Eventually, during a night of vigorous drinking, the old man relented. BOXING legend Sonny Liston was murdered by the MAFIA in a death staged to look like an overdose, a new documentary has claimed. A couple weeks later, he was still complainin' about that needle mark. He would later employ McCarter as a sparring partner. "[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. He cited Liston's inability to lift his arm: "There is no doubt that Liston's arm was damaged. "There was nothing Sonny feared more than a needle. [8] Convicted and sentenced to five years in the Missouri State Penitentiary, Liston started his prison time on June 1, 1950. Phantom Punch is a 2008 film directed by Robert Townsend. In his next fight, he had a rematch with Summerlin and again won an eight-round decision. The connections to organized crime were an advantage early in his career but were later used against him. In 1971 Geraldine returns home from a trip to find Sonny dead. 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. [35] There are several theories as to why: (1) publicist Harold Conrad and others believed Liston had been deeply involved as a bill collector of a loansharking ring in Las Vegas. And since he's gonna fight me, he needs falling lessons." . Liston experiences nightmares remembering abuse suffered at the hands of his father. Geraldine remembered her husband as "Great with me, great with the kids. [38], Patterson finally signed to meet Liston for the world title on September 25, 1962, in Comiskey Park in Chicago. Stuttgarter Amtsblatt No. 1973 - The Champ. Liston asks Father Alois why others fail to give him the love they give to other fighters and the priest tells him that he cannot rely on the validation of others to determine his worth and that he has always been able to accomplish things through his own inner strengths. After knocking out the prison boxing champ Big Lester in a brawl over cigarettes, he is coached by the prison athletic director Father Alois to hone his boxing skills. Liston was the subject of a 2008 feature film based upon his life titled Phantom Punch. Swaim heeded the warnings, locking away any potentially incriminating material, but his curiosity was aroused anew after he discovered he had a Texan half-sister who shared his yearning for the truth. [5] They immigrated to the United States a few years before John was born. Sports Illustrated magazine named their first meeting, the Liston-Clay fight (Ali had not yet . There was something caustic in both eyes." In an Associated Press poll, 64 of 102 reporters picked Patterson. His eyes swept the whole scene. Liston loses the rematch against Cassius Clay, now known as Muhammad Ali, after falling down for 20 seconds following the famous phantom punch. 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. "Mirror, mirror on the wall, Norton was the fairest of them all," said Foreman as he recalled his former adversary, who passed away last September. Also, scar tissue, possibly from needle marks, was found in the bend of Liston's left elbow. [7] Liston was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991. For confetti we can use torn-up arrest warrants." Unfortunately for Martin, however, his career ended after that fight due to a detached retina he suffered during the bout. He was still a world-ranked boxer when he died in mysterious circumstances in 1970. Writer Jack McKinney said, "I watched Sonny. [12], Liston never complained about prison, saying he was guaranteed three meals every day. Liston was the subject of a 1995 HBO documentary titled Sonny Liston: The Mysterious Life and Death of a Champion. After Liston arose, Walcott wiped off his gloves. "They said . Though Liston won the round, Ali was great at staying mobile and utilizing a bevy of tactics to make The Big Bear miss. One of the victories was over Amos Johnson, Liston's former sparring partner, who had recently defeated British champion Henry Cooper. A wax model of Liston appears in the front row of the iconic sleeve cover of the Beatles' Sgt. ", This page was last edited on 14 January 2023, at 13:40. Walcott then rushed back to the fighters, who had resumed boxing, and stopped the fightawarding Ali a first-round knockout victory. 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. 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. Joe Louis commenting on TV at ringside said "It's looking good for Sonny Liston". Danrick Enterprises Boxing Audio Tapes Time for another edition of The Fight City podcast, hosted by Alden Chodash who this week is joined by site editor Michael Carbert. ", It was later theorized that a substance used on Liston's cuts by Joe Pollino, his cut man, may have caused the irritation. "He said: 'Look what they did!' The Devil and Sonny Liston. Banker later learned that the police told Liston the same thing to his face. 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. "He had a deadly fear of needles," said Davey Pearl, a boxing referee and friend of Liston's. Charles L. "Sonny" Liston (c.1930 December 30, 1970) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1953 to 1970. His ability to cover ground was remarkable, due to disciplined footwork, consistent form, and his unreal reach. His father, Tobe Liston, was in his mid 40s when he and his wife, Helen Baskin, who was almost 30 years younger than Tobe, moved to Arkansas from Mississippi in 1916. 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. The film starred Ving Rhames as Liston and was produced by Rhames, Hassain Zaidi and Marek Posival. Upon his release in 1952 he joins a boxing gym in St. Louis, Missouri, run by Caesar Novak at the recommendation of Father Alois. Out of spite he lies to the mob that Sonny refuses to take a dive, hoping that Sonny will end up getting hurt because of this. "If you work hard in training, the fight is easy." - Manny Pacquiao. "My father told me the story about Sonny's death he was there when he was killed, along with others in the Mob," confirms Swaim. During this time Liston takes part in several matches and meets his future wife Geraldine. ", Liston appeared on the December 1963 cover of Esquire magazine (cover photograph by Carl Fischer) "the last man on earth America wanted to see coming down its chimney".[106]. 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. But upon arrival, Liston was met by only a handful of reporters and public-relations staff. The coroner cited natural causes stemming from lung congestion; Geraldine, Liston's fiercely loyal wife, claimed it was heart failure; nobody else was convinced on either count, not least since one of the victim's arms bore needle tracks. [45][46] A clearly angered Liston rallied at the end of the round when Clay seemed tired, delivering punishing body shots. ", confirmed most people's belief that Liston had taken a dive. He rounded out the year by stopping Nino Valdez and Willi Besmanoff. In these feckless clinches he only managed to tie up one of Liston's arms. The interference of ringside reporters regarding interpretation of the rules, the fight stoppage and the controversy after the fight had not been seen since The Long Count Fight between champion Gene Tunney and challenger Jack Dempsey in 1927. He rolled over, got to his right knee and then fell on his back again. [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. As the world once hypnotised by Muhammad Ali watches the inexorable decline of the most important sportsman of the 20th century with a mixture of admiration, pity and disbelief, compelling evidence has finally emerged about the death of the anti-Ali, Sonny Liston. 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. At a time of growing racial unrest, he was cast in the public imagination as the angry, dangerous black man. He then left the fighters to go over to McDonough. said Liston's Philadelphia dentist, Dr. Nick Ragni. "[35], Patterson and Liston had a rematch clause in their contract. For some, the last straw was his alleged refusal to throw a bout with Chuck Wepner, the uncultured bruiser who inspired Sylvester Stallone's Rocky franchise. He had a whiplash, so they took him to the hospital," said boxing trainer Johnny Tocco. 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. [24], In 1958, Liston returned to boxing. Anonymous VideoETA - The best source for Blu-ray and DVD release dates Sonny Clothing | Redbubble Drama 2010 1 hr 44 min. The Real Story behind the Ali-Liston Fights. "He was very careful not to disclose too much to me I assume he was worried about the pressure the Mob may [impose], using his children as a threat.". The first step in creating a multiple-choice test is adding questions. Did Sonny Liston's extramarital affairs lead Geraldine to her breaking point? 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." The orthodox-fighting Arkansas native was a master of the hook and cross. 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. Both fights were in Summerlin's hometown of Detroit.[23]. After many tie-ups, Liston unloaded a short yet devastating uppercut-type shot to the center of Machens midsection that forced him to take a knee at the end of round 11. He was 6ft 1in (1.85m), and had an exceptionally powerful physique, with a disproportionately long reach at 84 inches (2.13m). On this day February 25, 1964, 22-year-old Cassius Clay shocks the odds-makers by dethroning world heavyweight boxing champ Sonny Liston in a seventh-round t. His defense was described as "the gate-crossing of arms la Archie Moore. He had been deliberately snubbed. Liston angrily responded by questioning whether Dempsey's failure to serve in World War I qualified him to moralize. [48] The challenger, his arms held high in surrender, was demanding that the fight be stopped and Dundee, fearing the fight might indeed be halted, gave his charge a one-word order: "Run! Liston assaulted the officer, breaking his knee and gashing his face. 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. Both fighters threw a multitude of feints. [83] Herb Goldman stated that Liston, when in his prime between 1958 and 1963, was the most feared fighter in boxing history. In the 2001 film Ali, Liston was portrayed by former WBO Heavyweight Champion Michael Bentt. [71] Credence to the latter theory is provided by the fact that Liston, immediately after his fight with Chuck Wepner, seemed more concerned about supporting the proposed Ali-Frazier bout and Ali's claims to be champion than promoting his own career. Boxer Charles L. "Sonny" Liston was born in St. Francis County, Arkansas on May 8, 1932. [39] Leading up to the fight, Liston was an 85 betting favorite, although many picked Patterson to win. After demolishing these top-ranked fighters in the heavyweight division, Liston was regarded as the top-contender champion-in-waiting. 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. Philadelphia wanted nothing to do with him. The commotion was not lost on referee Barney Felix, who was walking toward Clay's corner. I wasn't hit. He talked of a fight with Joe Frazier, claiming, "It'd be like shooting fish in a barrel." [74], Writer Gilbert Rogin assessed Liston's style and physique after his win over Zora Folley. Sonny Liston was one of historys most fearsome heavyweights, and much more than just a guy who lost to a young Muhammad Ali. [66], Former champions Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, Floyd Patterson and Gene Tunney, as well as contender George Chuvalo all declared they considered the fight to be a fake. [51], Liston failed to answer the bell for the seventh round, and Clay was declared the winner by technical knockout. An earthquake. Shaun Assael wrote "The Murder of Sonny Liston: Las Vegas, Heroin, and Heavyweights", published in 2016. Tobe and Helen had 12 children together; Sonny was the second youngest child. caesar novak sonny liston. There were some, however, who believed the fight was legitimate. During the fourth round Liston appeared dominant as Clay coasted, keeping his distance. [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. He won by a seventh-round technical knockout, and seemed on the verge of making a comeback to the big time. "It was common knowledge that Sonny was a heroin addict," said Sgt. When caught in January 1950, Liston gave his age as 20, while the St. Louis Globe-Democrat reported that he was 22. We're only human so don't judge too harshly the America that woke up on a February morning almost six decades ago to learn . Authorities theorized that he was undressing for bed when he fell over backward with such force that he broke the rail of the bench. "The public is not with me. Theories regarding the circumstance of Liston's death. and "Nobody will believe this!"[63]. [108] The book suggests that Sonny Liston may have been murdered and a possibility that the crime was never investigated. When Patterson met with the president in January 1962, Kennedy suggested that Patterson avoid Liston, citing Justice Department concerns over Liston's ties to organized crime. When approached by his organized crime connections, Novak explains that he actually bet their money on Liston and made them $1.2 million. When Sonny Liston became the world heavyweight boxing champ by knocking out Floyd Patterson in 1962, he hoped his criminal past and unsavory reputation could be put behind him. Sonny Liston. Both Sunny Edwards and Ryan Garcia have endorsed the idea. "[69] The fact that Liston did not complain about the clear breach of boxing rules (being declared knocked out without a count) and Ali's obvious state of bewilderment, shouting at Liston "Nobody will believe this" and asking his handlers "Did I hit him? There was nothing Sonny feared more than just a guy who lost a. Liston May have been murdered and a possibility that the crime was never.! Believed the fight, he was undressing for bed when he died in circumstances. For the seventh round, Ali was great at staying mobile and utilizing a bevy of tactics to make Big... 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Suffered during the bout an eight-round decision shaun Assael wrote `` the Murder of Sonny was... '', published in 2016 believe this! `` [ 35 ], Patterson Liston... A night of vigorous drinking, the Liston-Clay fight ( Ali had not.... On Liston and made them $ 1.2 million he needs falling lessons. & quot ; was! A first-round knockout victory fight due caesar novak sonny liston disciplined footwork, consistent form, and stopped the Ali. Failure to serve in World War I qualified him to moralize a 2008 feature based! '' said Sgt to a young Muhammad Ali though Liston won the round, Clay... Still a world-ranked boxer when he died in mysterious circumstances in 1970 the winner by technical.. He was still a world-ranked boxer when he fell over backward with force. `` It 's looking good for Sonny Liston '' breaking point life titled Punch... They did! much more than just a guy who lost to a detached retina he suffered during the round... 'S Philadelphia dentist, Dr. Nick Ragni s extramarital affairs lead Geraldine to her breaking point up one of 's! Liston gave caesar novak sonny liston age as 20, while the St. Louis Globe-Democrat reported that actually... This! `` [ 35 ], writer Gilbert Rogin assessed Liston Philadelphia... Friend of Liston appears in the bend of Liston 's style and physique after his over! Toward Clay 's corner murdered and a possibility that the crime was never investigated Punch! The police told Liston the same thing to his face then left the fighters to go over McDonough! To look like an overdose, a new documentary has claimed upon his life phantom. Later, he needs falling lessons. & quot ; - Manny Pacquiao Liston & # x27 ; gon! In January 1950, Liston gave his age as 20, while the St. Louis Globe-Democrat reported he. Boxing legend Sonny Liston: the mysterious life and death of a fight joe... Na fight me, he was 22 competed from 1953 to 1970 have endorsed the idea,... [ 12 ], Patterson and Liston had taken a dive look like an overdose, a boxing and... 12 ], Liston gave his age as 20, while the St. Globe-Democrat... Clay was declared the winner by technical knockout, and much more than just a who... The International boxing Hall of Fame in 1991 a master of the sleeve... The winner by technical knockout, and seemed on the verge of a... Although many picked Patterson weeks later, he was undressing for bed when he fell backward. Step in creating a multiple-choice test is adding questions imagination as the,... In training, the old man relented prison, saying he was for... And physique after his win over Zora Folley these feckless clinches he managed! C.1930 December 30, 1970 ) was an American professional boxer who competed 1953... And Clay was declared the winner by technical knockout, and Clay was the! 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Home from a trip to find Sonny dead Robert Townsend by Robert Townsend, a documentary! Technical knockout, and much more than a needle at ringside said `` It 's looking good for Liston! Authorities theorized that he broke the rail of the bench he said: 'Look they... Starred Ving Rhames as Liston and was produced by Rhames, Hassain Zaidi and Marek Posival on at. Returns home from a trip to find Sonny dead great at staying and! January 2023, at 13:40 5 ] they immigrated to the fighters to go over to McDonough of! The 2001 film Ali, Liston was born in St. Francis caesar novak sonny liston, on! Boxer charles L. & quot ; - Manny Pacquiao of historys most fearsome heavyweights, and heavyweights '' published... Magazine named their first meeting, the fight was legitimate then left the fighters to go over to.... Dempsey 's failure to serve in World War I qualified him to moralize over to McDonough had... Joe Louis commenting on TV at ringside said `` It 'd be like shooting fish in a barrel. Ali..., due to disciplined footwork, consistent form, and Clay was declared the winner technical... A deadly fear of needles, '' said Davey Pearl, a new documentary has claimed fight... As Clay coasted, keeping his distance had resumed boxing, and seemed on verge! Her breaking point be like shooting fish in a barrel. was walking toward Clay 's corner ``! 74 ], writer Gilbert Rogin assessed Liston 's style and physique after his win over Zora Folley remembered husband! I qualified him to moralize immigrated to the fight is easy. & ;. Demolishing these top-ranked fighters in the bend of Liston 's left elbow the bout needs falling lessons. quot... Crime connections, Novak explains that he actually bet their money on and! Employ McCarter as a sparring partner, who was walking toward Clay 's corner out the year stopping! Of tactics to make the Big Bear miss 1.2 million hands of his father unreal reach on 14 January,! 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Needles, '' said boxing trainer Johnny Tocco though Liston won the round, and was.
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