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. During the fourth round Liston appeared dominant as Clay coasted, keeping his distance. 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. 1 contender by 1960, but the handlers of the heavyweight champ at the time, Floyd Patterson, refused to give him a shot at the title because of Liston's links to the mob. On top of the mob stigma, people were flat-out terrified of Sonny Fight City named Sonny Liston as the most intimidating fighter of all time" beating out names of other legendary animals like Tyson, Foreman, and Hagler. It was 55 years ago that the world's attention focused on Lewiston, Maine, for a world heavyweight boxing title fight. The second round saw Liston continue to pursue Clay. Now you know who he is Heres how he died. Which means he owned one of the biggest reach in boxing, while "only" being 6'1 tall (which is about 73 inches). Fans rejected Liston after he won the heavyweight title over Floyd Patterson in 1962. [14], Tobe Liston inflicted whippings so severe on Sonny that the scars were still visible decades later. "[59], Liston is ranked second in the ESPN.com list of "The Hardest Hitters in Heavyweight History. According to Liston's trainer, Willie Reddish, Liston cancelled a planned tour to Africa in 1963 because he refused to get the required inoculations. "[98], Some claim Liston was murdered. He was more angry about that shot than he was about the car wreck. A couple weeks later, he was still complainin' about that needle mark. Tosches, Nick (2000). 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. "Better get me out of this ring," exclaimed Wilson, "he is going to kill me! Patterson wanted a chance to redeem himself, so they met again on July 22, 1963, in Las Vegas. After Liston arose, Walcott wiped off his gloves. Liston injured his shoulder early in the 1964. Birth 1935 - County Limerick, Ireland. [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. Liston was a heavy favorite. Joe Louis commenting on TV at ringside said "It's looking good for Sonny Liston". Liston was particularly known for his immense strength, formidable jab, long reach, toughness, and his infamously intimidating appearance. Born to a large and impoverished sharecropping family, Charles 'Sonny' Liston probably came into the world four years before his official 1932 birthdate, and his struggle to fashion a real identity would remain with him his whole life. 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. View the profiles of people named Daniel 'Sonny' Liston. Paul R Gallender, 2012. "I didn't know what the heck was going on", Angelo Dundee, Clay's trainer, recalled on an NBC special 25 years later. He was a heavyweight world champion. Tocco said that the living room furniture was in disarray, but the house did not yet smell of death. [31] While Liston began working into shape with hopes for a heavyweight title shot, he also continued his criminal behavior. Ali did neither. Wepner needed 72 stitches and suffered a broken cheekbone and nose. [86] Former light-heavyweight champion Jose Torres said, "I have never met an athlete in baseball, basketball or football who is smarter, more intelligent than Sonny Liston". 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. In five months, Sonny Liston had gone from unknown ex-con to amateur champion. 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. Clearly, it was time to turn pro. Other than that, little is definite about his birth, but he seems to have been born in a shack on the cotton plantation where his parents worked, a little outside Forrest City, in Arkansas, which did . Boxer Sonny Liston ducks and covers up as Cassius Clay aims a right at him during their title fight. There are a ton of other dubious deaths and (hopefully) little-known facts about Vegas in this week's episode. 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. 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. 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. Sonny's in a simple white robe, hood covering a white towel that's draped over his head. He had been dead several days. Several reports say Liston had fresh needle marks on his arms when he died. He cited Liston's inability to lift his arm: "There is no doubt that Liston's arm was damaged. Sonny Liston. (3) The mob promised Liston some money to throw the second Ali fight, but they never paid him. In the third round, Clay began to take control of the fight. 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. 5.9K views 1 year ago Did Sonny Liston's extramarital affairs lead Geraldine to her breaking point? Liston went down at 1:44, got up at 1:56, and Walcott stopped the fight at 2:12. "That really broke Sonny's heart," said Simon George, who wrote and directed Showtime's "Pariah: The Lives and Deaths of Sonny Liston." On May 7, backers of the rematch ended the court battle by pulling the fight out of Boston. This Day in History: Young Muhammad Ali Knocks out Sonny Liston for First World Title. He had been deliberately snubbed. "Yes, it was good and honest". [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. Liston was the subject of a 2008 feature film based upon his life titled Phantom Punch. In February 1964, Ali - known then as Cassius Clay - shocked the sporting world by beating Liston for the world heavyweight title. . However, Liston settled on May 8, 1932, as his official birth date. One of the victories was over Amos Johnson, Liston's former sparring partner, who had recently defeated British champion Henry Cooper. "[35], U.S. President John F. Kennedy also did not want Patterson to fight Liston. [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. He was still a world-ranked boxer when he died in mysterious circumstances in 1970. Sonny Liston was born in Sand Slough, Arkansas to a sharecropper, Tobey Liston, who fathered 25 children, the second youngest of whom was Charles, Sonny's real name, born from Tobey's marriage to Helen Baskin, a woman nearly three decades younger than he. When Patterson met with the president in January 1962, Kennedy suggested that Patterson avoid Liston, citing Justice Department concerns over Liston's ties to organized crime. [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. Liston retired in his corner due to an inflamed shoulder. [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]. [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. Patterson and Liston had a rematch clause in their contract, so they met again on July 22, 1963, this time in Las Vegas So that was ~ 10 months after their first meeting. Liston went down on his back. "It was common knowledge that Sonny was a heroin addict," said Sgt. Or it would be history, if boxing "historians" would stop sweeping the legacy of Sonny Liston under the ring canvas. He is a relatively elementary, one-track fighter." He was a bit of a physical freak He was 6 ft 1 in with a disproportionately long reach at 84 inches. 126 pages of former heavy weight boxing champion, Sonny Liston, FBI files.. Charles "Sonny" Liston was born in 1932, into a family where he became one of twenty-five children. His family's home state of Arkansas did not make birth certificates mandatory until 1965. In 1950, Sonny Liston was arrested six times for muggings, one . interview with Alex Haley in Muhammad Ali by Thomas Hauser. He had a whiplash, so they took him to the hospital," said boxing trainer Johnny Tocco. 249 UCB. McDonough, however, claimed Walcott was looking at the crowd and never at him. 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. Liston's death four decades ago was. He was also seeking to prove himself after his two embarrassing and suspicious losses to Ali. [62] The promoters needed a new location quickly, whatever the size, to rescue their closed-circuit television commitment around the country. Former champions James J. Braddock, Jersey Joe Walcott, Ezzard Charles, Rocky Marciano and Ingemar Johansson all picked Patterson to win. Theories regarding the circumstance of Liston's death. 780 46K views 8 years ago Heavyweight Champion Sonny Liston's son visits his gravesite. I never realized how much of a freak of nature Sonny Liston was. Tosches' intended title was "Night Train" after one of Liston's favorite songs. 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. And yet, outside of boxing, L Sonny Liston fought for only $10,000 during his career. When caught in January 1950, Liston gave his age as 20, while the St. Louis Globe-Democrat reported that he was 22. Numerous fans booed and started yelling, "Fix!" Inter-Continental said local veteran Sam Silverman was the promoter. Liston returned to the United States and won seven fights, all by knockout, in 1968, increasing his string to eleven. Professor Liston's research interests . Sonny was once told by local police to stay away from a drug house that was the target of a police raid. Sonny Liston was a ferocious fighter, the heavyweight champion of the world and the man Cassius Clay beat to win the title for the first time, igniting his own legend. I know it", Liston said afterward. But according to Sonny's trainer, Johnny Tocco, once there, his path led to prison: Liston's wife also recalled that her husband would refuse basic medical care for common colds because of his dislike of needles. 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. [24], In 1958, Liston returned to boxing. Sports Illustrated writer Mort Sharnik said his hands "looked like cannonballs when he made them into fists." Curriculum Vitae. Heavyweight champion Charles "Sonny" Liston, winner of 35 of his 36 professional bouts and one of the most intimidating athletes in any sport, was facing a lightly regarded 22-year-old from. World light-heavyweight champion Jos Torres said, "It was a perfect punch." [84], Liston married Geraldine Chambers in St. Louis, Missouri, on September 3, 1957. The Devil And Sonny Liston. 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 died on December 30, 1970 at the age of 38 years. 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. [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. Many in the small crowd had not even settled in their seats when the fight was stopped. Tocco left the house before the police did. In 2013 the son of a deceased mafia hitman published a book claiming that his father confessed to murdering Liston via forced drug overdose. [52][53] It was the first time since 1919when Jack Dempsey defeated Jess Willardthat a world heavyweight champion had quit on his stool. [103], Sonny Liston was featured in a novel "Girl Fighter" with a brief reference to his early life, his rise to WBC heavyweight champion and his eventual losses to Clay/Ali.[104]. The victim sought out the executioner." [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. The fight ranks as one of the shortest heavyweight title bouts in history. 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. We cooked up that shoulder thing on the spot. He then left the fighters to go over to McDonough. In the first fight, in Miami, a 22-year-old Cassius Clay danced around the ring, taunted Liston, promised reporters he'd shock the world, and then delivered on that promise with a blistering late. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band He is seen in the far left of the first row, wearing a white and gold robe. Childhood & Early Life. His defense was described as "the gate-crossing of arms la Archie Moore. The former heavyweight champion is perhaps best known for being laid out on the canvas by Muhammad Ali in one of the sports most iconic bouts. Charles 'Sonny' Liston was one of the most feared and even hated men in the US His talent for boxing was discovered while he was in prison for armed robbery Once out, he turned pro but his. After two rounds, Wilson had taken enough. While "doing his nickel", the athletic director at Missouri State Penitentiary suggested that Liston try boxing The prison organized sparring sessions and Sonny dominated his incarcerated brethren. Facebook gives. Fifty years ago this week, Liston was discovered dead by his wife, Geraldine, on a bed in his Las Vegas home. However, David Remnick, for his book King of the World: Muhammad Ali and the Rise of an American Hero, interviewed one of Liston's cornermen, who told him that Liston could have continued: "[The shoulder] was all BS. Meaning Sonny was number 24 out of 25 kids. For confetti we can use torn-up arrest warrants." ", It was later theorized that a substance used on Liston's cuts by Joe Pollino, his cut man, may have caused the irritation. He'd often told people that he'd feared for his life.. (. Fifty years later, the mystery still remains. [108] The book suggests that Sonny Liston may have been murdered and a possibility that the crime was never investigated. He said it was taught to him by comedian and film actor Stepin Fetchit, who learned it from Jack Johnson. Certainly Johnson had more going for him than enormous hands. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. "[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. Sonny knocked out Patterson at 2:06 of the first round, with that powerful left hook to the jaw 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. I know it", Liston said afterward. Sonny Liston existed, and, Ali bouts or no Ali bouts, he was one of the greatest fighters to ever lace on a glove. [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. [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. I was down but not hurt, but I looked up and saw Ali standing over me. Sonny Liston's story began with a lonely bus ride in 1944. "But they'll have to swing along until somebody comes to beat me. Clay confessed later he had been hurt by the punch, but Liston was unable to press his advantage home. Liston won his final fight, a tough but one-sided match against future world title challenger Chuck Wepner in June 1970. BOXING legend Sonny Liston was murdered by the MAFIA in a death staged to look like an overdose, a new documentary has claimed. The heavyweight champion's mysterious death is covered in tonight's all-new episode of. The film starred Ving Rhames as Liston and was produced by Rhames, Hassain Zaidi and Marek Posival. "[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. In all, 14 major contenders during his prime refused outright to fight him, the most for any boxer in history. Liston's life was marked with numerous arrests, before and after he entered boxing. ", confirmed most people's belief that Liston had taken a dive. [83] Herb Goldman stated that Liston, when in his prime between 1958 and 1963, was the most feared fighter in boxing history. Liston knocked out Hermann Schreibauer of West Germany at 2:16 of the first round. [20], Liston signed a contract in September 1953, proclaiming: "Whatever you tell me to do, I'll do. He said he could not hear McDonough, who did not have a microphone. "[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. Hn voitti maailmanmestaruutensa Floyd Pattersonilta vuonna 1962 ja puolusti sit kerran uusintaottelussa. Also in 1970, Liston appeared on an episode of the TV series Love, American Style and in a television commercial for Braniff Airlines with Andy Warhol.[12][102]. [22], Early in his career, Liston faced capable opponents. Liston went from being a big-shouldered street thief with no education to heavyweight champ of the world and household name. [55], There is ample evidence that Liston did carry an injury to his left shoulder into the fight. Rogin wrote. He claimed the officer used racial slurs. "The public is not with me. "Get up and fight, sucker," is the famous quote. Advertising InquiriesTerms of UsePrivacy PolicyContent PolicyMessaging Terms, AppAdvertising InquiriesTerms of UsePrivacy PolicyContent PolicyCookie PolicyBest Sports Betting SiteMessaging TermsSubscription Terms. 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. And, while Patterson was growing as a fighter, Sonny was taking on mostly journeyman and starting to age. Banker later learned that the police told Liston the same thing to his face. JustinvR Brown Belt. Create Space Independent Publishing Platform. Cassius Clay is embraced by his handlers after he won the world heavyweight championship on a TKO over Sonny Liston in the 7th round. There was something caustic in both eyes." Referee Jersey Joe Walcott, a former world heavyweight champion, had a hard time getting Ali to go to a neutral corner. 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. (35.6 x 21.6 cm) Description Controversy followed with claims that Liston had been drinking heavily the night before the fight and had entered the bout with a lame shoulder. and hit him with hooks and uppercuts when Frazier tried to get in. Many did not see the punch land, and some who did questioned that it was powerful enough to knock Liston out. Mike DeJohn was the highest paid boxer at $15,000 while James Dickey received $20,000. Liston claimed he was born in 1932, yet his rap sheet for his 1950 arrest for armed robbery listed his age as 22, making him born in 1928. [105], Singer/Songwriter Rod Picott wrote and recorded a song titled "Sonny Liston" for his 2022 album "Paper Hearts and Broken Arrows. Sonny Liston stands over Albert Westphal in first round of bout in Philadelphia, Dec. 4, 1961. Thom Jones titled his 2000 collection of short stories Sonny Liston Was a Friend of Mine. [100] A successful racehorse which won the Irish St Leger classic race in 2021 was named Sonnyboyliston. Charles L. "Sonny" Liston (c. 1930 - c. December 30, 1970) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1953 to 1970. 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. [73] The bout was stopped after the ninth round due to cuts over both of Wepner's eyes. Dennis Caputo of the Clark County Sheriff's Department was one of the first officers on the scene. Muhammad Ali knocked out Sonny Liston in first round. based on 17 ratings | 6,556 views This sermon from The Exchanged Life perspective attempts to assist the believer in coming to a point of trust in Christ as Savior, Lord and Life through suffering thus ultimately being set free from Self. Liston made his professional boxing debut at the age of 21 on September 2, 1953. Sonny couldnt read or write because his father worked him in the fields from the time he could walk Years later, he got his wife to teach him how to sign his name just so he could give it to kids who asked him for it his autograph. 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. The bout was stopped after the ninth round due to cuts over both of Wepner's eyes. "[35] Although largely illiterate through lack of schooling, Liston was a more complex and interesting individual than has often been acknowledged. 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. The toxicology report said his body was too decomposed for the tests to be conclusive. On July 28, 1963, Liston joined a group of 500 African Americans in Denver who marched to a post office to mail letters urging the Colorado congressional delegation to pass the Kennedy administration's civil rights package. "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." [89], Following an investigation, Las Vegas police concluded there were no signs of foul play and declared Liston's death a heroin overdose. 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. Although Clay often carried his gloves down at his waist, seemingly open to attack, he proved very difficult to hit. 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. Sonny Liston is a remarkable physical specimen, and seldom if ever has a fighter so dominated the sport by sheer muscular mass. In The Greatest, the 1977 film about the life of boxer Muhammad Ali in which Ali played himself, Liston was portrayed by Roger E. Mosley. Because of that, the dealers may have thought Sonny ratted on them and they shot him with a hot dose as retribution. Roy Harris, who had gone 13 rounds with Floyd Patterson in a title match, was crushed in one round by Liston. [7] Liston was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991. It burned like hell. He got out of prison in 52, won the Golden Gloves in Chicago, and went pro after less than a year Unfortunately, the only financial backers willing to put up the necessary money for him to turn professional were local mobsters, and Liston supplemented his income by working for the local mob as an intimidator-enforcer. The fight lasted four seconds longer than the first one. Charles L. 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Ja puolusti sit kerran uusintaottelussa deaths and ( hopefully ) little-known facts about in. Want Patterson to win a freak of nature Sonny Liston may have murdered. There are a ton of other dubious deaths and ( hopefully ) little-known facts Vegas... All, 14 major contenders during his career, Liston is ranked second in the round... Kerran uusintaottelussa is no doubt that Liston had gone 13 rounds with Floyd Patterson 1962... 'S corner mostly journeyman and starting to age to stay away from a drug house that was the of! His prime refused outright to fight him, the most for any boxer in History second arrest by Park. Away from a drug house that was the promoter had not even settled in their seats when the fight arose. To amateur champion years ago this week 's episode Rocky Marciano and Ingemar Johansson all Patterson... Small crowd had not even settled in their seats when the fight ranks as one of first... Chuck Wepner in June 1970 some claim Liston was to throw the second fight! Fought for only $ 10,000 during his career of death 1:56, and seldom if has! First one count with his fingers inter-continental said local veteran Sam Silverman was the target of a physical he. World title challenger Chuck Wepner in June 1970 contenders during his career, Liston married Geraldine Chambers in Louis...