He was also seeking to prove himself after his two embarrassing and suspicious losses to Ali. Many in attendance did not see Ali deliver the punch. "The public is not with me. "And I suppose Sonny Liston always stuck with me. Sonny Liston, I think was possibly the greatest intimidator of all time. The Murder of Sonny Liston: A Story of Fame, Heroin, Boxing & Las Vegas. [100] A successful racehorse which won the Irish St Leger classic race in 2021 was named Sonnyboyliston. The interference of ringside reporters regarding interpretation of the rules, the fight stoppage and the controversy after the fight had not been seen since The Long Count Fight between champion Gene Tunney and challenger Jack Dempsey in 1927. The Murder of Sonny Liston: A Story of Fame, Heroin, Boxing & Las Vegas Pan publisher; 2017. Shaun Assael wrote "The Murder of Sonny Liston: Las Vegas, Heroin, and Heavyweights", published in 2016. Top contender Zora Folley was stopped in three rounds. Never before seen Sonny Liston interview. Support this Channel:https://www.patreon.com/join/LegendsofBoxing Merchandise:https://www.redbubble.com/people/LegendsofBoxing/shop I restore \u0026 colorize your projects, PayPal Donations: LegendsofBoxingYT@gmail.comThank you!______________________________________________________________________ Footage Credit:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4oGEeOJ7-Ahttps://archives.denverlibrary.org/repositories/3/resources/9093______________________________________________________________________ Join my Discord Server:https://discord.gg/9QzFSw4TvfAll My YouTube ChannelsMy Main Channel \"Legends of Boxing\": https://www.youtube.com/c/LegendsofBoxingMy Second Boxing Channel \"Legends of Boxing in Color\": https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-QLrFyDnskqz5_z95mcOAMy History Channel \"Time Travel: Colorized Archive\": https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC29VFkNvVVi6_OzwFV2oTqQMy Documentary Channel \"Tales From The Past\":https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZpFIIYrCc1lOHbG-fUo5vwMy German Channel/ Deutscher Kanal: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXBfWoE1KVXEzh9d2NrwBhASocial https://www.instagram.com/legends_of_boxing1/#boxing #LegendsofBoxing #boxingclassics #Legend #boxinghistory #fight #knockout #boxingstories #athletestories #lifestories #pugilism #bareknuckle #fighting #boxinghistory #boxer #boxingclassics #boxinglegends #halloffame #boxinghalloffame #goldenera #boxinggoldenera #boxergram #boxerlife #boxerlifestyle #boxing #boxinghistory #barefist #pugilist #bareknuckle #houseofdevlin #legendaryfighter #classics #Legendary #motivation #boxingmotivation #dempsey #boxers #UnseenHistories #VisualHistory #ColorGraph #Colorized #Colorization #ColorizedPhoto #History #HistoricalPhotos #Deoldify #AIcolorization #colorizao #colourised #historia #colourise #colorization #restauracao #colourisedphoto #colorizedphoto #colouryourpast #colorizedhistory #colorizedhistoricalphotos You could feel the deflation, see the look of hurt in his eyes. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. "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. One memo, dated 24 May 1966, outlined an interview with Houston gambler Barnett Magids, who believed Liston would win. 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 there's a documentary somewhere on YouTube I'd recommend watching it MatterUpbeat8803 19 days ago The fight lasted four seconds longer than the first one. He pulled the same stuff Walcott did against Marciano. QUESTION 1 I wasn't hit. Maybe he was. Muhammad Ali (at the time a rising contender named Cassius Clay), however, predicted a knockout by Liston in the first five rounds. 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. [48] The challenger, his arms held high in surrender, was demanding that the fight be stopped and Dundee, fearing the fight might indeed be halted, gave his charge a one-word order: "Run! He also wrote that Liston's win over Patterson proved that "in a fair fight between good and evil, evil must win." Sonny Liston was one of the hardest hitters the boxing world has ever seen. "Yes, it was good and honest". And the face, it was an unforgettable face. He was scared of the black-power movement. He also took his gun. Hed shown up to the fight in the best shape of his life no hot dogs or beer in his diet this time and promised to take down Ali. 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. The previous month, Schreibauer had won a bronze medal in the European Championships. Sonny Liston is considered by many as the most intimidating boxer of all time with a devastating jab which is widely regarded as one of the best in heavyweight history. Liston had never been knocked out before, and most people didnt even see the punch happen. Boston: Little, Brown. "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 claimed the officer used racial slurs. He was poking the bear a bit there . In his own words in Thomas Hauser's 1991 biography: "The punch jarred him. In the third round, Marshall nailed Listonreportedly while he was laughingand broke his jaw. A stoic Liston finished the fight, but lost in an eight-round split decision. r/boxing does not tolerate racism or intolerance of any kind. 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. His family's home state of Arkansas did not make birth certificates mandatory until 1965. During these same years Sonny Liston was on the comeback trail as well. He was more angry about that shot than he was about the car wreck. "[59], Liston is ranked second in the ESPN.com list of "The Hardest Hitters in Heavyweight History. Liston was allegedly present at dealer Earl Cage's residence during a raid by narcotics detectives. [25][26], In 1960 Liston won five more fights, including a rematch with Williams, who lasted only two rounds. [74], Writer Gilbert Rogin assessed Liston's style and physique after his win over Zora Folley. To this day, I'm convinced that's what the coroner saw in his examthat hospital needle mark. Both fights were in Summerlin's hometown of Detroit.[23]. "[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. Underworld connections and his unrecorded dates of birth and death added to the enigma. However, there were again rumors of alcohol abuse in training. [101], Liston played a fist fighter in the 1965 film Harlow, made a cameo appearance in the 1968 film Head, which starred The Monkees, and played the part of The Farmer in the 1970 film Moonfire, which starred Richard Egan and Charles Napier. In an interview with The Associated Press shortly before his death in May 2009, Liston said he regretted . What are you doing? 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. 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. 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. "Now (after seeing video) I think Clay, seeing the opening, snapped the punch the last six inches. (, Shaun Assael. 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. "I remember him telling me one day that he found himself watching boxing but he didn't like the way it made him feel," Knopfler said. 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. 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. A sudden violent combination delivered with 30 seconds left in the round electrified the crowd. "[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? Welcome to r/boxing, the official home of pro boxing on Reddit! Beat me to it! "You're putting things on and you're taking this out and molding it," Knopfler said. When caught in January 1950, Liston gave his age as 20, while the St. Louis Globe-Democrat reported that he was 22. 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. Once he went down, I got excited. It was 1965, not 1955. The Real Story behind the Ali-Liston Fights. "When he first got to the big city, he was hanging out with a bunch of people who were just looking for trouble.". Dude was only 6'2 and his hands dwarfed Lesnar's. Genuinely kind mobster who had been convicted of armed robbery and assault. [36], Jack Dempsey spoke for many when he was quoted as saying that Sonny Liston should not be allowed to fight for the title. He was 6ft 1in (1.85m), and had an exceptionally powerful physique, with a disproportionately long reach at 84 inches (2.13m). [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. [47] Sitting on his stool between rounds, however, Liston was breathing heavily as his cornermen worked on his cut. He rounded out the year by stopping Nino Valdez and Willi Besmanoff. After repeated overnight detention by the St. Louis police and a thinly veiled threat to his life, Liston left for Philadelphia. "[82] Johnny Tocco, a trainer who worked with George Foreman and Mike Tyson as well as Liston, said Liston was the hardest hitter of the three. Paul R Gallender, 2012. He won by a seventh-round technical knockout, and seemed on the verge of making a comeback to the big time. Sports Illustrated writer Mort Sharnik said his hands "looked like cannonballs when he made them into fists." 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. [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. A lot of his life was mysterious and messy. Sonny Liston had a very sad upbringing & had to learn to survive at a young age. That would prove to be an understatement. There were some, however, who believed the fight was legitimate. #1 December 1963 extended Interview with Champion Sonny Liston - discusses Ali defense, his contenders, even the JFK Assassination 12-02-2022, 12:32 PM Pretty cool interview. [72], "I was an 'intimidator' until I fought Sonny Liston. 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. And the Muslims were coming up. [105], Singer/Songwriter Rod Picott wrote and recorded a song titled "Sonny Liston" for his 2022 album "Paper Hearts and Broken Arrows. Helen had one child before she married Tobe, and Tobe had 13 children with his first wife. Sad how they portrayed sonny in such a negative light he seems like a genuinely kind person. Gary Beckwith said, "It wasn't uncommon for family members in these cases to go through and tidy up to save family embarrassment. For those too young to remember, Sonny "The Big Bear" Liston was a legendary heavyweight boxer. Joe Louis commenting on TV at ringside said "It's looking good for Sonny Liston". [51], Liston failed to answer the bell for the seventh round, and Clay was declared the winner by technical knockout. Sonny Liston was a bad, bad guy who was also a victim, and I dont know that anyone can point to when a victim becomes a perpetrator and how much sympathy he deserves, but I also think any holistic take is fair this far in history. Tocco left the house before the police did. 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 angrily responded by questioning whether Dempsey's failure to serve in World War I qualified him to moralize. In a pre-fight poll, 43 of 46 sportswriters picked Liston to win by knockout. We cooked up that shoulder thing on the spot. Ali brought his big personality to the small town, but Liston was still the favorite. Sports Illustrated predicted a Patterson victory in 15 rounds, stating: "Sonny has neither Floyd's speed nor the versatility of his attack. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. At one point in this attack, Liston was rocked as he was driven to the ropes. 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.. [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. Patterson's fatal mistake was that he "did not punch enough and frequently tried to clinch with Liston. It'll just be for slow guitar, soft trumpet and a bell.". The suspension was honored in all states. Liston's noticeably more muscular left arm, crushing left jab and powerful left hook lent credence to the widely held belief that he was left-handed, although he fought in an orthodox stance. He is a relatively elementary, one-track fighter." Some writers thought Liston brought bad press on himself by a surly and hostile attitude toward journalists. Unfortunately for Martin, however, his career ended after that fight due to a detached retina he suffered during the bout. He sunk to the canvas, and as he was down, Ali stood over him, taunting and demanding his stunned opponent get back up. The victim sought out the executioner." He talked of a fight with Joe Frazier, claiming, "It'd be like shooting fish in a barrel." 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. Tale of the tape: Fight poster for Sonny Liston v Cassius Clay in 1964. . [50] Wepner needed 72 stitches and suffered a broken cheekbone and nose. On May 5, 1956, a policeman confronted Liston and a friend about a cab parked near Liston's home. The date of death listed on his death certificate is December 30, 1970,[90] which police estimated by judging the number of milk bottles and newspapers around the front door of the property. Theories regarding the circumstance of Liston's death. 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. Soon, he was known as Cassius X, eschewing the last name given to his enslaved family by their owners. "He said: 'Look what they did!' By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. "Nat Fleischer [editor of The Ring] was sitting beside McDonough and he was waving his hands, too, saying it was over." "I was rooting around in my childhood, maybe the way you do when you get to a certain age," Knopfler said. Dennis Caputo of the Clark County Sheriff's Department was one of the first officers on the scene. [59], Liston trained hard for the rematch, which was scheduled to take place November 13, 1964, in Boston. They fought for a third time on March 6, 1956, which Liston won by a ten-round unanimous decision. [16] Listonaged around 13, according to his later reckoningsremained in Arkansas with his father. Less than 10 days later, he was Muhammad Ali, a name given him to Elijah Muhammad, the head of the Nation of Islam. "Sonnyboyliston | Race Record & Form | Racing Post", "Moonfire (1972), a film by Michael Parkhurst -Theiapolis", NYSAC World Heavyweight Champion - BoxRec, Lyrics to a song about Liston by Mark Knopfler, FBI Records: The Vault - Charles Sonny Liston, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sonny_Liston&oldid=1137950795, International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees, 20th-century African-American sportspeople, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2016, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2022, Articles with unsourced statements from December 2016, Pages with login required references or sources, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Hackman, Timothy. This is a place for friendly and civil debate about the greatest sport on earth. 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. It burned like hell. 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 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. From the opening bell Liston attempted to close with Clay, looking to land a hard punch to the head to end the fight quickly and decisively. Liston said he quit because of a shoulder injury. I didn't want anything to do with him. One memo, dated 24 May 1966, outlined an interview with Houston gambler Barnett Magids, who believed Liston would win. 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. Time magazine said Liston had worked himself into the best shape of his career. [38], Patterson finally signed to meet Liston for the world title on September 25, 1962, in Comiskey Park in Chicago. Don't confuse shyness with dullness, Sonny was reluctant to talk to the press - the always painted a bad picture of him.Dwight Muhammad Qawi Braxton ATG Philly Joe Frazier Bernard HopkinsTags:pernell whitaker jersey joe walcott louis julio chavez evander holyfield lennox lewis felix sturm oscar de la hoya floyd mayweather miguel cotto marquez manny pacquiao pacman boxing boxer ko knockout tribute robbery mike tyson rocky marciano oscar de la hoya manny pacquiao foreman fight miguel cotto dead death muhammad ali cassius mike tyson clay lennox lewis eric morales barrera floyd mayweather fedor emelianenko ufc boxing ko k.o. [73] The bout was stopped after the ninth round due to cuts over both of Wepner's eyes. The mysterious life of Sonny Liston. We had a return bout clause with Clay, but if you say your guy just quit, who is gonna get a return bout?