The Real Story behind the Ali-Liston Fights. interview with Alex Haley in Muhammad Ali by Thomas Hauser. 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. The NAACP had urged Patterson not to fight Liston, fearing that a Liston victory would hurt the civil rights movement. In the 2020 film One Night in Miami, Liston is played by Aaron D. Alexander. It was 1965, not 1955. Tocco said that the living room furniture was in disarray, but the house did not yet smell of death. A grateful Liston found there was no need to give chase. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. "The public is not with me. Liston returned to the United States and won seven fights, all by knockout, in 1968, increasing his string to eleven. 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. Liston went down on his back. [5][6] Alfie Potts Harmer in The Sportster also ranked him the third greatest heavyweight and the sixth greatest boxer at any weight. That saw him drive a big red bus to Liston's home that read, "Sonny Liston is a great but will fall in eight" along with the words "World's most colorful fighter Cassius Clay.". While valuing the photograph, appraiser Kathleen Guzman told. "He had a deadly fear of needles," said Davey Pearl, a boxing referee and friend of Liston's. ", It was later theorized that a substance used on Liston's cuts by Joe Pollino, his cut man, may have caused the irritation. "[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? It is hardly the first recording by a rock musician about boxing. Liston retired in his corner due to an inflamed shoulder. 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. Ali's "Phantom Punch" Controversy Explained - PBS 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". Rogin wrote. I remember thinking as a child that this was a man who wanted to be left alone.". Subsequently, Liston spent some months in Denver where a Catholic priest who acted as his spiritual adviser attempted to help bring his drinking under control. It was probably Liston's best moment in the entire fight. The film starred Ving Rhames as Liston and was produced by Rhames, Hassain Zaidi and Marek Posival. He then left the fighters to go over to McDonough. He said he could not hear McDonough, who did not have a microphone. [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. ", Hutchison, Phillip J. He talked of a fight with Joe Frazier, claiming, "It'd be like shooting fish in a barrel." Even before the first punch was thrown, the May 25, 1965 bout between .css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston, during which the photo was snapped, was already shaping up to be the stuff of legends. Sonny Liston Interview in Color - YouTube And I said, 'Whoa, whoa, back up, baby. Half a mile above and beyond the shrine, looking down from the summit of the mountain, is a statue of the Sacred Heart. The most iconic photo in boxing history documents the knockout that almost nobody saw happen. Never seen this one before, thanks alot. The fight ranks as one of the shortest heavyweight title bouts in history. Reminds me of former UFC fighter Shane Carwin. Concert Preview/Interview: John Lodge of the Moody Blues on Reprising "Days of Future Passed . It was a good punch, but I didn't think I hit him so hard that he couldn't have gotten up. Both fights were in Summerlin's hometown of Detroit.[23]. Tocco called the police, and they broke into the house. Interviewing and trash-talk have both gone through some tremendous evolutions, havent they? Liston did eventually rise from the mat, but soon after, the referee broke up the two boxers once again the former champion had been down for more than 10 seconds, ending the fight. Tocco left the house before the police did. He had been deliberately snubbed. [33], Civic leaders were also reluctant, worrying that Liston's unsavory character would set a bad example for youth. THE PREFIGHT MOODS OF SONNY LISTON - Sports Illustrated I dont have to be what you want me to be, Clay told agitated reporters. Stevens organized a sparring session with a professional heavyweight named Thurman Wilson to showcase Liston's potential. I know it", Liston said afterward. Who are the four people who knocked out Sonny Liston? [35] There are several theories as to why: (1) publicist Harold Conrad and others believed Liston had been deeply involved as a bill collector of a loansharking ring in Las Vegas. Liston's story, Knopfler said, "is great for a writer for many reasons. "Some songs just seem to reverberate with people.". "He said: 'Look what they did!' Officially, Liston died of lung congestion and heart failure. Liston was depicted as a bad guy by the media, a handbreaker for the mafia. Theories regarding the circumstance of Liston's death. The Devil and Sonny Liston. 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 He also had a reputation for bullying people such as porters and waitresses. Please read the rules before posting/commenting. The second round saw Liston continue to pursue Clay. [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. In the months ahead of the fight, Muhammad Ali went all sorts of routes to get into Sonny Liston's head. and "Nobody will believe this!"[63]. I wasn't hit. On May 5, 1956, a policeman confronted Liston and a friend about a cab parked near Liston's home. In that same book Liston was quoted two years after the fight: "Ali knocked me down with a sharp punch. [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. Knopfler said the track "uses a lot of the country-blues style of playing that I started to absorb when I was young.". Sonny Liston | Boxing's Most Intimidating and Unwanted Champion [20], Liston signed a contract in September 1953, proclaiming: "Whatever you tell me to do, I'll do. Tosches, Nick (2000). 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. You could feel the deflation, see the look of hurt in his eyes. Sports Illustrated writer Mort Sharnik said his hands "looked like cannonballs when he made them into fists." While true he also sent women to the hospital, which his sparring partner confirms. Top contender Zora Folley was stopped in three rounds. "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. His eyes swept the whole scene. Patterson wanted a chance to redeem himself, so they met again on July 22, 1963, in Las Vegas. Sonny Liston Interview 82,818 views Apr 2, 2014 1.3K Dislike Share Save haNZAgod 93.2K subscribers Subscribe A rare interview with former Heavyweight champion of the world, Sonny Liston.. [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. 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. The highly-anticipated May 1965 rematch between the heavyweight champions almost didn't happen. Welcome to r/boxing, the official home of pro boxing on Reddit! [97], "The month before he died, some guy ran into Sonny while he was making a left turn. 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]. [30], Liston became the No. Entire books have been written about the fight, and one, released in 2015, sought to end the suggestion that Liston took another fall. Thom Jones titled his 2000 collection of short stories Sonny Liston Was a Friend of Mine. Knopfler, 55, said inspiration for the Liston song has been growing for a long time. Who needed that? 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. [64] Strict interpretation of the knockdown/count rule states it is the referee's count and not the timekeeper's that is the official count. Liston, with a 25-pound weight advantage, 214lb (97kg) to 189lb (86kg), knocked out Patterson at 2:06 of the first round, putting him down for the count with a powerful left hook to the jaw. Also, McDonough did not bang on the canvas or motion a number count with his fingers. After demolishing these top-ranked fighters in the heavyweight division, Liston was regarded as the top-contender champion-in-waiting. Geraldine remembered her husband as "Great with me, great with the kids. and he was pointing at some little bandage over the needle mark in his arm. And, while Patterson was growing as a fighter, Sonny was taking on mostly journeyman and starting to age. Sonny Liston: The Tragic Story of a Terrifying Man [93] Liston had been hospitalized in early December, complaining of chest pains. The Murder of Sonny Liston: A Story of Fame, Heroin, Boxing & Las Vegas Pan publisher; 2017. 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. Traduo Context Corretor Sinnimos Conjugao Conjugao Documents Dicionrio Dicionrio Colaborativo Gramtica Expressio Reverso Corporate 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. In a pre-fight poll, 43 of 46 sportswriters picked Liston to win by knockout. Liston angrily responded by questioning whether Dempsey's failure to serve in World War I qualified him to moralize. Shaun Assael wrote "The Murder of Sonny Liston: Las Vegas, Heroin, and Heavyweights", published in 2016. Liston won 14 consecutive bouts, 13 by knockout, before fighting third-ranked Leotis Martin, previously beaten by Clark, in December 1969. He rolled over, got to his right knee and then fell on his back again. [62] The promoters needed a new location quickly, whatever the size, to rescue their closed-circuit television commitment around the country. He used the platform to expound on the political theory that was so reviled in white America, defending Malcolm X and condemning racial oppression this was still months before President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Two more arrestsfor disorderly conduct and resisting arrest and another for impersonating a copled to Liston being suspended by the Pennsylvania Athletic Commission on July 14, 1961. 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. [19], On June 23, 1953, a team consisting of ten recent St. Louis Golden Gloves champions of all weight classes, with Liston on top as the heavyweight, was gathered to represent the United States in an International Golden Gloves (USA vs. West Europe) competition at Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis. Two of the three official scorers, or judges, awarded the round to Liston, and the other scored the round even. He was paroled after serving six months of a nine-month sentence, and was not prohibited from boxing during 1957. Joe Frazier vs Sonny Liston : r/Boxing - Reddit A lot of his life was mysterious and messy. He offered no comment on the matter, but his victory would soon turn it into an international story. Very rare interview of Sonny Liston talking about how he got started in boxing, his fights with Williams and Patterson and his training routine. 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. 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 [35] Liston's victory was loudly booed. But he spoke to his friend Resnick on the day of the fight and was told not to bet on the champion. Tale of the tape: Fight poster for Sonny Liston v Cassius Clay in 1964. . "[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. Many in the small crowd had not even settled in their seats when the fight was stopped. Never before seen Sonny Liston interview. Support this Channel:https://www.patreon.com/join/LegendsofBoxing Merchandise:https://www.redbubble.com/people/LegendsofBoxing/shop I restore \u0026 colorize your projects, PayPal Donations: LegendsofBoxingYT@gmail.comThank you!______________________________________________________________________ Footage Credit:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4oGEeOJ7-Ahttps://archives.denverlibrary.org/repositories/3/resources/9093______________________________________________________________________ Join my Discord Server:https://discord.gg/9QzFSw4TvfAll My YouTube ChannelsMy Main Channel \"Legends of Boxing\": https://www.youtube.com/c/LegendsofBoxingMy Second Boxing Channel \"Legends of Boxing in Color\": https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-QLrFyDnskqz5_z95mcOAMy History Channel \"Time Travel: Colorized Archive\": https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC29VFkNvVVi6_OzwFV2oTqQMy Documentary Channel \"Tales From The Past\":https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZpFIIYrCc1lOHbG-fUo5vwMy German Channel/ Deutscher Kanal: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXBfWoE1KVXEzh9d2NrwBhASocial https://www.instagram.com/legends_of_boxing1/#boxing #LegendsofBoxing #boxingclassics #Legend #boxinghistory #fight #knockout #boxingstories #athletestories #lifestories #pugilism #bareknuckle #fighting #boxinghistory #boxer #boxingclassics #boxinglegends #halloffame #boxinghalloffame #goldenera #boxinggoldenera #boxergram #boxerlife #boxerlifestyle #boxing #boxinghistory #barefist #pugilist #bareknuckle #houseofdevlin #legendaryfighter #classics #Legendary #motivation #boxingmotivation #dempsey #boxers #UnseenHistories #VisualHistory #ColorGraph #Colorized #Colorization #ColorizedPhoto #History #HistoricalPhotos #Deoldify #AIcolorization #colorizao #colourised #historia #colourise #colorization #restauracao #colourisedphoto #colorizedphoto #colouryourpast #colorizedhistory #colorizedhistoricalphotos Tobe and Helen had 12 children together; Sonny was the second youngest child. He pulled the same stuff Walcott did against Marciano. Banker said he was told by police that Liston had been seen at a house that would be the target of a drug raid. 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. [25][26], In 1960 Liston won five more fights, including a rematch with Williams, who lasted only two rounds. When he tried to muscle in for a bigger share, Conrad thinks his employers got him very drunk, took him home and stuck him with a needle. Clay confessed later he had been hurt by the punch, but Liston was unable to press his advantage home.