Geraldine remembered her husband as "Great with me, great with the kids. 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. On May 7, backers of the rematch ended the court battle by pulling the fight out of Boston. The highly-anticipated May 1965 rematch between the heavyweight champions almost didn't happen. He returned with four consecutive knockout victories in Sweden between July 1966 and April 1967, all four co-promoted by former world heavyweight champion Ingemar Johansson. His defense was described as "the gate-crossing of arms la Archie Moore. I know!" 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. said Liston's Philadelphia dentist, Dr. Nick Ragni. Boston: Little, Brown. After he won the title, Liston relocated to Denver permanently, saying, "I'd rather be a lamppost in Denver than the mayor of Philadelphia. With the proceeds, he traveled to St. Louis to live with his mother. Ali would lose his title a year later, though it didnt happen in the ring. The previous month, Schreibauer had won a bronze medal in the European Championships. It is hardly the first recording by a rock musician about boxing. In his 1965 rematch with Ali, Liston suffered an unexpected first-round knockout that led to unresolved suspicions of a fix. That would prove to be an understatement. Sad how they portrayed sonny in such a negative light he seems like a genuinely kind person. After repeated overnight detention by the St. Louis police and a thinly veiled threat to his life, Liston left for Philadelphia. 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. And, while Patterson was growing as a fighter, Sonny was taking on mostly journeyman and starting to age. [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". "[94], A bronze copy of a marble statue of Liston sculpted by Alfred Hrdlicka in 1964 was erected in 2008 between Old Castle and Karlsplatz in Stuttgart, Germany. "He said, 'Cut the gloves off. He was still a world-ranked boxer when he died in mysterious circumstances in 1970. Liston won his final fight, a tough but one-sided match against future world title challenger Chuck Wepner in June 1970. [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. interview with Alex Haley in Muhammad Ali by Thomas Hauser. I was down but not hurt, but I looked up and saw Ali standing over me. [72], "I was an 'intimidator' until I fought Sonny Liston. "[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. kos k.o.s ko.s knockouts fight of the year joe louis lewis primo carnera buddy max baer tony galento lamon brewster monte barrett barret amir khan oleg maskaev nicolai valuev nikolai joe calzaghe sergej sergey liakhovich liakovich shannon briggs evander holyfield zultan ibragimov sultan meldrick taylor pauli ayala paul spadafora prince prinze naseem hamed naz johnny tapia john ruiz wilfredo gomez wilfried benitez george foreman big ron lyle earnie shavers joe frazier ken norton angelo dundee eddie futch riddick bowe Henry Akinwande Muhammad Ali Max Baer Michael Bentt Riddick Bowe James J. Braddock Shannon Briggs Tommy Burns Primo Carnera Ruslan Chagaev Ezzard Charles Gerrie Coetzee James J. Corbett Francesco Damiani Jack Dempsey Michael Dokes Jimmy Ellis Bob Fitzsimmons Joe Frazier Marvin Hart Herbie Hide Evander Holyfield James J. Jeffries Ingemar Johansson Jack Johnson Vitali Klitschko Sonny Liston Joe Louis Rocky Marciano Ray Mercer Tommy Morrison Greg Page Floyd Patterson John Ruiz Max Schmeling Bruce Seldon Jack Sharkey James Smith John L. Sullivan John Tate Ernie Terrell Tony Tubbs Nikolay Valuev Jersey Joe Walcott Mike Weaver Jess Willard Tim Witherspoon Muhammad Ali Lou Ambers Sammy Angott Fred Apostoli Ray Arcel Alexis Argello Baby Arizmendi Henry Armstrong Abe Attell Max Baer Caleb Baldwin Carmen Basilio Wilfred Bentez Nino Benvenuti Jack Kid Berg Jimmy Bivins Umberto Branchini Joe Brown Panama Al Brown Ken Buchanan Charley Burley Orlando Canizales Miguel Canto Tony Canzoneri Michael Carbajal Jem Carney Jimmy Carter Marcel Cerdan Antonio Cervantes Bobby Chacon Arthur Chambers Ezzard Charles Kid Chocolate Joe Choynski Stanley Christodoulou Billy Conn Eugne Criqui Jos Cuevas Jack Dempsey Jack (Nonpareil) Dempsey Jack Dillon Professor Mike Donovan Paddy Duffy Don Dunphy Roberto Durn Lou Duva Billy Edwards Gabriel Elorde Jeff Fenech Bob Fitzsimmons George Foreman Bob Foster Joe Frazier Gene Fullmer Khaosai Galaxy Vctor Galndez Joe Gans Kid Gaviln Joey Giardello Mike Gibbons Wilfredo Gmez Humberto Mike Tyson At one point, Liston had Clay against the ropes and landed a hard left hook. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Mark Knopfler's tribute to Liston, "Song for Sonny Liston", appeared on his 2004 album Shangri-La. During these same years Sonny Liston was on the comeback trail as well. Cleveland Williams was the last person to defeat Liston and made $100,000 for his efforts. To this day, I'm convinced that's what the coroner saw in his examthat hospital needle mark. Geraldine called Liston's attorney and his doctor, but did not notify the police until two to three hours later. Ali called it "the anchor punch." He could have remained typecast as a musician performing rock songs. During the interim, officials in Boston also got cold feet. Joe Louis commenting on TV at ringside said "It's looking good for Sonny Liston". (. Known for his powerful punch, the majority of his victories were knockouts. Mark Knopfler enjoyed widespread popularity in the 1980's as the leader of Dire Straits, lending his husky voice to hit songs like "Sultans of Swing" and "Money for Nothing." 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. Caputo, one of the investigating police officers, "The whole department knew about it." [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. Anyone can read what you share. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. [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. The Murder of Sonny Liston: A Story of Fame, Heroin, Boxing & Las Vegas Pan publisher; 2017. After two rounds, Wilson had taken enough. There are echoes of slavery in his upbringing." Time magazine said Liston had worked himself into the best shape of his career. [38], Patterson finally signed to meet Liston for the world title on September 25, 1962, in Comiskey Park in Chicago. Felix later said Clay was seconds from being disqualified. "[96], Many people who knew Liston insisted he was afraid of needles and never would have used heroin. Rare interview of Sonny Liston colorized. Sit down!' More on that in a second. The story goes that Liston was born somewhere . Walcott never did pick up the count. His eyes swept the whole scene. [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. After demolishing these top-ranked fighters in the heavyweight division, Liston was regarded as the top-contender champion-in-waiting. Suddenly, the world had to come to grips with a new kind of heavyweight champion. 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. 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 photo depicted Ali standing over his opponent, Sonny Liston, after delivering a final blow that knocked Liston to the ground. [36], Jack Dempsey spoke for many when he was quoted as saying that Sonny Liston should not be allowed to fight for the title. 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. 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. Very Rare interview with Sonny Liston and Joe Louis. 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Sonny Liston had a very sad upbringing & had to learn to survive at a young age. He said they found Liston lying on his bed with a needle sticking out of his arm. You could feel the deflation, see the look of hurt in his eyes. C'mon now, this is for the title, this is the big apple. Two of the best-known are "The Boxer" by Simon and Garfunkel and "Hurricane" by Bob Dylan. 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. A wax model of Liston appears in the front row of the iconic sleeve cover of the Beatles' Sgt. 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. [45][46] A clearly angered Liston rallied at the end of the round when Clay seemed tired, delivering punishing body shots. They fought for a third time on March 6, 1956, which Liston won by a ten-round unanimous decision. Liston said he quit because of a shoulder injury. Patterson wanted a chance to redeem himself, so they met again on July 22, 1963, in Las Vegas. However, there were again rumors of alcohol abuse in training. [16] Listonaged around 13, according to his later reckoningsremained in Arkansas with his father. Roy Harris, who had gone 13 rounds with Floyd Patterson in a title match, was crushed in one round by Liston. "I was rooting around in my childhood, maybe the way you do when you get to a certain age," 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." "A blues song just for fighters: The legend of Sonny Liston. 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. [99] (3) The mob promised Liston some money to throw the second Ali fight, but they never paid him. Stuttgarter Amtsblatt No. "He was afraid of needles," echoed Father Edward Murphy. 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. Liston retired in his corner due to an inflamed shoulder. I remember thinking as a child that this was a man who wanted to be left alone.". The second fight? Helen had one child before she married Tobe, and Tobe had 13 children with his first wife. "I remember him telling me one day that he found himself watching boxing but he didn't like the way it made him feel," Knopfler said. 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. Carwin probably wasn't even that tall. [94], Liston was buried at Paradise Memorial Gardens in Las Vegas, Nevada. 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.. that startles everyone in a 100 foot radius. In his own words in Thomas Hauser's 1991 biography: "The punch jarred him. 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 [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. [67] Some felt the knockdown was real but the knockout was fake. It made a champion out of Clay, who declared that hed shook up the world.. The connections to organized crime were an advantage early in his career but were later used against him. Although Clay often carried his gloves down at his waist, seemingly open to attack, he proved very difficult to hit. Theories regarding the circumstance of Liston's death. "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. Shaun Assael wrote "The Murder of Sonny Liston: Las Vegas, Heroin, and Heavyweights", published in 2016. 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.