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. I'm the best ever. Liston tried going to school but quickly left after jeers about his illiteracy; the only employment he could obtain was sporadic and exploitative. December 1963 extended Interview with Champion Sonny Liston - discusses The Murder of Sonny Liston is an absorbing, albeit speculative, attempt at addressing the mystery that died with the man. There are echoes of slavery in his upbringing." 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. Night Train is like $11 on Amazon, peep that if you want to get more of the story, i don't like how max was squeezing sonny's bicep. At one point, Liston had Clay against the ropes and landed a hard left hook. 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 defense was described as "the gate-crossing of arms la Archie Moore. Ali initially stood over his fallen opponent, gesturing and yelling at him, "Get up and fight, sucker!" Former champions James J. Braddock, Jersey Joe Walcott, Ezzard Charles, Rocky Marciano and Ingemar Johansson all picked Patterson to win. When Machen clinched in . 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. The photo captures the champions exhortations, with all the fire and passion and dynamic physicality that made him such a phenomenon. [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. ", confirmed most people's belief that Liston had taken a dive. He rolled over, got to his right knee and then fell on his back again. Midway through the first round, Liston threw a left jab and Ali went over it with a fast right, knocking the former champion down. Audiences at home were confused and outraged. On May 5, 1956, a policeman confronted Liston and a friend about a cab parked near Liston's home. Lennox is a conqueror? Ali biographer Wilfrid Sheed wrote, in his Muhammad Ali: A Portrait in Words and Photographs, that Liston planned to throw the fight for reasons unknown and used the legitimate first-round knockdown for that end. "[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. Knopfler, 55, said inspiration for the Liston song has been growing for a long time. Please read the rules before posting/commenting. "[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. In the 2001 film Ali, Liston was portrayed by former WBO Heavyweight Champion Michael Bentt. When caught in January 1950, Liston gave his age as 20, while the St. Louis Globe-Democrat reported that he was 22. Never before seen Sonny Liston interview. 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Liston was the subject of a 1995 HBO documentary titled Sonny Liston: The Mysterious Life and Death of a Champion. I was about to say look at those mitts! Good lord, Sonny's mitts are massive. "[40][41], Upon winning the world heavyweight title, Liston had a speech prepared for the crowd that friends had assured him would meet him at the Philadelphia airport. Liston was overwhelmed by an abusive father, confrontations with the law, underworld managers and a change in African-American culture represented by Ali, Knopfler said. [33], Civic leaders were also reluctant, worrying that Liston's unsavory character would set a bad example for youth. In an unearthed, unaired TV interview, Sonny Liston's wife once said that the fighter needed to get out of the ring as fast as possible because he had diarrhea. His death was, too. You really never watched the first fight did you? 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. In the novel, Liston not only drinks but also pops pills and works as a sometime enforcer for a heroin ring in Las Vegas. "[35], Patterson and Liston had a rematch clause in their contract. After the second loss to Ali, Liston stayed out of the ring for more than a year. Tocco said that the living room furniture was in disarray, but the house did not yet smell of death. 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. [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. Sonny was definitely a specimen. But by the sixth round his sight had cleared, and a clearly enraged Clay fought a blisteringly aggressive round landing numerous combination punches. He could probably drive his thumb through your skull like Michael Myers, It's crazy to think about the fact that Sonny Liston was an actual gangster running with gangs.. and then he looks so soft spoken in the interview. Anyone can read what you share. Liston was depicted as a bad guy by the media, a handbreaker for the mafia. [70] There have been a number of unproven theories as to the background to the purported dive including that Liston was threatened by the Muslims, or agreed to lose in return for a share in the more marketable Ali's future purses. He was a gentle man. 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. "It was common knowledge that Sonny was a heroin addict," said Sgt. Suddenly, the world had to come to grips with a new kind of heavyweight champion. For me, the most fascinating thing about Liston was the fact that his birth date is unknown. ", The Liston song appears on an album called "Shangri-La." There were plenty of tough questions after the first fight for Liston, too, namely, why didnt he come out for another round? Walcott then rushed back to the fighters, who had resumed boxing, and stopped the fightawarding Ali a first-round knockout victory. A couple weeks later, he was still complainin' about that needle mark. "Better get me out of this ring," exclaimed Wilson, "he is going to kill me! Gallender claimed, "A lot of officers knew Sonny was dead before Geraldine returned home on January 5, but they chose to let him rot. "A blues song just for fighters: The legend of Sonny Liston. Liston was depicted as a bad guy by the media, a handbreaker for the mafia. [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. Writer Jack McKinney said, "I watched Sonny. Either way, nat fleisher as the KD timekeeper had NO right telling Walcott the fight was over. Stuttgarter Amtsblatt No. 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. It is hardly the first recording by a rock musician about boxing. 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.'" Clay brought Malcolm X along with him to Miami, and amid the controversy, the fight was almost canceled. Arthur Daley of the New York Times wrote that Liston's handlers knew he "didn't have it anymore,"[65] and allegedly they had secretly paid sparring partner Amos Lincoln an extra $100 to take it easy on him -[citation needed] - the same man, incidentally, that Liston dismissed in less than two rounds a full three years later. 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. Jim Murray of the Los Angeles Times wrote that it was "no phantom punch." Carwin probably wasn't even that tall. 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. He was poking the bear a bit there . The last of Sonny Liston Andscape The torn tendon had bled down into the mass of the biceps, swelling and numbing the arm. During these same years Sonny Liston was on the comeback trail as well. r/boxing does not tolerate racism or intolerance of any kind. In the months ahead of the fight, Muhammad Ali went all sorts of routes to get into Sonny Liston's head. Sad how they portrayed sonny in such a negative light he seems like a genuinely kind person. [76][77] Foreman stated: "There wasn't anything missing from Sonny Liston. For his part, Liston said that the referees inability to keep track of time doomed him, as he didnt know when to get up from the mat. [47] Sitting on his stool between rounds, however, Liston was breathing heavily as his cornermen worked on his cut. 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. 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. "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." In his own words in Thomas Hauser's 1991 biography: "The punch jarred him. Another depicts Liston's death scene and autopsy: "There was dope in his veins and a pistol on the drawer Criss-crossed on his back, scars from his daddy like slavery tracks.". 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. "Yes, it was good and honest". "I'm doing a portrait of a life, really, in a way, so you are trying to get the whole thing into just a few verses. But then again, he took a pretty good beating in the fight. [36], Jack Dempsey spoke for many when he was quoted as saying that Sonny Liston should not be allowed to fight for the title. Walcott never did pick up the count. [73] The bout was stopped after the ninth round due to cuts over both of Wepner's eyes. 'What's My Name| Muhammad Ali' Proves Why Ali's The Greatest - VIBE.com "[98], Some claim Liston was murdered. Ira Gay Sealy/The Denver Post via Getty Images According to the post, he returned back home later that morning and called his sparring partner Gary Bates to tell him he was leaving for Los Angeles but that they should get together when he returned in a couple of days. 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. Did Sonny Liston Take a Dive in His Second Muhammad Ali - Sportscasting "[96], Many people who knew Liston insisted he was afraid of needles and never would have used heroin. But others contend he just was not the same Liston. After repeated overnight detention by the St. Louis police and a thinly veiled threat to his life, Liston left for Philadelphia. Liston appears as a character in James Ellroy's novel The Cold Six Thousand. He had the whole package. 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. Rode with the muggers in the dark and dread and all them sluggers went down like lead. The connections to organized crime were an advantage early in his career but were later used against him. [34] Many African-Americans disdained Liston. Patterson's fatal mistake was that he "did not punch enough and frequently tried to clinch with Liston. Because of the shirt he wore during robberies, the St. Louis police called Liston the "Yellow Shirt Bandit." [35] Liston's victory was loudly booed. [45][46] A clearly angered Liston rallied at the end of the round when Clay seemed tired, delivering punishing body shots. Many did not see the punch land, and some who did questioned that it was powerful enough to knock Liston out. While valuing the photograph, appraiser Kathleen Guzman told. All Rights Reserved. The Murder of Sonny Liston is an absorbing, albeit speculative, attempt at addressing the mystery that died with the man. 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. Mike DeJohn was the highest paid boxer at $15,000 while James Dickey received $20,000. He would not close in until the accumulated inside damage and Liston's own frustration had sapped the challenger's strength and will." 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. RARE Sonny Liston Interview before the first Ali fight 1964 in Color 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. RARE Sonny Liston Interview before the first Ali fight 1964 in Color Legends of Boxing in Color 22K views 10 months ago On the Spot show with Max Goldberg featuring the heavyweight champion.
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