The fight lasted less than one full round, with Ali knocking out Liston at the 1:44 mark. He also wrote that Liston's win over Patterson proved that "in a fair fight between good and evil, evil must win." Liston had thrown a jab with his left arm and, leaning forward, took a right hook from Ali right to the skull. It was a shocking result, not only because Liston was favored in the match, but because hardly anybody saw the punch that took him down. Philadelphia wanted nothing to do with him. 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. He had a whiplash, so they took him to the hospital," said boxing trainer Johnny Tocco. The connections to organized crime were an advantage early in his career but were later used against him. with Sonny - Traduo em portugus - Reverso Context [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. Gallender claimed, "A lot of officers knew Sonny was dead before Geraldine returned home on January 5, but they chose to let him rot. The torn tendon had bled down into the mass of the biceps, swelling and numbing the arm. He was scared of the black-power movement. 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. [92] He had been suffering from hardening of the heart muscle and lung disease before his death. "[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 was common knowledge that Sonny was a heroin addict," said Sgt. Liston was particularly known for his immense strength, formidable jab, long reach, toughness, and his infamously intimidating appearance. Im free to be who I want.. His eyes swept the whole scene. I forgot about the rules." [100] A successful racehorse which won the Irish St Leger classic race in 2021 was named Sonnyboyliston. Joe Louis commenting on TV at ringside said "It's looking good for Sonny Liston". 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. But by the sixth round his sight had cleared, and a clearly enraged Clay fought a blisteringly aggressive round landing numerous combination punches. To this day, I'm convinced that's what the coroner saw in his examthat hospital needle mark. He cited Liston's inability to lift his arm: "There is no doubt that Liston's arm was damaged. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Charles L. "Sonny" Liston (c.1930 December 30, 1970) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1953 to 1970. It is hardly the first recording by a rock musician about boxing. I know it", Liston said afterward. 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." "At about noon on the day of the fight, (Magids) reached Resnick again by phone," the memo read. Ira Gay Sealy/The Denver Post via Getty Images According to the post, he returned back home later that morning and called his sparring partner Gary Bates to tell him he was leaving for Los Angeles but that they should get together when he returned in a couple of days. "I'm doing a portrait of a life, really, in a way, so you are trying to get the whole thing into just a few verses. "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." [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. Watch the interview you be the judge.. Unlike Dylan or Carter, however, Knopfler does not present Liston as innocent of a crime for which he was imprisoned. My man. Never before seen Sonny Liston interview. 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"[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. RARE Sonny Liston Interview before the first Ali fight 1964 in Color It was a good punch, but I didn't think I hit him so hard that he couldn't have gotten up. Remembering One Of Boxing's Storied Bouts Robert Siegel and Melissa Block recall the fight between Cassius Clay and and Sonny Liston, the fight at the heart of the off-Broadway play Fetch Clay, . Sit down!' Sonny Liston Once Shot a Gun at Muhammad Ali - Sportscasting Unfortunately for Martin, however, his career ended after that fight due to a detached retina he suffered during the bout. The most iconic photo in boxing history documents the knockout that almost nobody saw happen. Standing 185 centimeters (6'1) tall and packing over 90 kilograms (200 lb) of pure muscle, there's a reason he was nicknamed "The Big Bear," and it wasn't for the hugs he gave.. His career in heavyweight boxing spanned from 1953 to 1970, and he spent all 17 of those years going guts for glory against the . Roy Harris, who had gone 13 rounds with Floyd Patterson in a title match, was crushed in one round by Liston. [24], In 1958, Liston returned to boxing. 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. 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.. "[42], Liston made his second title defense on February 25, 1964, in Miami Beach, Florida against Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali). Only Massachusetts was willing to host the fight, though it was delayed from November 1964 to May 1965 so that Ali could recover from hernia surgery. [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. 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. 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. [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]. ", 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." 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. [8][9], There is no official record of Liston's birth. "The only thing my old man ever gave me was a beating," Liston said. "[40][41], Upon winning the world heavyweight title, Liston had a speech prepared for the crowd that friends had assured him would meet him at the Philadelphia airport. For me, the most fascinating thing about Liston was the fact that his birth date is unknown. 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. Elizabeth Bear wrote the short story "Sonny Liston Takes the Fall", published in The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy in 2008. However, when Clay returned to his corner, he started complaining that there was something burning in his eyes and he could not see. Paul R Gallender, 2012. Mike DeJohn was the highest paid boxer at $15,000 while James Dickey received $20,000. RARE Sonny Liston Interview before the first Ali fight 1964 in Color Legends of Boxing in Color 22K views 10 months ago On the Spot show with Max Goldberg featuring the heavyweight champion. Although Clay often carried his gloves down at his waist, seemingly open to attack, he proved very difficult to hit. 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]. A lot of his life was mysterious and messy. The Murder of Sonny Liston: A Story of Fame, Heroin, Boxing & Las Vegas. A stoic Liston finished the fight, but lost in an eight-round split decision. Walcott then rushed back to the fighters, who had resumed boxing, and stopped the fightawarding Ali a first-round knockout victory. The suspension was honored in all states. Once he went down, I got excited. The Murder of Sonny Liston is an absorbing, albeit speculative, attempt at addressing the mystery that died with the man. 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. After Ali's win against Sonny Liston, he wouldn't . "Better get me out of this ring," exclaimed Wilson, "he is going to kill me! 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. Liston angrily responded by questioning whether Dempsey's failure to serve in World War I qualified him to moralize. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. [105], Singer/Songwriter Rod Picott wrote and recorded a song titled "Sonny Liston" for his 2022 album "Paper Hearts and Broken Arrows. [citation needed], The fight turned out to be a mismatch. Sonny Liston | Boxing's Most Intimidating and Unwanted Champion Rainy Day Boxing 302K subscribers 5.6M views 1 year ago Join Rainy Day Boxing for an in depth career tribute to arguably the most. Because of the shirt he wore during robberies, the St. Louis police called Liston the "Yellow Shirt Bandit." Liston went down at 1:44, got up at 1:56, and Walcott stopped the fight at 2:12. ", Ali clearly did not think he knocked Liston out. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. World light-heavyweight champion Jos Torres said, "It was a perfect punch." "Some songs just seem to reverberate with people.". 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. 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. They fought for a third time on March 6, 1956, which Liston won by a ten-round unanimous decision. A wax model of Liston appears in the front row of the iconic sleeve cover of the Beatles' Sgt. Carwin probably wasn't even that tall. It made a champion out of Clay, who declared that hed shook up the world.. He said it was taught to him by comedian and film actor Stepin Fetchit, who learned it from Jack Johnson. The mysterious life of Sonny Liston : r/Boxing - Reddit Underworld connections and his unrecorded dates of birth and death added to the enigma. A sudden violent combination delivered with 30 seconds left in the round electrified the crowd. Sonny Liston had a very sad upbringing & had to learn to survive at a young age. .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. Geraldine remembered her husband as "Great with me, great with the kids. "[96], Many people who knew Liston insisted he was afraid of needles and never would have used heroin. At one point in this attack, Liston was rocked as he was driven to the ropes. The Murder of Sonny Liston: A Story of Fame, Heroin, Boxing & Las Vegas Pan publisher; 2017. 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. r/boxing does not tolerate racism or intolerance of any kind. Two of the best-known are "The Boxer" by Simon and Garfunkel and "Hurricane" by Bob Dylan. Sonny Liston interview with Max Goldberg before his fight with Cassius He could have remained typecast as a musician performing rock songs. [30], Liston became the No. 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. Sonny Liston became world heavyweight champion in 1962 and fought Muhammad Ali twice In January 1971, former heavyweight champion of the world Sonny Liston was found dead at his Las Vegas. [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. "[35], U.S. President John F. Kennedy also did not want Patterson to fight Liston. [38], Patterson finally signed to meet Liston for the world title on September 25, 1962, in Comiskey Park in Chicago. "[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. Top contender Zora Folley was stopped in three rounds. Stuttgarter Amtsblatt No. (. Liston was a heavy favorite. "He was scared, he was scared of so many things," Knopfler said. Technically, contracts for boxing matches werent supposed to have rematch clauses, though pretty much all of them had some sort of loophole and agreement when each side wanted to guarantee a return bout again, the laws by which boxing governed itself were really more suggestions at the time. He also took his gun. December 1963 extended Interview with Champion Sonny Liston - discusses