", Hutchison, Phillip J. 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. The highly-anticipated May 1965 rematch between the heavyweight champions almost didn't happen. [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. [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. (2) Professional gambler Lem Banker insists that Liston was murdered by drug dealers with whom he'd become involved. Very Rare interview with Sonny Liston and Joe Louis. 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[105], Singer/Songwriter Rod Picott wrote and recorded a song titled "Sonny Liston" for his 2022 album "Paper Hearts and Broken Arrows. However, when Clay returned to his corner, he started complaining that there was something burning in his eyes and he could not see. No, I'm Alexanderhe's no Alexander. The Murder of Sonny Liston: A Story of Fame, Heroin, Boxing & Las Vegas. and he was pointing at some little bandage over the needle mark in his arm. From the opening bell Liston attempted to close with Clay, looking to land a hard punch to the head to end the fight quickly and decisively. His eyes swept the whole scene. Watch the interview you be the judge.. The Murder of Sonny Liston is an absorbing, albeit speculative, attempt at addressing the mystery that died with the man. There's never been anybody as ruthless. Muhammad Ali (at the time a rising contender named Cassius Clay), however, predicted a knockout by Liston in the first five rounds. [107] The story speculates that Liston threw the Ali match for the good of society. "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. Naturally, they decided that Ali would take on Liston. Liston won his final fight, a tough but one-sided match against future world title challenger Chuck Wepner in June 1970. A stoic Liston finished the fight, but lost in an eight-round split decision. [72], "I was an 'intimidator' until I fought Sonny Liston. However, there were again rumors of alcohol abuse in training. "He had a deadly fear of needles," said Davey Pearl, a boxing referee and friend of Liston's. "[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. 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. 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. Also, scar tissue, possibly from needle marks, was found in the bend of Liston's left elbow. Wepner needed 72 stitches and suffered a broken cheekbone and nose. [22], Early in his career, Liston faced capable opponents. The Murder of Sonny Liston: A Story of Fame, Heroin, Boxing & Las Vegas Pan publisher; 2017. On May 7, backers of the rematch ended the court battle by pulling the fight out of Boston. The year 1959 was a banner one for Liston: after knocking out contender Mike DeJohn in six rounds he faced Cleveland Williams, a fast-handed fighter who was billed as the hardest-hitting heavyweight in the world against whom he showed durability, power and skill, nullifying Williams' best work before stopping him in the third round. Because of the shirt he wore during robberies, the St. Louis police called Liston the "Yellow Shirt Bandit." When you can kill almost anybody in the world with your bare hands, you don't really have to go around proclaiming it to everyone. Tobe and Helen had 12 children together; Sonny was the second youngest child. After Liston arose, Walcott wiped off his gloves. Sonny Liston had a very sad upbringing & had to learn to survive at a young age. In his own words in Thomas Hauser's 1991 biography: "The punch jarred him. 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. The fight quickly descended into chaos. He was 6ft 1in (1.85m), and had an exceptionally powerful physique, with a disproportionately long reach at 84 inches (2.13m). 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 The victim sought out the executioner." Rogin called Liston's physique "awesomearms like fence posts, thighs like silos." He said they found Liston lying on his bed with a needle sticking out of his arm. [50] Knopfler, 55, said inspiration for the Liston song has been growing for a long time. Watch the interview you be the judge. [51], Liston failed to answer the bell for the seventh round, and Clay was declared the winner by technical knockout. 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. [30], Liston became the No. [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. [citation needed], The fight turned out to be a mismatch. [39] Leading up to the fight, Liston was an 85 betting favorite, although many picked Patterson to win. Tocco called the police, and they broke into the house. 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. And the face, it was an unforgettable face. In the 2015 British crime film Legend, Liston is played by Mark Theodore in a scene where gangster Reggie Kray poses for a picture with the boxer. Referee Jersey Joe Walcott, a former world heavyweight champion, had a hard time getting Ali to go to a neutral corner. "He told me in the strictest confidence, but it was like he wanted to get it off his chest." Mark Knopfler's tribute to Liston, "Song for Sonny Liston", appeared on his 2004 album Shangri-La. The most iconic photo in boxing history documents the knockout that almost nobody saw happen. "There was nothing Sonny feared more than a needle. "Johnny wasn't a braggart," Davi told Liston biographer Paul Gallender. He had been deliberately snubbed. My man. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. With the proceeds, he traveled to St. Louis to live with his mother. After Ali's win against Sonny Liston, he wouldn't . [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. A grateful Liston found there was no need to give chase. "[35], Patterson and Liston had a rematch clause in their contract.
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sonny liston interview