"He was scared, he was scared of so many things," Knopfler said. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. In the novel, Liston not only drinks but also pops pills and works as a sometime enforcer for a heroin ring in Las Vegas. 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. A wax model of Liston appears in the front row of the iconic sleeve cover of the Beatles' Sgt. "[95], Sgt. Arthur Daley of the New York Times wrote that Liston's handlers knew he "didn't have it anymore,"[65] and allegedly they had secretly paid sparring partner Amos Lincoln an extra $100 to take it easy on him -[citation needed] - the same man, incidentally, that Liston dismissed in less than two rounds a full three years later. And I said, 'Whoa, whoa, back up, baby. [76][77] Foreman stated: "There wasn't anything missing from Sonny Liston. A few months after Alis fight, Liston was dead from lung congestion though even that was shrouded in mystery and controversy. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. There was something caustic in both eyes." Dr. Alexander Robbins, chief physician for the Miami Beach Boxing Commission, diagnosed Liston with a torn tendon in his left shoulder. Liston's story, Knopfler said, "is great for a writer for many reasons. 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. [61] The new date was set for May 25, 1965. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Then again, you can also have guys like Ali or Mike Tyson. Muhammad Ali called it his "anchor punch," a quick right hand that the young heavyweight champion claimed he had learned from his friend, actor Stepin Fetchit. 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. He had a whiplash, so they took him to the hospital," said boxing trainer Johnny Tocco. [87], Liston was found dead by his wife, Geraldine, in their Las Vegas home on January 5, 1971. Frank Mir was around that height and was noticeably taller than Carwin. #muhammadali #henrycooper #sonnyliston #dougjones #heavyweight #greatness #boxing #legend #larryholmes #ironmike #sonnyliston #intimidating #bad #big #greatb. "[96], Many people who knew Liston insisted he was afraid of needles and never would have used heroin. Traduo Context Corretor Sinnimos Conjugao Conjugao Documents Dicionrio Dicionrio Colaborativo Gramtica Expressio Reverso Corporate Paul R Gallender, 2012. He was also seeking to prove himself after his two embarrassing and suspicious losses to Ali. 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. [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. [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. 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.. You've seen him before but probably didn't realize it because the most famous photo ever taken of Sonny was not at his best angle. Sonny Liston vs Eddie Machen (1960) As usual, Liston wasted no time throwing his jab and keeping Machen at bay, who was trying to get his hands off with minimal success. He won eight fights that year, six by knockout. Liston angrily responded by questioning whether Dempsey's failure to serve in World War I qualified him to moralize. We had a return bout clause with Clay, but if you say your guy just quit, who is gonna get a return bout? 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". It was 1965, not 1955. [33], Civic leaders were also reluctant, worrying that Liston's unsavory character would set a bad example for youth. [50] [8], Liston turned to crime and led a gang of thugs who committed muggings and armed robberies. Liston decked Martin with a left hook in the fourth round and dominated most of the fight, but Martin came back and knocked Liston out cold in the ninth round. "It was common knowledge that Sonny was a heroin addict," said Sgt. "The timekeeper was waving both hands and saying, 'I counted him outthe fight is over,'" Walcott said after the fight. [21], Liston made his professional debut on September 2, 1953, knocking out Don Smith in the first round in St. Louis, where he fought his first five bouts. The Murder of Sonny Liston: A Story of Fame, Heroin, Boxing & Las Vegas Pan publisher; 2017. His eyes swept the whole scene. He would not close in until the accumulated inside damage and Liston's own frustration had sapped the challenger's strength and will." 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. His death was, too. A dominant contender of his era, he became the world heavyweight champion in 1962 after knocking out Floyd Patterson in the first round, repeating the knockout the following year in defense of the title; in the latter fight he also became the inaugural WBC heavyweight . It was more likely that Liston was out of shape according to a story in Esquire at the time, Liston trained as normal, running around five miles a day, eating hot dogs and drinking beer. He was also possibly much older than his listed 32 years than anything else Liston was the second-youngest of 25 children to parents who didnt exactly keep records of birthdates. Boston: Little, Brown. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [17] The athletic director at Missouri State Penitentiary, Rev. After Liston arose, Walcott wiped off his gloves. Odds makers gave Liston 71 to win. Carwin probably wasn't even that tall. Soon, he was known as Cassius X, eschewing the last name given to his enslaved family by their owners. QUESTION 1 [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. Jim Murray of the Los Angeles Times wrote that it was "no phantom punch." 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. All Rights Reserved. Charles L. "Sonny" Liston (c.1930 December 30, 1970) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1953 to 1970. He also wrote that Liston's win over Patterson proved that "in a fair fight between good and evil, evil must win." His fists measured 15 inches (38cm) around, the largest of any heavyweight champion. Gallender claimed, "A lot of officers knew Sonny was dead before Geraldine returned home on January 5, but they chose to let him rot. Very rare interview of Sonny Liston talking about how he got started in boxing, his fights with Williams and Patterson and his training routine. 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 death under mysterious circumstances. Knopfler, 55, said inspiration for the Liston song has been growing for a long time. I forgot about the rules." In the 2001 film Ali, Liston was portrayed by former WBO Heavyweight Champion Michael Bentt. ", It was later theorized that a substance used on Liston's cuts by Joe Pollino, his cut man, may have caused the irritation. Dave Anderson of the New York Times said Liston "looked awful" in his last workout before the fight. Liston went down on his back. [99] (3) The mob promised Liston some money to throw the second Ali fight, but they never paid him. Writer Jack McKinney said, "I watched Sonny. 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. 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. On the album's lyric sheet, below the Liston song, Knopfler includes a famous quotation from Liston from 1962: "Some day, they're gonna write a blues for fighters. The second round saw Liston continue to pursue Clay. Liston knocked out Hermann Schreibauer of West Germany at 2:16 of the first round. As the years passed and Liston's financial situation worsened, he got angry and told the mob he would go public with the story unless they gave him the money. [97], "The month before he died, some guy ran into Sonny while he was making a left turn. [67] Some felt the knockdown was real but the knockout was fake. 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. Clay countered in verse, "If you want to lose your money, then bet on Sonny! Liston was supremely confident of easily beating Clay, trained minimally for the fight and went ahead with it despite an injury to his left shoulder.[44]. He rolled over, got to his right knee and then fell on his back again. There's something really primal about the whole thing, obviously. [20], Liston signed a contract in September 1953, proclaiming: "Whatever you tell me to do, I'll do. For Sonny Liston, a Ballad to a Heavyweight, https://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/13/sports/othersports/for-sonny-liston-a-ballad-to-a-heavyweight.html. . [101], Liston played a fist fighter in the 1965 film Harlow, made a cameo appearance in the 1968 film Head, which starred The Monkees, and played the part of The Farmer in the 1970 film Moonfire, which starred Richard Egan and Charles Napier. Wepner, who also fought George Foreman and Muhammad Ali, said after his career was over that Liston was the hardest puncher he faced. This victory is regarded by some as Liston's most impressive performance. [36], Jack Dempsey spoke for many when he was quoted as saying that Sonny Liston should not be allowed to fight for the title. The most iconic photo in boxing history documents the knockout that almost nobody saw happen. I dont have to be what you want me to be, Clay told agitated reporters. Anyone can read what you share. Suffolk County, where Boston is located, ultimately pulled the plug, leaving them without a venue with less than a month to go. I want to prove to the world there's dirty work afoot.' 589 Share 23K views 1 year ago Rare interview of Sonny Liston colorized. Be respectful and come chat with us. It is hardly the first recording by a rock musician about boxing. The highly-anticipated May 1965 rematch between the heavyweight champions almost didn't happen. Very rare interview of Sonny Liston talking about how he got started in boxing, his fights with Williams and Patterson and his training routine. Sonny Liston, I think was possibly the greatest intimidator of all time. Patterson, a 4-1 betting underdog, was knocked down three times and counted out at 2:10 of the first round. Liston was knocked down in the first round, but came back to control the next two rounds and had Griffin hanging on at the end. Elizabeth Bear wrote the short story "Sonny Liston Takes the Fall", published in The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy in 2008. On September 7, 1954, Liston suffered defeat for the first time in his eighth professional fight, losing to Marty Marshall, a journeyman with an awkward style. Audiences at home were confused and outraged. The Murder of Sonny Liston is an absorbing, albeit speculative, attempt at addressing the mystery that died with the man. Referee Jersey Joe Walcott, a former world heavyweight champion, had a hard time getting Ali to go to a neutral corner. In that same book Liston was quoted two years after the fight: "Ali knocked me down with a sharp punch. Sit down!' It'll just be for slow guitar, soft trumpet and a bell.". The previous month, Schreibauer had won a bronze medal in the European Championships. To this day, I'm convinced that's what the coroner saw in his examthat hospital needle mark. The second fight? Liston was depicted as a bad guy by the media, a handbreaker for the mafia. You could feel the deflation, see the look of hurt in his eyes. [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". While valuing the photograph, appraiser Kathleen Guzman told. Walcott never began a count in the ring because of Ali's non-compliance and his physical struggle with getting Ali to go to that neutral corner. McDonough, however, claimed Walcott was looking at the crowd and never at him. Suddenly, the world had to come to grips with a new kind of heavyweight champion. Liston biographer Paul Gallender claims that Liston fathered several children, though none with his wife. He was poking the bear a bit there . But by the sixth round his sight had cleared, and a clearly enraged Clay fought a blisteringly aggressive round landing numerous combination punches. Sonny Liston in his prime . [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. In an Associated Press poll, 64 of 102 reporters picked Patterson. The official time of the stoppage was announced as 1:00 into the first round, which was wrong. [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. BOXING Correction: July 15, 2005, Friday A sports picture caption on Wednesday with an article about Mark Knopfler's ballad for the boxer Sonny Liston referred incorrectly in some copies to the year in which Muhammad Ali knocked out Liston in Lewiston, Me. Liston assaulted the officer, breaking his knee and gashing his face. Banker said he was told by police that Liston had been seen at a house that would be the target of a drug raid. People around the world tuned in via satellite to watch the match, which was fought in front of 2,434 paying ticket-holders, the smallest crowd in heavyweight championship fight history; people there suggested the crowd was more like 4,000, but nonetheless, it was a very small in-person audience. 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. A dominant contender of his era, he became the world heavyweight champion in 1962 after knocking out Floyd Patterson in the first round, repeating the knockout the following year in defense of the title; in the latter fight he also became the inaugural WBC heavyweight champion. Mark Knopfler's tribute to Liston, "Song for Sonny Liston", appeared on his 2004 album Shangri-La. [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. Knopfler said he enjoys boxing and other sports but reflected on a conversation he had with a friend about the fights. At one point, Liston had Clay against the ropes and landed a hard left hook. "[54] Hall of Fame matchmaker Teddy Brenner also disputed the shoulder injury, claiming he saw Liston use the same arm to throw a chair in his dressing room after the match. (4) Liston was supposed to take a dive when he fought Chuck Wepner six months earlier, and killing him was payback for his failure to do so. Although Clay often carried his gloves down at his waist, seemingly open to attack, he proved very difficult to hit. Rode with the muggers in the dark and dread and all them sluggers went down like lead. During the fourth round Liston appeared dominant as Clay coasted, keeping his distance. [42], Liston's run-ins with the police had continued in Philadelphia. The NAACP had urged Patterson not to fight Liston, fearing that a Liston victory would hurt the civil rights movement. There were some, however, who believed the fight was legitimate. Emily Post would probably recommend a ticker-tape parade. Midway through the first round, Liston threw a left jab and Ali went over it with a fast right, knocking the former champion down. It burned like hell. I was down but not hurt, but I looked up and saw Ali standing over me. But others contend he just was not the same Liston. 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. In this case, Intercontinental Promotions Inc., which had the rights to Listons fight, also got to choose the first opponent for the new champion, should Liston lose. Never seen this one before, thanks alot. ", Knopfler compared writing a song about Liston to the work a sculptor performs on a statue. 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. ", This page was last edited on 7 February 2023, at 06:36. Concert Preview/Interview: John Lodge of the Moody Blues on Reprising "Days of Future Passed . Authorities theorized that he was undressing for bed when he fell over backward with such force that he broke the rail of the bench. [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. "You're putting things on and you're taking this out and molding it," Knopfler said. 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]. 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." [56] Sports Illustrated writer Tex Maule wrote that Liston's shoulder injury was legitimate. He was hardly leading a life of health and fitness. And it was probably for the best ticket-buyers didnt exactly get their moneys worth. Liston was particularly known for his immense strength, formidable jab, long reach, toughness, and his infamously intimidating appearance. 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. [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. Philadelphia wanted nothing to do with him. Liston retired in his corner due to an inflamed shoulder. I'm Sonny Liston, I'm Jack Dempsey, there's no one like I'm from their . [24], In 1958, Liston returned to boxing. "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. He also had a reputation for bullying people such as porters and waitresses. [62] The promoters needed a new location quickly, whatever the size, to rescue their closed-circuit television commitment around the country. [34] Many African-Americans disdained Liston. He rounded out the year by stopping Nino Valdez and Willi Besmanoff. [74], Writer Gilbert Rogin assessed Liston's style and physique after his win over Zora Folley. 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. But a Senate subcommittee hearing turned up no evidence of any match-fixing, and doctors confirmed his explanation that hed taken such damage to his shoulder that he couldnt feel his arm. [73] The bout was stopped after the ninth round due to cuts over both of Wepner's eyes. Sonny Liston had a very sad upbringing & had to learn to survive at a young age. The torn tendon had bled down into the mass of the biceps, swelling and numbing the arm. 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.