A widely publicized account of Liston resisting arresteven after nightsticks were allegedly broken over his skulladded to the public perception of him as a nightmarish "monster" impervious to physical punishment. and he was pointing at some little bandage over the needle mark in his arm. 10 Wild Stories From The Life Of Sonny Liston - Listverse One of the reasons why sports stays alive in us is that there's part of us that wants to keep the child alive and recognizes that there is something important in doing that. [47] Sitting on his stool between rounds, however, Liston was breathing heavily as his cornermen worked on his cut. . Geraldine remembered her husband as "Great with me, great with the kids. "You're putting things on and you're taking this out and molding it," Knopfler said. 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." It was the first time in his career that Liston had been cut. For me, the most fascinating thing about Liston was the fact that his birth date is unknown. [29] Machen's taunting and his spoiling tactics of dodging and grapplingat one point almost heaving Liston over the ropesso alienated the audience that Liston received unaccustomed support from the crowd. 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 . Helen had one child before she married Tobe, and Tobe had 13 children with his first wife. "[18], After Liston was released from prison on October 31, 1952, he had a brief amateur career that spanned less than a year. 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. Felix later said Clay was seconds from being disqualified. 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. 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. His "Speedway at Nazareth" was about auto racing. Dave Anderson of the New York Times said Liston "looked awful" in his last workout before the fight. Knopfler said he enjoys boxing and other sports but reflected on a conversation he had with a friend about the fights. Due to Listons long association with the mafia and the reputation as a peerless tough guy, there was speculation that hed thrown the fight for some financial reward. During a ringside interview after the fight, Terrellwith his swollen eye and deflated egowould later say he respected all boxers. He was more angry about that shot than he was about the car wreck. His death was, too. "Now (after seeing video) I think Clay, seeing the opening, snapped the punch the last six inches. But then again, he took a pretty good beating in the fight. Sonny was definitely a specimen. 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. Before he left for his bout with Clay, Sonny's training in Denver took him to some strange places. [citation needed], Rogin wrote that Patterson backers expected him to "go inside on Liston, fire away and then run like a thief in the night. "The public is not with me. Time magazine said Liston had worked himself into the best shape of his career. "At about noon on the day of the fight, (Magids) reached Resnick again by phone," the memo read. I don't think there was any way for him to beat Clay at that time, but if he entered the ring in a different mindset, to box and not try and get him like Patterson and others, he could of went the distance. "There was nothing Sonny feared more than a needle. [24], In 1958, Liston returned to boxing. 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. [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]. Boxings brightest young star was again squaring off against a renowned bruiser in a rematch of their thrilling and controversial heavyweight championship fight one year prior, a fight that was followed by 14 months of international intrigue and the combustible politics of the 1960s. Ali is waiting to hit me, the ref can't control him. Ali brought his big personality to the small town, but Liston was still the favorite. Muhammad Ali talking about Henry Cooper, Sonny Liston, and - YouTube Liston was a heavy favorite. [88] On returning home from a two-week trip, Geraldine had smelled a foul odor emanating from the main bedroom and on entering saw him slumped up against the bed, a broken foot bench on the floor. 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. It became known as the phantom punch and has been the subject of controversy and speculation for the last 55 years. "But can he hit!" [105], Singer/Songwriter Rod Picott wrote and recorded a song titled "Sonny Liston" for his 2022 album "Paper Hearts and Broken Arrows. For confetti we can use torn-up arrest warrants." [14], Tobe Liston inflicted whippings so severe on Sonny that the scars were still visible decades later. Patterson wanted a chance to redeem himself, so they met again on July 22, 1963, in Las Vegas. In an Associated Press poll, 64 of 102 reporters picked Patterson. . Liston had thrown a jab with his left arm and, leaning forward, took a right hook from Ali right to the skull. 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. [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. 589 Share 23K views 1 year ago Rare interview of Sonny Liston colorized. He was 6ft 1in (1.85m), and had an exceptionally powerful physique, with a disproportionately long reach at 84 inches (2.13m). "A blues song just for fighters: The legend of Sonny Liston. Sonny Liston in Denver, Colorado. "Better get me out of this ring," exclaimed Wilson, "he is going to kill me! [20], Liston signed a contract in September 1953, proclaiming: "Whatever you tell me to do, I'll do. These transcripts contain material that did not appear in the final program. (, Shaun Assael. In the months ahead of the fight, Muhammad Ali went all sorts of routes to get into Sonny Liston's head. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Muhammad Ali: FBI probed 1964 Sonny Liston fight for match-fixing But former Las Vegas police Sgt. The interference of ringside reporters regarding interpretation of the rules, the fight stoppage and the controversy after the fight had not been seen since The Long Count Fight between champion Gene Tunney and challenger Jack Dempsey in 1927. The commotion was not lost on referee Barney Felix, who was walking toward Clay's corner. "He had a deadly fear of needles," said Davey Pearl, a boxing referee and friend of Liston's. [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. "It really has made an impact, actually from the very first time I performed it on 'A Prairie Home Companion,"' Knopfler said in a telephone interview. Liston went down on his back. They fought for a third time on March 6, 1956, which Liston won by a ten-round unanimous decision. The film starred Ving Rhames as Liston and was produced by Rhames, Hassain Zaidi and Marek Posival. [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. [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. 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. "I didn't know what the heck was going on", Angelo Dundee, Clay's trainer, recalled on an NBC special 25 years later. 'Raising Ali' Remembers The 'Worst Mess In The History Of Sports' - NPR But others contend he just was not the same Liston. It burned like hell. 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. .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}Remembering Just Fontaine and His World Cup Record, The Man Behind the First All-Black Basketball Team, 8 Times Brothers Have Faced Off in a Championship, Every Black Quarterback to Play in the Super Bowl, Soccer Star Christian Atsu Survived an Earthquake. Midway through the first round, Liston threw a left jab and Ali went over it with a fast right, knocking the former champion down. ", confirmed most people's belief that Liston had taken a dive. "There's no doubt that he was mean," Knopfler said of Liston. [12], Liston never complained about prison, saying he was guaranteed three meals every day. While valuing the photograph, appraiser Kathleen Guzman told. Patterson's fatal mistake was that he "did not punch enough and frequently tried to clinch with Liston. 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. [51], Liston failed to answer the bell for the seventh round, and Clay was declared the winner by technical knockout. 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. Traduo Context Corretor Sinnimos Conjugao Conjugao Documents Dicionrio Dicionrio Colaborativo Gramtica Expressio Reverso Corporate Unlike Dylan or Carter, however, Knopfler does not present Liston as innocent of a crime for which he was imprisoned. 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. "[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. 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. To this day, I'm convinced that's what the coroner saw in his examthat hospital needle mark. During the fourth round Liston appeared dominant as Clay coasted, keeping his distance. Liston appears as a character in James Ellroy's novel The Cold Six Thousand. "[59], Liston is ranked second in the ESPN.com list of "The Hardest Hitters in Heavyweight History. "[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? Soon, he was known as Cassius X, eschewing the last name given to his enslaved family by their owners. Liston was particularly known for his immense strength, formidable jab, long reach, toughness, and his infamously intimidating appearance. 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. The World Boxing Association one of several boxing organizations was not too pleased, moving to strip Ali of his title and advising states not to agree to host the rematch. [30] Before his bout with Liston, Muhammad Ali consulted Machen and was advised that the key to survival was to make Liston lose his temper. Liston retired in his corner due to an inflamed shoulder. While true he also sent women to the hospital, which his sparring partner confirms. The fight ranks as one of the shortest heavyweight title bouts in history. RARE Sonny Liston Interview before the first Ali fight 1964 in Color 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 didn't think it was a powerful punch when I saw the fight from ringside," he said. Liston said he quit because of a shoulder injury. Rocky Marciano, the former heavyweight champion, said that he appreciated the punchs strength upon re-examination. Ali did neither. The ending of the fight remains one of the most controversial in boxing history. The connections to organized crime were an advantage early in his career but were later used against him. The Murder of Sonny Liston: A Story of Fame, Heroin, Boxing & Las Vegas. 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. [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. When you can kill almost anybody in the world with your bare hands, you don't really have to go around proclaiming it to everyone. 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. Sonny Liston was one of the hardest hitters the boxing world has ever seen. 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 In his sixth bout, he faced ranked heavyweight Johnny Summerlin (18-1-2) on national television and won in an eight-round decision. Authorities theorized that he was undressing for bed when he fell over backward with such force that he broke the rail of the bench. The opening round was fought an extra eight seconds, since both fighters and referee Barney Felix apparently did not hear the bell. Skeptics called the knockout blow "the phantom punch." 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.