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.. [62] The promoters needed a new location quickly, whatever the size, to rescue their closed-circuit television commitment around the country. ", Knopfler compared writing a song about Liston to the work a sculptor performs on a statue. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. During the interim, officials in Boston also got cold feet. "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. Clay confessed later he had been hurt by the punch, but Liston was unable to press his advantage home. [61] The new date was set for May 25, 1965. For those too young to remember, Sonny "The Big Bear" Liston was a legendary heavyweight boxer. Name: Sonny Liston Birth Name: Charles L. Liston Hometown: Saint Louis, Missouri, USA Birthplace: Johnson Township, Arkansas, USA Died: 1970-12-30 (Age:40) Stance: Orthodox Height: 185cm Reach: 213cm Referee: Record Pro Boxer: Record Amateur Boxer: Record Managers: Jack Nilon, Joe (Pep) Barone, Eddie Polino, George Katz, Frank Mitchell, Dick Sadler The suspension was honored in all states. 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. [11][12][10][13][14] One writer concluded that Liston's most plausible date of birth was July 22, 1930, citing census records and statements from his mother during her lifetime. Known for his powerful punch, the majority of his victories were knockouts. Sonny Liston: The mysterious death that haunts boxing Patterson's fatal mistake was that he "did not punch enough and frequently tried to clinch with Liston. The match had more storylines than a soap opera. Watch the interview you be the judge.. Wepner needed 72 stitches and suffered a broken cheekbone and nose. Liston had thrown a jab with his left arm and, leaning forward, took a right hook from Ali right to the skull. A sudden violent combination delivered with 30 seconds left in the round electrified the crowd. Also, McDonough did not bang on the canvas or motion a number count with his fingers. "[18], After Liston was released from prison on October 31, 1952, he had a brief amateur career that spanned less than a year. A grateful Liston found there was no need to give chase. It was more likely that Liston was out of shape according to a story in Esquire at the time, Liston trained as normal, running around five miles a day, eating hot dogs and drinking beer. He was also possibly much older than his listed 32 years than anything else Liston was the second-youngest of 25 children to parents who didnt exactly keep records of birthdates. [17] The athletic director at Missouri State Penitentiary, Rev. Liston was the subject of a 2008 feature film based upon his life titled Phantom Punch. Once he went down, I got excited. Interview with Floyd Patterson - Washington University in St. Louis Time magazine said Liston had worked himself into the best shape of his career. One Journalist's Attempt To Solve 'The Murder Of Sonny Liston' - WBUR 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 Create Space Independent Publishing Platform. Liston did eventually rise from the mat, but soon after, the referee broke up the two boxers once again the former champion had been down for more than 10 seconds, ending the fight. 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. . "[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. Remembering One Of Boxing's Storied Bouts Robert Siegel and Melissa Block recall the fight between Cassius Clay and and Sonny Liston, the fight at the heart of the off-Broadway play Fetch Clay, . Two of the best-known are "The Boxer" by Simon and Garfunkel and "Hurricane" by Bob Dylan. 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. And, while Patterson was growing as a fighter, Sonny was taking on mostly journeyman and starting to age. As the years passed and Liston's financial situation worsened, he got angry and told the mob he would go public with the story unless they gave him the money. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Liston biographer Paul Gallender claims that Liston fathered several children, though none with his wife. Some found it suspicious that authorities could not locate any drug paraphernalia that Liston presumably would have needed to inject the fatal dose, such as a spoon to cook the heroin or a tourniquet to wrap around his arm. Wepner, who also fought George Foreman and Muhammad Ali, said after his career was over that Liston was the hardest puncher he faced. He was still a world-ranked boxer when he died in mysterious circumstances in 1970. Roy Harris, who had gone 13 rounds with Floyd Patterson in a title match, was crushed in one round by Liston. The mysterious life of Sonny Liston. Geraldine remembered her husband as "Great with me, great with the kids. The Murder of Sonny Liston is an absorbing, albeit speculative, attempt at addressing the mystery that died with the man. [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. Who are the four people who knocked out Sonny Liston? He was paroled after serving six months of a nine-month sentence, and was not prohibited from boxing during 1957. Liston's criminal record, compounded by a personal association with a notorious labor racketeer, led to the police's stopping him on sight, and he began to avoid main streets. Liston was depicted as a bad guy by the media, a handbreaker for the mafia. Sonny Liston Once Shot a Gun at Muhammad Ali - Sportscasting that startles everyone in a 100 foot radius. "I was rooting around in my childhood, maybe the way you do when you get to a certain age," Knopfler said. On May 5, 1956, a policeman confronted Liston and a friend about a cab parked near Liston's home. "Yes, it was good and honest". Elizabeth Bear wrote the short story "Sonny Liston Takes the Fall", published in The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy in 2008. 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. Banker said he was told by police that Liston had been seen at a house that would be the target of a drug raid. On This Day: Muhammad Ali knocks out Sonny Liston with - The Ring Im free to be who I want.. "[35], U.S. President John F. Kennedy also did not want Patterson to fight Liston. [74], Writer Gilbert Rogin assessed Liston's style and physique after his win over Zora Folley. He rolled over, got to his right knee and then fell on his back again. Gary Beckwith said, "It wasn't uncommon for family members in these cases to go through and tidy up to save family embarrassment. The Murder of Sonny Liston: A Story of Fame, Heroin, Boxing & Las Vegas Pan publisher; 2017. After he won the title, Liston relocated to Denver permanently, saying, "I'd rather be a lamppost in Denver than the mayor of Philadelphia. I never saw. Muhammad Ali: FBI probed 1964 Sonny Liston fight for match-fixing He sunk to the canvas, and as he was down, Ali stood over him, taunting and demanding his stunned opponent get back up. One mile up on a mountain 13 miles west of Denver is the Shrine of Mother Cabrini. 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. "Better get me out of this ring," exclaimed Wilson, "he is going to kill me! ", During an era when white journalists still described black athletes in stereotypes, Liston had long been a target of racially charged slurs; he was called a "gorilla" and "a jungle beast" in print. He was hardly leading a life of health and fitness. [20], Liston signed a contract in September 1953, proclaiming: "Whatever you tell me to do, I'll do. Reminds me of former UFC fighter Shane Carwin. "The only thing my old man ever gave me was a beating," Liston said. 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. This is a place for friendly and civil debate about the greatest sport on earth. Charles L. "Sonny" Liston (c.1930 December 30, 1970) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1953 to 1970. 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." He had been deliberately snubbed. "He was afraid of needles," echoed Father Edward Murphy. 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. Standing 185 centimeters (6'1) tall and packing over 90 kilograms (200 lb) of pure muscle, there's a reason he was nicknamed "The Big Bear," and it wasn't for the hugs he gave.. His career in heavyweight boxing spanned from 1953 to 1970, and he spent all 17 of those years going guts for glory against the . The toxicology report said his body was too decomposed for the tests to be conclusive. Suffolk County, where Boston is located, ultimately pulled the plug, leaving them without a venue with less than a month to go. He was also seeking to prove himself after his two embarrassing and suspicious losses to Ali. Soon, he was known as Cassius X, eschewing the last name given to his enslaved family by their owners. Liston has been referenced in many songs by artists such as Curtis Eller, Sun Kil Moon, the Animals, Tom Petty, Mark Knopfler, Phil Ochs, Morrissey, Freddy Blohm, Chuck E. Weiss, This Bike is a Pipe Bomb, the Roots, Wu-Tang Clan, Gone Jackals, Billy Joel, the Mountain Goats, Lil Wayne, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and the Killers. Officially, Liston died of lung congestion and heart failure. "He would do everything to avoid taking shots." 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. Shaun Assael wrote "The Murder of Sonny Liston: Las Vegas, Heroin, and Heavyweights", published in 2016. 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. Ali is waiting to hit me, the ref can't control him. The fight lasted less than one full round, with Ali knocking out Liston at the 1:44 mark. And it was probably for the best ticket-buyers didnt exactly get their moneys worth. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. "[98], Some claim Liston was murdered. 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." "Some songs just seem to reverberate with people.". 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 . On May 7, backers of the rematch ended the court battle by pulling the fight out of Boston. He offered no comment on the matter, but his victory would soon turn it into an international story. Rode with the muggers in the dark and dread and all them sluggers went down like lead. 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. It burned like hell. He claimed the officer used racial slurs. That saw him drive a big red bus to Liston's home that read, "Sonny Liston is a great but will fall in eight" along with the words "World's most colorful fighter Cassius Clay.". He also had a reputation for bullying people such as porters and waitresses. [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. Liston was particularly known for his immense strength, formidable jab, long reach, toughness, and his infamously intimidating appearance. Mike DeJohn was the highest paid boxer at $15,000 while James Dickey received $20,000. 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. Sonny Liston in Denver, Colorado. [84], Liston married Geraldine Chambers in St. Louis, Missouri, on September 3, 1957. After repeated overnight detention by the St. Louis police and a thinly veiled threat to his life, Liston left for Philadelphia. A lot of his life was mysterious and messy. He would later employ McCarter as a sparring partner. He also wrote that Liston's win over Patterson proved that "in a fair fight between good and evil, evil must win." 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. [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. Rogin called Liston's physique "awesomearms like fence posts, thighs like silos." According to a New York Times report the day after the fight, Clay was indeed an official member of the Nation of Islam. [8] Convicted and sentenced to five years in the Missouri State Penitentiary, Liston started his prison time on June 1, 1950. "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. . 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. Remembering One Of Boxing's Storied Bouts : NPR I remember thinking as a child that this was a man who wanted to be left alone.". The bout would need to be delayed by six months. with Sonny - Traduo em portugus - Reverso Context "[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. But audiences attending Knopfler's concerts around North America this summer are hearing and responding favorably to a song of a different genre, a bluesy narrative ballad called "Song for Sonny Liston," about the troubled fighter who preceded Muhammad Ali as heavyweight champion in the early 1960's. The mysterious life of Sonny Liston : r/Boxing - Reddit At one point, Liston had Clay against the ropes and landed a hard left hook. [72], "I was an 'intimidator' until I fought Sonny Liston. . We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. "He was scared of the police. Numerous fans booed and started yelling, "Fix!" 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. Very rare interview of Sonny Liston talking about how he got started in boxing, his fights with Williams and Patterson and his training routine. Sonny Liston in his prime . Genuinely kind mobster who had been convicted of armed robbery and assault. You could feel the deflation, see the look of hurt in his eyes. Rogin wrote. 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. 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. For Sonny Liston, a Ballad to a Heavyweight - The New York Times Dr. Alexander Robbins, chief physician for the Miami Beach Boxing Commission, diagnosed Liston with a torn tendon in his left shoulder. It is hardly the first recording by a rock musician about boxing. "He said: 'Look what they did!' 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. Tradues em contexto de "with Sonny" en ingls-portugus da Reverso Context : I think you should stay here with Sonny. The photo depicted Ali standing over his opponent, Sonny Liston, after delivering a final blow that knocked Liston to the ground. And the Muslims were coming up. [8][9], There is no official record of Liston's birth. He used the platform to expound on the political theory that was so reviled in white America, defending Malcolm X and condemning racial oppression this was still months before President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Unlike Dylan or Carter, however, Knopfler does not present Liston as innocent of a crime for which he was imprisoned. This interview is missing a "BOOOOOOOMZQUAD!!" As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 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. The fight ranks as one of the shortest heavyweight title bouts in history. His fists measured 15 inches (38cm) around, the largest of any heavyweight champion. Liston appears as a character in James Ellroy's novel The Cold Six Thousand. [99] (3) The mob promised Liston some money to throw the second Ali fight, but they never paid him. [59], Liston trained hard for the rematch, which was scheduled to take place November 13, 1964, in Boston. [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. Liston returned to the United States and won seven fights, all by knockout, in 1968, increasing his string to eleven. Liston won 14 consecutive bouts, 13 by knockout, before fighting third-ranked Leotis Martin, previously beaten by Clark, in December 1969. For confetti we can use torn-up arrest warrants." Traduo Context Corretor Sinnimos Conjugao Conjugao Documents Dicionrio Dicionrio Colaborativo Gramtica Expressio Reverso Corporate Charles "Sonny" Liston was born c.1930 into a sharecropping family that farmed the poor land of Morledge Plantation near Johnson Township, St.Francis County, Arkansas. After Liston arose, Walcott wiped off his gloves. Anyone can read what you share. Ali brought his big personality to the small town, but Liston was still the favorite. The NAACP had urged Patterson not to fight Liston, fearing that a Liston victory would hurt the civil rights movement. [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. "And I suppose Sonny Liston always stuck with me. Rare interview of Sonny Liston colorized. I know it", Liston said afterward. [108] The book suggests that Sonny Liston may have been murdered and a possibility that the crime was never investigated. He then left the fighters to go over to McDonough. [34] Many African-Americans disdained Liston. That got him killed. Caputo, one of the investigating police officers, "The whole department knew about it." The opening round was fought an extra eight seconds, since both fighters and referee Barney Felix apparently did not hear the bell. [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. While valuing the photograph, appraiser Kathleen Guzman told. 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. There was something caustic in both eyes." 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. Two of the three official scorers, or judges, awarded the round to Liston, and the other scored the round even. In the months ahead of the fight, Muhammad Ali went all sorts of routes to get into Sonny Liston's head. ", Ali clearly did not think he knocked Liston out. That would prove to be an understatement. In these feckless clinches he only managed to tie up one of Liston's arms. 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. 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. I'm Sonny Liston, I'm Jack Dempsey, there's no one like I'm from their . I didn't think it was a powerful punch when I saw the fight from ringside," he said. Sonny was definitely a specimen. Thom Jones titled his 2000 collection of short stories Sonny Liston Was a Friend of Mine. "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. During these same years Sonny Liston was on the comeback trail as well. Sonny Liston, I think was possibly the greatest intimidator of all time. [105], Singer/Songwriter Rod Picott wrote and recorded a song titled "Sonny Liston" for his 2022 album "Paper Hearts and Broken Arrows. Suddenly, the world had to come to grips with a new kind of heavyweight champion.