", Ali clearly did not think he knocked Liston out. 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. 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. Dr. Alexander Robbins, chief physician for the Miami Beach Boxing Commission, diagnosed Liston with a torn tendon in his left shoulder. The Murder of Sonny Liston is an absorbing, albeit speculative, attempt at addressing the mystery that died with the man. Liston was allegedly present at dealer Earl Cage's residence during a raid by narcotics detectives.
We cooked up that shoulder thing on the spot. Controversy followed with claims that Liston had been drinking heavily the night before the fight and had entered the bout with a lame shoulder. I didn't think it was a powerful punch when I saw the fight from ringside," he said. My man.
On This Day: Muhammad Ali knocks out Sonny Liston with - The Ring Like Dylan's subject, Rubin Carter, Knopfler's version of Liston is sympathetic. In the sixth round, he carried it at belt level so that it was of no help in warding off the right crosses with which Clay probed at the cut under his left eye." Sonny was definitely a specimen. "A blues song just for fighters: The legend of Sonny Liston. However, when Clay returned to his corner, he started complaining that there was something burning in his eyes and he could not see. 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. Sonny Liston in his prime . The suspension was honored in all states. ", Still, some found it hard to believe that the punch could have floored a man like Liston. 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 said he quit because of a shoulder injury. 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. Ali biographer Wilfrid Sheed wrote, in his Muhammad Ali: A Portrait in Words and Photographs, that Liston planned to throw the fight for reasons unknown and used the legitimate first-round knockdown for that end. [50] Asked by a young white reporter why he was not fighting for freedom in the South, Liston deadpanned, "I ain't got no dog-proof ass. [70] There have been a number of unproven theories as to the background to the purported dive including that Liston was threatened by the Muslims, or agreed to lose in return for a share in the more marketable Ali's future purses. And Tex Maule of Sports Illustrated wrote, "The blow had so much force it lifted Liston's left foot, upon which most of his weight was resting, well off the canvas. Dennis Caputo of the Clark County Sheriff's Department was one of the first officers on the scene. After Ali's win against Sonny Liston, he wouldn't . ", During an era when white journalists still described black athletes in stereotypes, Liston had long been a target of racially charged slurs; he was called a "gorilla" and "a jungle beast" in print. 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.". Very Rare interview with Sonny Liston and Joe Louis. 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Liston assaulted the officer, breaking his knee and gashing his face. The Murder of Sonny Liston: A Story of Fame, Heroin, Boxing & Las Vegas Pan publisher; 2017. [12], Liston never complained about prison, saying he was guaranteed three meals every day. At the IBHOF, the casts of Listons hands were bigger than Lennox Lewis' which were also gigantic. It'll just be for slow guitar, soft trumpet and a bell.". "[68], While Liston publicly denied taking a dive, Sports Illustrated writer Mark Kram said that years later Liston told him, "That guy [Ali] was crazy. "[35] Although largely illiterate through lack of schooling, Liston was a more complex and interesting individual than has often been acknowledged. ", Chuck Wepner on Liston's intimidating appearance. "He was afraid of needles," echoed Father Edward Murphy. 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. 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. Joe Louis commenting on TV at ringside said "It's looking good for Sonny Liston". Ali called it "the anchor punch." "It was common knowledge that Sonny was a heroin addict," said Sgt. knockout kimbo slice evander holyfield nogueira wladimir vitali klitschko haye mma brutal bareknuckle headbutt lowblow foul dirty boxer funny bob sapp david cesar chavez joe frazier rocky marciano larry holmes felix trinidad jackson new tribute video highlight dirtiest best brock lesnar julio cesar ricky hatton randy couture israel vasquez juan manuel marquez antonio margarito felix tito trinidad antonio rodrigo minotauro marco antonio barrera john ruiz freddie roach hector camacho pernell whitaker willie pep sugar ray robinson shane mosley antonio tarver roy jones joe cortez lennox lewis david haye haymaker wladimir vitali vladimir klitschko klitchko prediction prefight postfight press conferencetex cobb gerry cooney jerry pierre coetzer floyd roger mayweather arturo gatti rocky graziano graciano tony zale dariusz michalczewski rocky rocchigiani henry maske james toney vassily jirov vasily unbelievable knockout ko k.o. Alois Stevens, suggested to Liston that he try boxing, and his obvious aptitude, along with an endorsement from Stevens, who was also a priest, aided Liston in getting an early parole. Some found it suspicious that authorities could not locate any drug paraphernalia that Liston presumably would have needed to inject the fatal dose, such as a spoon to cook the heroin or a tourniquet to wrap around his arm. According to a New York Times report the day after the fight, Clay was indeed an official member of the Nation of Islam. Charles L. "Sonny" Liston (c.1930 December 30, 1970) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1953 to 1970. QUESTION 1 (2) Professional gambler Lem Banker insists that Liston was murdered by drug dealers with whom he'd become involved. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. 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. Carwin probably wasn't even that tall. [20], Liston signed a contract in September 1953, proclaiming: "Whatever you tell me to do, I'll do. In the third round, Marshall nailed Listonreportedly while he was laughingand broke his jaw. Concert Preview/Interview: John Lodge of the Moody Blues on Reprising "Days of Future Passed . Anyone can read what you share. But he spoke to his friend Resnick on the day of the fight and was told not to bet on the champion. [42], Liston's run-ins with the police had continued in Philadelphia. Stevens organized a sparring session with a professional heavyweight named Thurman Wilson to showcase Liston's potential. This is a place for friendly and civil debate about the greatest sport on earth. r/boxing does not tolerate racism or intolerance of any kind. After two rounds, Wilson had taken enough. The film starred Ving Rhames as Liston and was produced by Rhames, Hassain Zaidi and Marek Posival. To this day, I'm convinced that's what the coroner saw in his examthat hospital needle mark.
10 Wild Stories From The Life Of Sonny Liston - Listverse [97], "The month before he died, some guy ran into Sonny while he was making a left turn. 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. "He was scared, he was scared of so many things," Knopfler said. Banker said he was told by police that Liston had been seen at a house that would be the target of a drug raid. The toxicology report said his body was too decomposed for the tests to be conclusive. 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. Clay confessed later he had been hurt by the punch, but Liston was unable to press his advantage home. There were some, however, who believed the fight was legitimate. But others contend he just was not the same Liston. Many did not see the punch land, and some who did questioned that it was powerful enough to knock Liston out.