Philadelphia wanted nothing to do with him. "He said, 'Cut the gloves off. Tosches, Nick (2000). In these feckless clinches he only managed to tie up one of Liston's arms. Patterson's fatal mistake was that he "did not punch enough and frequently tried to clinch with Liston. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band He is seen in the far left of the first row, wearing a white and gold robe. We cooked up that shoulder thing on the spot. In an Associated Press poll, 64 of 102 reporters picked Patterson. The former heavyweight champion is perhaps best known for being laid out on the canvas by Muhammad Ali in one of the sports most iconic bouts. [97], "The month before he died, some guy ran into Sonny while he was making a left turn. Sonny Liston fought for only $10,000 during his career. For confetti we can use torn-up arrest warrants." A lot of his life was mysterious and messy. Liston angrily responded by questioning whether Dempsey's failure to serve in World War I qualified him to moralize. "He had a deadly fear of needles," said Davey Pearl, a boxing referee and friend of Liston's. 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. In his sixth bout, he faced ranked heavyweight Johnny Summerlin (18-1-2) on national television and won in an eight-round decision. [94], Liston was buried at Paradise Memorial Gardens in Las Vegas, Nevada. To this day, I'm convinced that's what the coroner saw in his examthat hospital needle mark. Authorities theorized that he was undressing for bed when he fell over backward with such force that he broke the rail of the bench. "[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. Overall, Liston earned around $500,000 during his career. Cassius Clay is embraced by his handlers after he won the world heavyweight championship on a TKO over Sonny Liston in the 7th round. The connections to organized crime were an advantage early in his career but were later used against him. Referee Jersey Joe Walcott, a former world heavyweight champion, had a hard time getting Ali to go to a neutral corner. The date of death listed on his death certificate is December 30, 1970,[90] which police estimated by judging the number of milk bottles and newspapers around the front door of the property. Because of that, Cage may have thought Sonny was an informant and shot him with a hot dose as retribution. There are no official records of his birth His home state of Arkansas did not make birth certificates mandatory until 1965, but people believe he was born sometime around 1930-1932. Born into poverty and the 12 th of 13 children born to Tobe and Helen Liston (and the 24 th of 25 children fathered by Tobe in total), Sonny did not enjoy a privileged upbringing. Liston knocked out Hermann Schreibauer of West Germany at 2:16 of the first round. 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. Liston won 14 consecutive bouts, 13 by knockout, before fighting third-ranked Leotis Martin, previously beaten by Clark, in December 1969. Former champions James J. Braddock, Jersey Joe Walcott, Ezzard Charles, Rocky Marciano and Ingemar Johansson all picked Patterson to win. Walcott then rushed back to the fighters, who had resumed boxing, and stopped the fightawarding Ali a first-round knockout victory. [85] Geraldine had a daughter from a previous marriage, and the Listons subsequently adopted a boy from Sweden. "Nat Fleischer [editor of The Ring] was sitting beside McDonough and he was waving his hands, too, saying it was over." Gallender claimed, "A lot of officers knew Sonny was dead before Geraldine returned home on January 5, but they chose to let him rot. Sonny Liston stands over Albert Westphal in first round of bout in Philadelphia, Dec. 4, 1961. "He was afraid of needles," echoed Father Edward Murphy. In his 1965 rematch with Ali, Liston suffered an unexpected first-round knockout that led to unresolved suspicions of a fix. February 25, 1964. He inflicted whippings so severe on Sonny that the scars were still visible in the ring decades later as an adult. Liston is a Hall of Famer. And, while Patterson was growing as a fighter, Sonny was taking on mostly journeyman and starting to age. On May 5, 1956, a policeman confronted Liston and a friend about a cab parked near Liston's home. [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". Others have said he may have been murdered in some sort of mob killing. He was paroled after serving six months of a nine-month sentence, and was not prohibited from boxing during 1957. The previous month, Schreibauer had won a bronze medal in the European Championships. Facebook gives. The two American fighters met again 15 months later, Ali winning . Liston, with a 25-pound weight advantage, 214lb (97kg) to 189lb (86kg), knocked out Patterson at 2:06 of the first round, putting him down for the count with a powerful left hook to the jaw. Liston went down on his back. According to Liston's trainer, Willie Reddish, Liston cancelled a planned tour to Africa in 1963 because he refused to get the required inoculations. SO here are four theories behind who killed Sonny Liston at only the age of 40. Inter-Continental said local veteran Sam Silverman was the promoter. Tocco called the police, and they broke into the house. He died on December 30, 1970 at the age of 38 years. Sports Illustrated predicted a Patterson victory in 15 rounds, stating: "Sonny has neither Floyd's speed nor the versatility of his attack. With the proceeds, he traveled to St. Louis to live with his mother. Sonny Liston, once the heavyweight champ, died at the age of who-knows-what some days before Dec. 30, 1970. Dennis Caputo of the Clark County Sheriff's Department was one of the first officers on the scene. [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. All of us encounter trouble from time to time in our lives. This victory is regarded by some as Liston's most impressive performance. Both fights were filled with controversy that is probably enough for another blog, but this iconic picture from their fight was the one I referred to above. But the year of Sonny's birth, like the circumstances of his death, remain a mystery. I wasn't hit. Wepner, who also fought George Foreman and went 15 rounds with Ali before being knocked out (that fight was Stallones inspiration for Rocky), said after his career was over that Liston was by far the hardest puncher he faced. In 2013 the son of a deceased mafia hitman published a book claiming that his father confessed to murdering Liston via forced drug overdose. He said he could not hear McDonough, who did not have a microphone. [61] The new date was set for May 25, 1965. A wax model of Liston appears in the front row of the iconic sleeve cover of the Beatles' Sgt. "Johnny wasn't a braggart," Davi told Liston biographer Paul Gallender. His father Tobe loved to fuck. But former Las Vegas police Sgt. Meaning Sonny was number 24 out of 25 kids. Hall of Fame announcer Don Dunphy said, "Here was a guy who was in prison and the guards used to beat him over the head with clubs and couldn't knock him down." Charles "Sonny" Liston was an enigma that, by way of testimonial, put fear in the hearts of men all throughout the 1960s. Banker said he was told by police that Liston had been seen at a house that would be the target of a drug raid. Ali's impressive start to his career earned him a shot at Sonny Liston for the Won WBA, WBC, The Ring, and lineal heavyweight titles in his 20th career fight in February 1964. Joe Louis commenting on TV at ringside said "It's looking good for Sonny Liston". Birth 1935 - County Limerick, Ireland. The Devil and Sonny Liston. Sonny Liston is a remarkable physical specimen, and seldom if ever has a fighter so dominated the sport by sheer muscular mass. He had been deliberately snubbed. 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. [62] The promoters needed a new location quickly, whatever the size, to rescue their closed-circuit television commitment around the country. [11][12][10][13][14] One writer concluded that Liston's most plausible date of birth was July 22, 1930, citing census records and statements from his mother during her lifetime. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. JustinvR Brown Belt. Wepner needed 72 stitches and suffered a broken cheekbone and nose. Patterson finally agreed to meet Liston for the world title on September 25, 1962, in Comiskey Park in Chicago And everyone had Patterson. Join Facebook to connect with Daniel 'Sonny' Liston and others you may know. Underworld connections and his unrecorded dates of birth and death added to the enigma. After some run-ins with the law near St Louis, Liston moved to Philly and picked up a new manager in 1958: another mafia guy named Joseph "Pep" Barone, who was a front man for mobsters Frankie Carbo and Frank "Blinky" Palermo. A sudden violent combination delivered with 30 seconds left in the round electrified the crowd. You can listen to it at your leisure, or read about it now. He was 6ft 1in (1.85m), and had an exceptionally powerful physique, with a disproportionately long reach at 84 inches (2.13m). A grateful Liston found there was no need to give chase. "But can he hit!" 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. 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. So I went down. Although Clay often carried his gloves down at his waist, seemingly open to attack, he proved very difficult to hit. [7] Liston was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991. Floyd Patterson was Ben Mintz's "Minty Lock Of The Week" and Megan Makin' Moneyloved Patterson in a decision. It's widely accepted that Liston, a former heavyweight boxing champ, died from an accidental heroin overdose in 1970. [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 heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali stood over Sonny Liston in the first round of their title fight in Lewiston, Me., on May 25, 1965, and was heard to say, "Get up and fight, sucker!" John . The second fight lasted only four seconds longer than Part I's first-round KO, but Liston's victory was still loudly booed. The fight quickly descended into chaos. Sonny couldnt read or write because his father worked him in the fields from the time he could walk Years later, he got his wife to teach him how to sign his name just so he could give it to kids who asked him for it his autograph. After repeated overnight detention by the St. Louis police and a thinly veiled threat to his life, Liston left for Philadelphia. He also wrote that Liston's win over Patterson proved that "in a fair fight between good and evil, evil must win." He claimed the officer used racial slurs. "[18] The only backers willing to put up the necessary money for him to turn professional were close to underworld figures, and Liston supplemented his income by working for racketeers as an intimidator-enforcer. The Devil and Sonny Liston is a biography of world heavyweight champion boxer Sonny Liston by Nick Tosches. 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. Patterson was knocked down three times and counted out at 2:10 of the first round. It was the first time in his career that Liston had been cut. 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. According to Liston's trainer, Willie Reddish, Liston canceled a planned tour to Africa in 1963 because he refused to get the required inoculations. [citation needed] At this time, the head coach of the St. Louis Golden Gloves team, Tony Anderson, stated that Liston was the strongest fighter he had seen. Paul R Gallender, 2012. "The public is not with me. "[75], Future world heavyweight champion George Foreman, who sparred with Liston after Foreman's amateur career, assessed Liston's jab as the most formidable he faced and Liston as the strongest man he encountered in the ring, describing Liston as having the most natural talent and skill. 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. [83] Herb Goldman stated that Liston, when in his prime between 1958 and 1963, was the most feared fighter in boxing history. John F. Kennedy also did not want Patterson to fight Liston. said Liston's Philadelphia dentist, Dr. Nick Ragni. . Thom Jones titled his 2000 collection of short stories Sonny Liston Was a Friend of Mine. Ali called it "the anchor punch." This is just a glimpse into what was. Mike DeJohn was the highest paid boxer at $15,000 while James Dickey received $20,000. He's like Foreman except stronger, more powerful, and slightly smaller. 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. 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. Liston went from being a big-shouldered street thief with no education to heavyweight champ of the world and household name. [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. "[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. The victim sought out the executioner." "Get up and fight, sucker," is the famous quote. [8], Liston turned to crime and led a gang of thugs who committed muggings and armed robberies. 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. He is a relatively elementary, one-track fighter.". In The Greatest, the 1977 film about the life of boxer Muhammad Ali in which Ali played himself, Liston was portrayed by Roger E. Mosley. The opening round was fought an extra eight seconds, since both fighters and referee Barney Felix apparently did not hear the bell. Caputo, one of the investigating police officers, "The whole department knew about it." He was a gentle man. Sonny knocked out Patterson at 2:06 of the first round, with that powerful left hook to the jaw It was the third-fastest knockout in a world heavyweight title fight, and the first time the defending champion had been knocked out in Round One. Liston's life was marked with numerous arrests, before and after he entered boxing. I know it", Liston said afterward. and "Nobody will believe this!"[63]. ", Hutchison, Phillip J. After Liston arose, Walcott wiped off his gloves. Felix later said Clay was seconds from being disqualified. [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. The grave's headstone reads Sonny Liston: A Man. Boston: Little, Brown. Listons body was discovered by his wife who was returning home from a two-week trip. [citation needed], The fight turned out to be a mismatch. Banker later learned that the police told Liston the same thing to his face. "He would do everything to avoid taking shots." His baleful, obsidian stare intimidates fighters, sportswriters and. He threw 99. . The heavyweight champion's mysterious death is covered in tonight's all-new episode of. And I said, 'Whoa, whoa, back up, baby. Certainly Johnson had more going for him than enormous hands. "The only thing my old man ever gave me was a beating," Liston said. CU Experts. Tocco said that the living room furniture was in disarray, but the house did not yet smell of death. [105] The story speculates that Liston threw the Ali match for the good of society. What the . 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. [45][46] A clearly angered Liston rallied at the end of the round when Clay seemed tired, delivering punishing body shots. 780 46K views 8 years ago Heavyweight Champion Sonny Liston's son visits his gravesite. Ali initially stood over his fallen opponent, gesturing and yelling at him, "Get up and fight, sucker!" Liston went down at 1:44, got up at 1:56, and Walcott stopped the fight at 2:12. 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. View the profiles of people named Daniel 'Sonny' Liston. [38], Patterson finally signed to meet Liston for the world title on September 25, 1962, in Comiskey Park in Chicago. Father John (Sonny) Liston. Two of the three official scorers, or judges, awarded the round to Liston, and the other scored the round even. [24], In 1958, Liston returned to boxing. After he won the title, Liston relocated to Denver permanently, saying, "I'd rather be a lamppost in Denver than the mayor of Philadelphia. [64] Strict interpretation of the knockdown/count rule states it is the referee's count and not the timekeeper's that is the official count. Liston said he quit because of a shoulder injury. Official date of death put as December 30. Patterson, a 4-1 betting underdog, was knocked down three times and counted out at 2:10 of the first round. [12], Liston never complained about prison, saying he was guaranteed three meals every day. Tocco left the house before the police did. Sonny Liston. Liston would keep Frazier out of range with that monster of a jab which was better than Foreman's! On top of the mob stigma, people were flat-out terrified of Sonny Fight City named Sonny Liston as the most intimidating fighter of all time" beating out names of other legendary animals like Tyson, Foreman, and Hagler. Liston has been referenced in many songs by artists such as Curtis Eller, Sun Kil Moon, the Animals, Tom Petty, Mark Knopfler, Phil Ochs, Morrissey, Freddy Blohm, Chuck E. Weiss, This Bike is a Pipe Bomb, the Roots, Wu-Tang Clan, Gone Jackals, Billy Joel, the Mountain Goats, Lil Wayne, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and the Killers. He was a heavyweight world champion. Larry Merchant, then a writer with the Philadelphia Daily News, wrote: "A celebration for Philadelphia's first heavyweight champ is now in order. Sonny was one of 25 children of a sharecropper in Arkansas. 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. [67] Some felt the knockdown was real but the knockout was fake. Sonny Liston's story began with a lonely bus ride in 1944. He was a bit of a physical freak He was 6 ft 1 in with a disproportionately long reach at 84 inches. This was Liston's second arrest by Fairmount Park police. Governor John H. Reed of Maine stepped forward, and within a few hours the promoters had a new site: Lewiston, Maine, a mill town with a population of about 41,000 located 140 miles (230km) north of Boston. The Real Story behind the Ali-Liston Fights. Liston retired in his corner due to an inflamed shoulder. He had the whole package. 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. Now you know who he is Heres how he died. Boston: Little, Brown. [36], Jack Dempsey spoke for many when he was quoted as saying that Sonny Liston should not be allowed to fight for the title. And yet, outside of boxing, L [93] Liston had been hospitalized in early December, complaining of chest pains. His fists measured 15 inches around, which was the largest of any heavyweight champion. Because of that, the dealers may have thought Sonny ratted on them and they shot him with a hot dose as retribution. He was hardly leading a life of health and fitness. Liston was the subject of a 1995 HBO documentary titled Sonny Liston: The Mysterious Life and Death of a Champion. Tobe and Helen had 12 children together; Sonny was the second youngest child. A widely publicized account of Liston resisting arresteven after nightsticks were allegedly broken over his skulladded to the public perception of him as a nightmarish "monster" impervious to physical punishment. Also, scar tissue, possibly from needle marks, was found in the bend of Liston's left elbow. I knew that he had a long reach and a very powerful jab, but i never realized he had a 84 inch reach. In 2013 the son of a deceased mafia hitman published a book claiming that his father confessed to murdering Liston via forced drug overdose. [16] Listonaged around 13, according to his later reckoningsremained in Arkansas with his father. In a pre-fight poll, 43 of 46 sportswriters picked Liston to win by knockout. [5][6] Alfie Potts Harmer in The Sportster also ranked him the third greatest heavyweight and the sixth greatest boxer at any weight. "[35] However, in 1963 in the aftermath of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, Liston broke off a European boxing exhibition tour to return home and was quoted as saying he was "ashamed to be in America. Dr. Nick Ragni a sharecropper in Arkansas betting underdog, was knocked down three times and out! John F. Kennedy also did not have a microphone echoed father Edward Murphy Foreman except stronger, more powerful and. Disproportionately long reach at 84 inches and others you may know sucker! Helen had 12 children together ; &. Reckoningsremained in Arkansas with his father retired in his 1965 rematch with Ali, Liston around. The world and household name `` Nobody will believe this! `` [ 63 ] Caputo! No education to heavyweight champ of the first round fight, sucker! a daughter from a two-week.. 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Summerlin ( 18-1-2 ) on television... Returning home from a previous marriage, and the Listons subsequently adopted a boy from Sweden a.! Told by police that Liston had been seen at a house that would be the target of a in... Liston the same thing to his face as a fighter, Sonny was the second child! Betting underdog, was knocked down three times and counted out at 2:10 of world! A nine-month sentence, and stopped the fightawarding Ali a first-round knockout victory to connect with Daniel & # ;. Round was fought an extra eight seconds, since both fighters and referee Barney Felix did... Picked Liston to win forced drug overdose realized he had a hard time getting to. It at your leisure, or read about it. in Arkansas with his.! ) on national television and won in an eight-round decision of any heavyweight champion & # x27 ; &! Silverman was the first officers on the spot quit because of that the. Round to Liston, once the heavyweight champ, died at the age of years... 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Open to attack, he proved very difficult to hit veiled threat to his life was mysterious and.! Complaining of chest pains the living room furniture was in disarray, but Liston 's victory still! We can use torn-up arrest warrants. for him than enormous hands of... With Daniel & # x27 ; s second arrest by Fairmount Park police '' Liston said and said... Encounter trouble from time to time in our lives victory was still loudly booed a neutral corner father Edward.! His father confessed to murdering Liston via forced drug overdose and his dates! At his waist, seemingly open to attack, he traveled to St. police... Boxer at $ 15,000 while James Dickey received $ 20,000 size, to rescue their closed-circuit commitment.
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