel The Cold Six Thousand. Caputo, one of the investigating police officers, "The whole department knew about it." [8] Convicted and sentenced to five years in the Missouri State Penitentiary, Liston started his prison time on June 1, 1950. In the 2020 film One Night in Miami, Liston is played by Aaron D. Alexander. The second round saw Liston continue to pursue Clay. Sonny is an old-school guy; not much fanfare. In his 1965 rematch with Ali, Liston suffered an unexpected first-round knockout that led to unresolved suspicions of a fix. I never realized how much of a freak of nature Sonny Liston was. Patterson was knocked down three times and counted out at 2:10 of the first round. Many did not see the punch land, and some who did questioned that it was powerful enough to knock Liston out. His baleful, obsidian stare intimidates fighters, sportswriters and. [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. 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. It's widely accepted that Liston, a former heavyweight boxing champ, died from an accidental heroin overdose in 1970. Sonny Liston, once the heavyweight champ, died at the age of who-knows-what some days before Dec. 30, 1970. In the 2001 film Ali, Liston was portrayed by former WBO Heavyweight Champion Michael Bentt. He said that Liston was not quick with his hand or footwork, that he relied too much on his ability to take a punch, and that he could be vulnerable to an opponent with more hand speed. It's a terrible matchup. [52][53] It was the first time since 1919when Jack Dempsey defeated Jess Willardthat a world heavyweight champion had quit on his stool. "He was afraid of needles," echoed Father Edward Murphy. Muhammad Ali vs Sonny Liston, 1965 Source: AFP. Last thing I will say about a heavyweight champ who was an ex-con and a leg-breaker for the mob He was deathly afraid of needles. Mike DeJohn was the highest paid boxer at $15,000 while James Dickey received $20,000. In 2013 the son of a deceased mafia hitman published a book claiming that his father confessed to murdering Liston via forced drug overdose. As Liston pursued his target Clay retreated, using his foot speed to slip away into open space in the ring, largely circling to the left and away from the threat of a Liston left hook. "[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. [84], Liston married Geraldine Chambers in St. Louis, Missouri, on September 3, 1957. You can listen to it at your leisure, or read about it now. Because of that, the dealers may have thought Sonny ratted on them and they shot him with a hot dose as retribution. In the novel, Liston not only drinks but also pops pills and works as a sometime enforcer for a heroin ring in Las Vegas. Byrne sought an injunction blocking the fight in Boston because Inter-Continental Promotions was promoting the fight without a Massachusetts license. The second fight lasted only four seconds longer than Part I's first-round KO, but Liston's victory was still loudly booed. (, Shaun Assael. During these same years Sonny Liston was on the comeback trail as well. Floyd Patterson was Ben Mintz's "Minty Lock Of The Week" and Megan Makin' Moneyloved Patterson in a decision. This is just a glimpse into what was. Wepner, who also fought George Foreman and Muhammad Ali, said after his career was over that Liston was the hardest puncher he faced. [94], Liston was buried at Paradise Memorial Gardens in Las Vegas, Nevada. He walks to the ring with his gloves on the shoulders of his manager, Eddie Polino. It was a good punch, but I didn't think I hit him so hard that he couldn't have gotten up. You could feel the deflation, see the look of hurt in his eyes. Liston also appears in the sequel, Blood's a Rover. Clearly, it was time to turn pro. To this day, I'm convinced that's what the coroner saw in his examthat hospital needle mark. [89], Following an investigation, Las Vegas police concluded there were no signs of foul play and declared Liston's death a heroin overdose. 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. He said he could not hear McDonough, who did not have a microphone. He is a relatively elementary, one-track fighter.". So that means his reach was practically a . "The timekeeper was waving both hands and saying, 'I counted him outthe fight is over,'" Walcott said after the fight. Wepner, who also fought George Foreman and went 15 rounds with Ali before being knocked out (that fight was Stallones inspiration for Rocky), said after his career was over that Liston was by far the hardest puncher he faced. Liston biographer Paul Gallender claims that Liston fathered several children, though none with his wife. Sonny Liston, I think was possibly the greatest intimidator of all time. Pariah: The Lives and Deaths of Sonny Liston. Charles 'Sonny' Liston was one of the most feared and even hated men in the US His talent for boxing was discovered while he was in prison for armed robbery Once out, he turned pro but his. In his sixth bout, he faced ranked heavyweight Johnny Summerlin (18-1-2) on national television and won in an eight-round decision. In the first fight, in Miami, a 22-year-old Cassius Clay danced around the ring, taunted Liston, promised reporters he'd shock the world, and then delivered on that promise with a blistering late. 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. Liston went down at 1:44, got up at 1:56, and Walcott stopped the fight at 2:12. And (4) Liston was supposed to take a dive when he fought Chuck Wepner 6 months earlier, and killing him was payback for his failure to do so. I know it", Liston said afterward. Who needed that? Ali did neither. 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. 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. . His father Tobe loved to fuck. It was 55 years ago that the world's attention focused on Lewiston, Maine, for a world heavyweight boxing title fight. One of the victories was over Amos Johnson, Liston's former sparring partner, who had recently defeated British champion Henry Cooper. Boxing Record 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. Several reports say Liston had fresh needle marks on his arms when he died. After the second loss to Ali, Liston stayed out of the ring for more than a year. He cited Liston's inability to lift his arm: "There is no doubt that Liston's arm was damaged. "But they'll have to swing along until somebody comes to beat me.". Liston believed his date of birth to be May 8, 1932, and used this for official purposes[11] but by the time he won the world title an aged appearance added credence to rumors that he was actually several years older. That was in Liston's eight fight, in Detroit, and Marshall went on to capture the 10-round decision. [85] Geraldine had a daughter from a previous marriage, and the Listons subsequently adopted a boy from Sweden. Liston's wife also recalled that her husband would refuse basic medical care for common colds because of his dislike of needles. The following year, Sonnydetermined to reunite with his mother and siblingsthrashed the pecans from his brother-in-law's tree and sold them in Forrest City, Arkansas. "He told me in the strictest confidence, but it was like he wanted to get it off his chest." His father was 30 years older than his mother. Larry Merchant, then a writer with the Philadelphia Daily News, wrote: "A celebration for Philadelphia's first heavyweight champ is now in order. 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). In his own words in Thomas Hauser's 1991 biography: "The punch jarred him. The ending of the fight remains one of the most controversial in boxing history. Liston. Stevens organized a sparring session with a professional heavyweight named Thurman Wilson to showcase Liston's potential. Liston was the subject of a 2008 feature film based upon his life titled Phantom Punch. His defense was described as The grave's headstone reads Sonny Liston: A Man. Many in attendance did not see Ali deliver the punch. He also wrote that Liston's win over Patterson proved that "in a fair fight between good and evil, evil must win." "From Bad Buck to White Hope: Journalism and Sonny Liston, 19581965. When caught in January 1950, Liston gave his age as 20, while the St. Louis Globe-Democrat reported that he was 22. He then left the fighters to go over to McDonough. "It was common knowledge that Sonny was a heroin addict," said Sgt. [39] Leading up to the fight, Liston was an 85 betting favorite, although many picked Patterson to win. 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. It was probably Liston's best moment in the entire fight. The heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali stood over Sonny Liston in the first round of their title fight in Lewiston, Me., on May 25, 1965, and was heard to say, "Get up and fight, sucker!" John . The commotion was not lost on referee Barney Felix, who was walking toward Clay's corner. At one point, Liston had Clay against the ropes and landed a hard left hook. The bout would need to be delayed by six months. [67] Some felt the knockdown was real but the knockout was fake. CU Experts. Wepner needed 72 stitches and suffered a broken cheekbone and nose And the ref needed a new shirt. 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. There are no official records of his birth His home state of Arkansas did not make birth certificates mandatory until 1965, but people believe he was born sometime around 1930-1932. Felix later said Clay was seconds from being disqualified. 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. Banker said he was told by police that Liston had been seen at a house that would be the target of a drug raid. But former Las Vegas police Sgt. 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 . Police determined he died from a. Paul R Gallender, 2012. In these feckless clinches he only managed to tie up one of Liston's arms. Cleveland Williams was the last person to defeat Liston and made $100,000 for his efforts. Theories regarding the circumstance of Liston's death. Shaun Assael. Birth 1935 - County Limerick, Ireland. [17] The athletic director at Missouri State Penitentiary, Rev. [24], In 1958, Liston returned to boxing. Helen had one child before she married Tobe, and Tobe had 13 children with his first wife. Rough N' Rowdy 20 LIVE From The Charleston Coliseum | Friday 8PM ET, Barstool Sportsbook has arrived in PA, MI, IL, IN, CO, VA, NJ, TN, AZ, IA, WV, LA, KS, MD, OH, Best Influencer Marketplace for Advertisers, Best Influencer Marketplace for Influencers & Creators, Best Influencer Marketplace for Agents & Agencies, Frank Pepe Pizzeria Naploetana - Chestnut Hill. [79][80][81] These include Muhammad Ali, who stated in a 1975 interview that he was a great admirer of Liston's talents: "Liston had a tremendous jab, could punch with either hand, was smart in the ring and as strong as any heavyweight Ive ever seen. Governor John H. Reed of Maine stepped forward, and within a few hours the promoters had a new site: Lewiston, Maine, a mill town with a population of about 41,000 located 140 miles (230km) north of Boston. Facebook gives. Sonny was once told by local police to stay away from a drug house that was the target of a police raid. Maule, Tex (March 9, 1964). Skeptics called the knockout blow "the phantom punch." Create Space Independent Publishing Platform. And yet, outside of boxing, L Tobe and Helen had 12 children together; Sonny was the second youngest child. But by the sixth round his sight had cleared, and a clearly enraged Clay fought a blisteringly aggressive round landing numerous combination punches. After demolishing these top-ranked fighters in the heavyweight division, Liston was regarded as the top-contender champion-in-waiting. 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. Fans rejected Liston after he won the heavyweight title over Floyd Patterson in 1962. In 2013, there was a newly created book titled According to Warjac: Most Wanted, written by Greg Swaim. The year 1959 was a banner one for Liston: after knocking out contender Mike DeJohn in six rounds he faced Cleveland Williams, a fast-handed fighter who was billed as the hardest-hitting heavyweight in the world against whom he showed durability, power and skill, nullifying Williams' best work before stopping him in the third round. February 25, 1964. He inflicted whippings so severe on Sonny that the scars were still visible in the ring decades later as an adult. 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. The two American fighters met again 15 months later, Ali winning . The Murder of Sonny Liston: A Story of Fame, Heroin, Boxing & Las Vegas. Sonny Liston existed, and, Ali bouts or no Ali bouts, he was one of the greatest fighters to ever lace on a glove. 2023 Barstool Sports. I didn't want anything to do with him. [31] While Liston began working into shape with hopes for a heavyweight title shot, he also continued his criminal behavior. Two of the three official scorers, or judges, awarded the round to Liston, and the other scored the round even. Mother Bridget Sheehan. Liston made his professional boxing debut at the age of 21 on September 2, 1953. "The public is not with me. However, when Clay returned to his corner, he started complaining that there was something burning in his eyes and he could not see. Childhood & Early Life. [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. 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. Ali, Liston was the second youngest child hit him so hard that he 22. World light-heavyweight champion Jos Torres said, `` it was a heroin addict, '' said Sgt March,... Silverman was the highest paid boxer at $ 15,000 while James Dickey received $ 20,000 also... Via forced drug overdose Phantom punch. the top-contender champion-in-waiting some found it to... British champion Henry Cooper banker said he quit because of his dislike of needles probably Liston 's arms Gallender. 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