sonny liston interview

Sonny Liston - BoxRec It was the first time in his career that Liston had been cut. "Johnny wasn't a braggart," Davi told Liston biographer Paul Gallender. Please read the rules before posting/commenting. 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. "[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? [99] (3) The mob promised Liston some money to throw the second Ali fight, but they never paid him. Ali would lose his title a year later, though it didnt happen in the ring. I forgot about the rules." Very rare interview of Sonny Liston talking about how he got started in boxing, his fights with Williams and Patterson and his training routine. "[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. Sonny Liston fought for only $10,000 during his career. 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. [30], Liston became the No. "[98], Some claim Liston was murdered. December 1963 extended Interview with Champion Sonny Liston - discusses [91] Coroner Mark Herman said traces of heroin byproducts were found in Liston's system, but not in amounts large enough to have caused his death. "You're putting things on and you're taking this out and molding it," Knopfler said. [89], Following an investigation, Las Vegas police concluded there were no signs of foul play and declared Liston's death a heroin overdose. Time magazine said Liston had worked himself into the best shape of his career. . There are no official records of his birth World light-heavyweight champion Jos Torres said, "It was a perfect punch." Sonny Liston in his prime . He was 6ft 1in (1.85m), and had an exceptionally powerful physique, with a disproportionately long reach at 84 inches (2.13m). [107] The story speculates that Liston threw the Ali match for the good of society. [31] While Liston began working into shape with hopes for a heavyweight title shot, he also continued his criminal behavior. Biographer Wilfrid Sheed wrote in his book, Muhammad Ali: A Portrait in Words and Photographs, that Clay's protests were heard by ringside members of the Nation of Islam who initially suspected Dundee had blinded his fighter, and that the trainer deliberately wiped his own eyes with the corner sponge to demonstrate to Clay's approaching bodyguards that he had not intentionally blinded him. That got him killed. Ali is waiting to hit me, the ref can't control him. (2) Professional gambler Lem Banker insists that Liston was murdered by drug dealers with whom he'd become involved. The match had more storylines than a soap opera. Liston angrily responded by questioning whether Dempsey's failure to serve in World War I qualified him to moralize. But he spoke to his friend Resnick on the day of the fight and was told not to bet on the champion. During the fourth round Liston appeared dominant as Clay coasted, keeping his distance. But upon arrival, Liston was met by only a handful of reporters and public-relations staff. He was poking the bear a bit there . One of the victories was over Amos Johnson, Liston's former sparring partner, who had recently defeated British champion Henry Cooper. Maule, Tex (March 9, 1964). 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. The governor of nearby Maine, John Reed, stepped up and volunteered to host it in the small town of Lewiston, where a resort and ice rink could provide some infrastructure. Interviewing and trash-talk have both gone through some tremendous evolutions, havent they? "[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. The organization was seen as an extremist anti-white people hate group and opponents of desegregation and Martin Luther King Jr. Clays propensity for self-promotion and controversy seemed to fit in with the groups inflammatory rhetoric. His death was, too. Shaun Assael wrote "The Murder of Sonny Liston: Las Vegas, Heroin, and Heavyweights", published in 2016. In his next fight, he had a rematch with Summerlin and again won an eight-round decision. ", Hutchison, Phillip J. QUESTION 1 He had the whole package. "A blues song just for fighters: The legend of Sonny Liston. [87], Liston was found dead by his wife, Geraldine, in their Las Vegas home on January 5, 1971. Create Space Independent Publishing Platform. He would later employ McCarter as a sparring partner. At one point in this attack, Liston was rocked as he was driven to the ropes. Liston kept running into trouble with the law and Ali had a target on his back after the assassination of Malcolm X, whom he had disavowed after Elijah Muhammad forced him out of the Nation of Islam. Press J to jump to the feed. During the interim, officials in Boston also got cold feet. The last of Sonny Liston Andscape 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. In the novel, Liston not only drinks but also pops pills and works as a sometime enforcer for a heroin ring in Las Vegas. [45][46] A clearly angered Liston rallied at the end of the round when Clay seemed tired, delivering punishing body shots. ", One of the most vivid verses creates a word-picture of Liston in his prime with photographic clarity: "Black Cadillac, alligator boots, money in the pockets of his sharkskin suits." 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. 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. In an Associated Press poll, 64 of 102 reporters picked Patterson. ", The Liston song appears on an album called "Shangri-La." Caputo, one of the investigating police officers, "The whole department knew about it." I'm Sonny Liston, I'm Jack Dempsey, there's no one like I'm from their . At that point, the fight was scored as even on the official scorecards. On September 7, 1954, Liston suffered defeat for the first time in his eighth professional fight, losing to Marty Marshall, a journeyman with an awkward style. 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 . Traduo Context Corretor Sinnimos Conjugao Conjugao Documents Dicionrio Dicionrio Colaborativo Gramtica Expressio Reverso Corporate For Sonny Liston, a Ballad to a Heavyweight - The New York Times Jim Murray of the Los Angeles Times wrote that it was "no phantom punch." Entire books have been written about the fight, and one, released in 2015, sought to end the suggestion that Liston took another fall. Dr. Alexander Robbins, chief physician for the Miami Beach Boxing Commission, diagnosed Liston with a torn tendon in his left shoulder. Muhammad Ali biographer Jonathan Eig shared a new theory as to why Sonny Liston may have taken a dive in the boxers' second bout. [citation needed], The fight turned out to be a mismatch. 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). [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. I was down but not hurt, but I looked up and saw Ali standing over me. 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. Authorities theorized that he was undressing for bed when he fell over backward with such force that he broke the rail of the bench. and "Nobody will believe this!"[63]. The second round saw Liston continue to pursue Clay. In the first fight, in Miami, a 22-year-old Cassius Clay danced around the ring, taunted Liston, promised reporters hed shock the world, and then delivered on that promise with a blistering late attack that prompted Liston to toss in the towel after the sixth round. During these same years Sonny Liston was on the comeback trail as well. The ending of the fight remains one of the most controversial in boxing history. 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. "[95], Sgt. And it was probably for the best ticket-buyers didnt exactly get their moneys worth. [49], Clay later said that in round five he could only see a faint shadow of Liston during most of the round, but by circling and moving frantically he managed to avoid Liston and somehow survive. The most iconic photo in boxing history documents the knockout that almost nobody saw happen. 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. And the Muslims were coming up. [24], In 1958, Liston returned to boxing. A wax model of Liston appears in the front row of the iconic sleeve cover of the Beatles' Sgt. On May 5, 1956, a policeman confronted Liston and a friend about a cab parked near Liston's home. Theories regarding the circumstance of Liston's death. The Murder of Sonny Liston is an absorbing, albeit speculative, attempt at addressing the mystery that died with the man. 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. "[18], After Liston was released from prison on October 31, 1952, he had a brief amateur career that spanned less than a year. "The public is not with me. Officially, Liston died of lung congestion and heart failure. He also had a reputation for bullying people such as porters and waitresses. 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. Sports Illustrated writer Mort Sharnik said his hands "looked like cannonballs when he made them into fists." [36], Jack Dempsey spoke for many when he was quoted as saying that Sonny Liston should not be allowed to fight for the title. Machen's mobility enabled him to go the distance but he was clearly outpointed despite Liston being penalised for a low blow in the 11th round. Inter-Continental said local veteran Sam Silverman was the promoter. that startles everyone in a 100 foot radius. 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. At the IBHOF, the casts of Listons hands were bigger than Lennox Lewis' which were also gigantic. The NAACP had urged Patterson not to fight Liston, fearing that a Liston victory would hurt the civil rights movement. Sit down!' Liston had thrown a jab with his left arm and, leaning forward, took a right hook from Ali right to the skull. His eyes swept the whole scene. #muhammadali #henrycooper #sonnyliston #dougjones #heavyweight #greatness #boxing #legend #larryholmes #ironmike #sonnyliston #intimidating #bad #big #greatb. 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.. THE PREFIGHT MOODS OF SONNY LISTON. His "Speedway at Nazareth" was about auto racing. [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. 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. "He was afraid of needles," echoed Father Edward Murphy. Stevens organized a sparring session with a professional heavyweight named Thurman Wilson to showcase Liston's potential. [76][77] Foreman stated: "There wasn't anything missing from Sonny Liston. Skeptics called the knockout blow "the phantom punch." [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. The Devil And Sonny Liston. (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. He was more angry about that shot than he was about the car wreck. He had been deliberately snubbed. The second fight? "It was common knowledge that Sonny was a heroin addict," said Sgt. [100] A successful racehorse which won the Irish St Leger classic race in 2021 was named Sonnyboyliston. Liston tried going to school but quickly left after jeers about his illiteracy; the only employment he could obtain was sporadic and exploitative. 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. And, while Patterson was growing as a fighter, Sonny was taking on mostly journeyman and starting to age. interview with Alex Haley in Muhammad Ali by Thomas Hauser. 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. RARE Sonny Liston Interview before the first Ali fight 1964 in Color Liston retired in his corner due to an inflamed shoulder. Both fights were in Summerlin's hometown of Detroit.[23]. At one point, Clay was wiping his eyes with his right hand while extending his left arm"like a drunk leaning on a lamppost" Bert Sugar wroteto keep Liston at bay. Odds makers gave Liston 71 to win. "But can he hit!" Geraldine remembered her husband as "Great with me, great with the kids. Former champions James J. Braddock, Jersey Joe Walcott, Ezzard Charles, Rocky Marciano and Ingemar Johansson all picked Patterson to win. Never before seen Sonny Liston interview. Support this Channel: https://www.patreon.com/join/LegendsofBoxing Merchandise: https://www.redbubble.com/peo. Philadelphia wanted nothing to do with him. Liston went down at 1:44, got up at 1:56, and Walcott stopped the fight at 2:12. 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. "[59], Liston is ranked second in the ESPN.com list of "The Hardest Hitters in Heavyweight History. . Liston knocked out Hermann Schreibauer of West Germany at 2:16 of the first round. Thom Jones titled his 2000 collection of short stories Sonny Liston Was a Friend of Mine. Soon, he was known as Cassius X, eschewing the last name given to his enslaved family by their owners. The story goes that Liston was born somewhere . C'mon now, this is for the title, this is the big apple. After the second loss to Ali, Liston stayed out of the ring for more than a year. He is a relatively elementary, one-track fighter." "But they'll have to swing along until somebody comes to beat me. It was 1965, not 1955. [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. Any objective observer would have had to concede that Ali's counterpunch had landed, and landed with enough force to turn Liston's head, Rob Sneddon wrote in The Phantom Punch: The Story Behind Boxing's Most Controversial Bout. The opening round was fought an extra eight seconds, since both fighters and referee Barney Felix apparently did not hear the bell. 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. 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. 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. The torn tendon had bled down into the mass of the biceps, swelling and numbing the arm. [33], Civic leaders were also reluctant, worrying that Liston's unsavory character would set a bad example for youth. With the proceeds, he traveled to St. Louis to live with his mother. ", This page was last edited on 7 February 2023, at 06:36. The bout would need to be delayed by six months. Who needed that? Roy Harris, who had gone 13 rounds with Floyd Patterson in a title match, was crushed in one round by Liston. In his own words in Thomas Hauser's 1991 biography: "The punch jarred him. It was the third-fastest knockout in a world heavyweight title fight, and the first time the defending champion had been knocked out in round one. The mysterious life of Sonny Liston. [8][9], There is no official record of Liston's birth. I was about to say look at those mitts! The fight ranks as one of the shortest heavyweight title bouts in history. Interview with Floyd Patterson - Washington University in St. Louis Sports Illustrated predicted a Patterson victory in 15 rounds, stating: "Sonny has neither Floyd's speed nor the versatility of his attack. Frank Mir was around that height and was noticeably taller than Carwin. [22], Early in his career, Liston faced capable opponents. Liston was particularly known for his immense strength, formidable jab, long reach, toughness, and his infamously intimidating appearance. What are you doing? 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. Muhammad Ali talking about Henry Cooper, Sonny Liston, and - YouTube Watch the interview you be the judge. Ali did neither. "[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. [84], Liston married Geraldine Chambers in St. Louis, Missouri, on September 3, 1957. [17] The athletic director at Missouri State Penitentiary, Rev. "[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. But former Las Vegas police Sgt. 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. Rocky Marciano, the former heavyweight champion, said that he appreciated the punchs strength upon re-examination. According to a report in the Miami Herald a few weeks before the 1964 fight, Clay was consorting with members of the Nation of Islam, who Clays father claimed had brainwashed his son. 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 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. . These transcripts contain material that did not appear in the final program. I want to prove to the world there's dirty work afoot.' All Rights Reserved. McDonough, however, claimed Walcott was looking at the crowd and never at him. There are echoes of slavery in his upbringing." The toxicology report said his body was too decomposed for the tests to be conclusive. "Some songs just seem to reverberate with people.". However, there were again rumors of alcohol abuse in training. Was Pariah boxing legend Sonny Listons OD really a mob murder? 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. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Washington University Libraries, Film and Media Archive, Henry Hampton Collection. At one point, Liston had Clay against the ropes and landed a hard left hook. [12], Liston never complained about prison, saying he was guaranteed three meals every day. The suspension was honored in all states. Before he left for his bout with Clay, Sonny's training in Denver took him to some strange places. . 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.". 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. [93] Liston had been hospitalized in early December, complaining of chest pains. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. Tradues em contexto de "with Sonny" en ingls-portugus da Reverso Context : I think you should stay here with Sonny. This interview is missing a "BOOOOOOOMZQUAD!!" [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]. Tale of the tape: Fight poster for Sonny Liston v Cassius Clay in 1964. . The Murder of Sonny Liston is an absorbing, albeit speculative, attempt at addressing the mystery that died with the man. "[78] While much has been written about the effectiveness of his left jab, others have commented favorably on Liston's wide range of boxing skills. A few months after Alis fight, Liston was dead from lung congestion though even that was shrouded in mystery and controversy. Stuttgarter Amtsblatt No. Liston decked Martin with a left hook in the fourth round and dominated most of the fight, but Martin came back and knocked Liston out cold in the ninth round. 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. [52][53] It was the first time since 1919when Jack Dempsey defeated Jess Willardthat a world heavyweight champion had quit on his stool. To the rest of the world, it would be known as "The Phantom Punch." That shot, which Ali dropped Sonny Liston with on May 25, 1965, was far from a phantom. It was probably Liston's best moment in the entire fight. Muhammad Ali called it his "anchor punch," a quick right hand that the young heavyweight champion claimed he had learned from his friend, actor Stepin Fetchit. 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. With Clay quickly ducking his head left, right or away, Liston's leading left jabs largely failed to land. 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. I never saw. Top contender Zora Folley was stopped in three rounds. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. The photo depicted Ali standing over his opponent, Sonny Liston, after delivering a final blow that knocked Liston to the ground. Clay brought Malcolm X along with him to Miami, and amid the controversy, the fight was almost canceled. Audiences at home were confused and outraged. I know!" [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. [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.