He found a quarter-ounce of heroin in a balloon in the kitchen, and a half-ounce of marijuana in Liston's pants pocket, but no syringes or needles. He had a whiplash, so they took him to the hospital," said boxing trainer Johnny Tocco. The opening round was fought an extra eight seconds, since both fighters and referee Barney Felix apparently did not hear the bell. Gallender claimed, "A lot of officers knew Sonny was dead before Geraldine returned home on January 5, but they chose to let him rot. At one point, Liston had Clay against the ropes and landed a hard left hook. John F. Kennedy also did not want Patterson to fight Liston. Sonny Liston, once the heavyweight champ, died at the age of who-knows-what some days before Dec. 30, 1970. He was not the tear-shedding type.. And the Muslims were coming up. "[18] The only backers willing to put up the necessary money for him to turn professional were close to underworld figures, and Liston supplemented his income by working for racketeers as an intimidator-enforcer. Charles L. "Sonny" Liston ( 8. toukokuuta 1932 Arkansas (syntymaika ja tarkka paikka kiistanalaisia) - 30. joulukuuta 1970 Las Vegas, Nevada) oli yhdysvaltalainen raskaansarjan nyrkkeilij ja painoluokkansa maailmanmestari. Rogin called Liston's physique "awesomearms like fence posts, thighs like silos." "He said, 'Cut the gloves off. Tobe and Helen had 12 children together; Sonny was the second youngest child. 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. Liston wins, 10 times out of 10. [51], Liston failed to answer the bell for the seventh round, and Clay was declared the winner by technical knockout. After the second loss to Ali, Liston stayed out of the ring for more than a year. Liston's last fight was a 10-round beating he delivered to Chuck Wepner in June 1970. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. [73] The bout was stopped after the ninth round due to cuts over both of Wepner's eyes. Numerous fans booed and started yelling, "Fix!" The victim sought out the executioner." The bout would need to be delayed by six months. After Liston arose, Walcott wiped off his gloves. ", Ali clearly did not think he knocked Liston out. said Liston's Philadelphia dentist, Dr. Nick Ragni. Mark Knopfler's tribute to Liston, "Song for Sonny Liston", appeared on his 2004 album Shangri-La. [55], There is ample evidence that Liston did carry an injury to his left shoulder into the fight. In the third round, Marshall nailed Listonreportedly while he was laughingand broke his jaw. Officially, Liston died of lung congestion and heart failure. 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). I want to prove to the world there's dirty work afoot.' But some Vegas "bookies, mobsters, and cops" still wonder if he wasn't . and "Nobody will believe this!"[63]. Clearly, it was time to turn pro. "Get up and fight, sucker," is the famous quote. Byrne sought an injunction blocking the fight in Boston because Inter-Continental Promotions was promoting the fight without a Massachusetts license. In the 2001 film Ali, Liston was portrayed by former WBO Heavyweight Champion Michael Bentt. Ali initially stood over his fallen opponent, gesturing and yelling at him, "Get up and fight, sucker!" In The Devil and Sonny Liston by Nick Tosches, published in 2000, when many of Liston's former acquaintances were still alive, Tosches posits that Liston's idol Joe Louis introduced him to heroin, and that he ultimately overdosed. He had the whole package. Sonny was one of 25 children of a sharecropper in Arkansas. Sports Illustrated writer Mort Sharnik said his hands "looked like cannonballs when he made them into fists." Because of that, Cage may have thought Sonny was an informant and shot him with a hot dose as retribution. Young Muhammad Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, knocked out opponent Sonny Liston for his first world title in boxing on this day in history, Feb. 25, 1964. All of us encounter trouble from time to time in our lives. The fight ranks as one of the shortest heavyweight title bouts in history. I forgot about the rules." [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. He is a relatively elementary, one-track fighter.". After some run-ins with the law near St Louis, Liston moved to Philly and picked up a new manager in 1958: another mafia guy named Joseph "Pep" Barone, who was a front man for mobsters Frankie Carbo and Frank "Blinky" Palermo. Sonny Liston: The 'Worst Mess In History Of Sports'. He was also seeking to prove himself after his two embarrassing and suspicious losses to Ali. In fact, Sonny Liston had not been right for a long time, and not only for the strangely dual life he had been leadingspells of choirboy abstinence squeezed between binges of drinking and. He was paroled after serving six months of a nine-month sentence, and was not prohibited from boxing during 1957. Stevens organized a sparring session with a professional heavyweight named Thurman Wilson to showcase Liston's potential. "Yes, it was good and honest". [52][53] It was the first time since 1919when Jack Dempsey defeated Jess Willardthat a world heavyweight champion had quit on his stool. 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. Charles L. "Sonny" Liston (c.1930 December 30, 1970) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1953 to 1970. Once he went down, I got excited. The ending of the fight remains one of the most controversial in boxing history. As the famous photo portrays, Ali taunted the fallen Liston, calling on him to get up. Sonny Liston ( The Big Bear) was an American professional boxer. 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." [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. Charles L. "Sonny" Liston was born in St. Francis County, Arkansas, to Tobe Liston and Helen Baskin. [76][77] Foreman stated: "There wasn't anything missing from Sonny Liston. [87], Liston was found dead by his wife, Geraldine, in their Las Vegas home on January 5, 1971. But others contend he just was not the same Liston. "[57] Those findings were confirmed in a formal investigation immediately after the fight by Florida State Attorney Richard Gerstein, who also noted that there was little doubt that Liston went into the fight with a sore or lame shoulder. Three days before the fight, Ali needed emergency surgery for a strangulated hernia. 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". Liston. January 5, 2017. The coroner said that there was not a lethal amount of heroin discovered in Listons system during the autopsy, but authorities still attributed his death to an accidental drug overdose even though police on the scene 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, or maybe a needle that he was fucking terrified of. [60] The extent to which Liston's heavy drinking and possible drug use may have contributed to his surprisingly poor performances against Ali is not known.[15]. His death was, too. Others have said he may have been murdered in some sort of mob killing. He's like Foreman except stronger, more powerful, and slightly smaller. He also wrote that Liston's win over Patterson proved that "in a fair fight between good and evil, evil must win." 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. [67] Some felt the knockdown was real but the knockout was fake. Muhammad Ali Signed 16x20 Sonny Liston Photo Framed MINT Autograph Steiner COA. But as it approached, there were fears that the promoters were tied to organized crime and Massachusetts officials, most notably Suffolk County District Attorney Garrett H. Byrne, began to have second thoughts. [27][28], Liston's streak of nine straight knockout victories ended when he won a unanimous twelve-round decision against Eddie Machen on September 7, 1960. His baleful, obsidian stare intimidates fighters, sportswriters and. Liston went from being a big-shouldered street thief with no education to heavyweight champ of the world and household name. 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. 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. But upon arrival, Liston was met by only a handful of reporters and public-relations staff. "A blues song just for fighters: The legend of Sonny Liston. Liston knocked out Hermann Schreibauer of West Germany at 2:16 of the first round. This Day in History: Young Muhammad Ali Knocks out Sonny Liston for First World Title. Tosches' intended title was "Night Train" after one of Liston's favorite songs. At that point, the fight was scored as even on the official scorecards. Childhood & Early Life. 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. Patterson wanted a chance to redeem himself, so they met again on July 22, 1963, in Las Vegas. Eddie's brother, Joe, is Sonny's cut man and his trainers, Willie Reddish and Johnny Tocco, round out his entourage. 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. Philadelphia wanted nothing to do with him. Stuttgarter Amtsblatt No. That got him killed. Elizabeth Bear wrote the short story "Sonny Liston Takes the Fall", published in The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy in 2008. He was born in Sand Slough, Arkansas, U.S. on May 8, 1932. After demolishing these top-ranked fighters in the heavyweight division, Liston was regarded as the top-contender champion-in-waiting. Liston said he quit because of a shoulder injury. 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. 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. [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. [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. Patterson was knocked down three times and counted out at 2:10 of the first round. Liston would keep Frazier out of range with that monster of a jab which was better than Foreman's! 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. "He said: 'Look what they did!' Although Clay often carried his gloves down at his waist, seemingly open to attack, he proved very difficult to hit. The Devil and Sonny Liston. 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. dan.liston@colorado.edu. [100] A successful racehorse which won the Irish St Leger classic race in 2021 was named Sonnyboyliston. 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. Sonny Liston. His fists measured 15 inches around, which was the largest of any heavyweight champion. His defense was described as "the gate-crossing of arms la Archie Moore. He was hardly leading a life of health and fitness. Muhammad Ali vs Sonny Liston, 1965 Source: AFP. What the . Tosches, Nick (2000). Liston, one of 25 children by his father, is reputed to have been born in May 1932, yet prison records show various birth dates, among them 1928. [citation needed], The fight turned out to be a mismatch. [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. [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. (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. Muhammad Ali-Sonny Liston rivalry Before Cassius Clay took on the name Muhammad Ali, he was a young and brash fighter who worked his way up the ranks. SONNY LISTON FOUND DEAD IN 1971 Few tears are being shed for Charles (Sonny) Liston, heavyweight champion of the world, Sept. 25, 1962 to Feb. 25, 1964. It's a terrible matchup. 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. His fists measured 15 inches (38cm) around, the largest of any heavyweight champion. When Liston died, with heroin found in his system, there was speculation that he'd committed suicide while some thought he'd been murdered. ", 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 also cited medical evidence: "A team of eight doctors inspected Liston's arm at St. Francis Hospital in Miami Beach and agreed that it was too badly damaged for Liston to continue fighting. [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. World light-heavyweight champion Jos Torres said, "It was a perfect punch." He rounded out the year by stopping Nino Valdez and Willi Besmanoff. Clay countered in verse, "If you want to lose your money, then bet on Sonny! Liston was supremely confident of easily beating Clay, trained minimally for the fight and went ahead with it despite an injury to his left shoulder.[44]. 249 UCB. [8][9], There is no official record of Liston's birth. His defense was described as Floyd Patterson was Ben Mintz's "Minty Lock Of The Week" and Megan Makin' Moneyloved Patterson in a decision. Tocco left the house before the police did. "[35], U.S. President John F. Kennedy also did not want Patterson to fight Liston. What are you doing? Banker said he was told by police that Liston had been seen at a house that would be the target of a drug raid. [74], Writer Gilbert Rogin assessed Liston's style and physique after his win over Zora Folley. [72], "I was an 'intimidator' until I fought Sonny Liston. This victory is regarded by some as Liston's most impressive performance. Liston returned to the United States and won seven fights, all by knockout, in 1968, increasing his string to eleven. (12) 7.3 1 h 29 min 2019 18+. JustinvR Brown Belt. It was probably Liston's best moment in the entire fight. [14], Tobe Liston inflicted whippings so severe on Sonny that the scars were still visible decades later. Many did not see the punch land, and some who did questioned that it was powerful enough to knock Liston out. Overcoming the seemingly insurmountable odds that life threw his way, Liston became the heavyweight champion of the world when he knocked out Floyd Patterson in 1962. Sit down!' He also took his gun. In these feckless clinches he only managed to tie up one of Liston's arms. Also, scar tissue, possibly from needle marks, was found in the bend of Liston's left elbow. It was the first time in his career that Liston had been cut. 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. 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. Larry Merchant, then a writer with the Philadelphia Daily News, wrote: "A celebration for Philadelphia's first heavyweight champ is now in order. We cooked up that shoulder thing on the spot. Ali's impressive start to his career earned him a shot at Sonny Liston for the Won WBA, WBC, The Ring, and lineal heavyweight titles in his 20th career fight in February 1964. And that guy did come along and beat him Twice And it was Muhammad Ali. Liston biographer Paul Gallender claims that Liston fathered several children, though none with his wife. (35.6 x 21.6 cm) Description In his next fight, he had a rematch with Summerlin and again won an eight-round decision. He died on December 30, 1970 at the age of 38 years. [32] Ironically, Patterson's manager, Cus D'Amato, associated with racketeers and had his manager's license revoked by the New York State Athletic Commission for alleged misconduct in connection with the Floyd PattersonIngemar Johansson title fight in June 1959. The inaugural WBC world heavyweight champion cemented himself in. Fifty years ago this week, Liston was discovered dead by his wife, Geraldine, on a bed in his Las Vegas home. On May 7, backers of the rematch ended the court battle by pulling the fight out of Boston. Liston won his final fight, a tough but one-sided match against future world title challenger Chuck Wepner in June 1970. In five months, Sonny Liston had gone from unknown ex-con to amateur champion. [12], Liston never complained about prison, saying he was guaranteed three meals every day. Caputo, one of the investigating police officers, "The whole department knew about it." Geraldine remembered her husband as "Great with me, great with the kids. 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. The NAACP had urged Patterson not to fight Liston, fearing that a Liston victory would hurt the civil rights movement. I know!" Patterson, a 4-1 betting underdog, was knocked down three times and counted out at 2:10 of the first round. He talked of a fight with Joe Frazier, claiming, "It'd be like shooting fish in a barrel." -- CHARLES (SONNY) LISTON It was already dark when she stepped from the car in front of her house on Ottawa Drive, but she could see her pink Cadillac convertible and Sonny's new black. Boxing Record (. Furthermore, that count cannot be started until the fighter scoring the knockdown goes to and remains in a neutral corner. 780 46K views 8 years ago Heavyweight Champion Sonny Liston's son visits his gravesite. This was Liston's second arrest by Fairmount Park police. 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. To this day, I'm convinced that's what the coroner saw in his examthat hospital needle mark. And yet, outside of boxing, L The suspension was honored in all states. "He had a deadly fear of needles," said Davey Pearl, a boxing referee and friend of Liston's. Paul R Gallender, 2012. The commotion was not lost on referee Barney Felix, who was walking toward Clay's corner. [61] The new date was set for May 25, 1965. Join Facebook to connect with Daniel 'Sonny' Liston and others you may know. He walks to the ring with his gloves on the shoulders of his manager, Eddie Polino. Fans rejected Liston after he won the heavyweight title over Floyd Patterson in 1962. Liston's wife also recalled that her husband would refuse basic medical care for common colds because of his dislike of needles. ", Hutchison, Phillip J. Gary Beckwith said, "It wasn't uncommon for family members in these cases to go through and tidy up to save family embarrassment. Official date of death put as December 30. Patterson finally agreed to meet Liston for the world title on September 25, 1962, in Comiskey Park in Chicago And everyone had Patterson. Sports Illustrated once wrote his hands"looked like cannonballs when he made them into fists. He would later employ McCarter as a sparring partner. The Murder of Sonny Liston: A Story of Fame, Heroin, Boxing & Las Vegas. [94], On January 1, Liston's wife, Geraldine, called Johnny Tocco and said she had not heard from her husband in three days and was worried. Wepner, who also fought George Foreman and Muhammad Ali, said after his career was over that Liston was the hardest puncher he faced. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band He is seen in the far left of the first row, wearing a white and gold robe. Daniel 'Sonny' Liston is on Facebook. With Clay quickly ducking his head left, right or away, Liston's leading left jabs largely failed to land. When caught in January 1950, Liston gave his age as 20, while the St. Louis Globe-Democrat reported that he was 22. 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. This is just a glimpse into what was. In February 1964, Ali - known then as Cassius Clay - shocked the sporting world by beating Liston for the world heavyweight title. [8], Liston turned to crime and led a gang of thugs who committed muggings and armed robberies. Mother Bridget Sheehan. When he moved to town here he Felix later said Clay was seconds from being disqualified. He is seen in the far left part of the row, wearing a white and gold robe, standing beside the original-look Beatle wax figures. $2,499.99. He also had a reputation for bullying people such as porters and waitresses. So I went down. 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. 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 On April 21, 1955, he defeated Marshall in a rematch, dropping him four times en route to a sixth-round knockout. Ali called it "the anchor punch." Sonny Liston's story began with a lonely bus ride in 1944. The fight quickly descended into chaos. In this excerpt from his new book, The Murder of Sonny Liston, ESPN senior writer Shaun Assael recounts the final hectic days of Liston's life, and the controversial police investigation into his death . 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