1 contender by 1960, but the handlers of the heavyweight champ at the time, Floyd Patterson, refused to give him a shot at the title because of Liston's links to the mob. Patterson wanted a chance to redeem himself, so they met again on July 22, 1963, in Las Vegas. Liston's death four decades ago was. Maybe he was. Shaun Assael. Overall, Liston earned around $500,000 during his career. daniel weiss sonny liston by | posted on 10 septiembre, 2021 | 0 Comments A stoic Liston finished the fight, but lost in an eight-round split decision. Heavyweight champion Charles "Sonny" Liston, winner of 35 of his 36 professional bouts and one of the most intimidating athletes in any sport, was facing a lightly regarded 22-year-old from. Liston angrily responded by questioning whether Dempsey's failure to serve in World War I qualified him to moralize. Some writers thought Liston brought bad press on himself by a surly and hostile attitude toward journalists. ", ("You know what they say about big fists, sweetheart?"). A couple weeks later, he was still complainin' about that needle mark. "Nat Fleischer [editor of The Ring] was sitting beside McDonough and he was waving his hands, too, saying it was over." (1) Liston had been deeply involved as a bill collector of a loansharking ring in Las Vegas. For those too young to remember, Sonny The Big Bear Liston was a legendary heavyweight boxer. 249 UCB. The Real Story behind the Ali-Liston Fights. He was a heavyweight world champion. They fought for a third time on March 6, 1956, which Liston won by a ten-round unanimous decision. Sonny was once told by local police to stay away from a drug house that was the target of a police raid. 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. His father was 30 years older than his mother. And the Muslims were coming up. America's first look at Liston since the Ali rematch was when he fought fifthranked Henry Clark in a nationally broadcast bout in July 1968. "He would do everything to avoid taking shots." The second fight lasted only four seconds longer than Part I's first-round KO, but Liston's victory was still loudly booed. February 25, 1964. [36], Jack Dempsey spoke for many when he was quoted as saying that Sonny Liston should not be allowed to fight for the title. He said that Liston was not quick with his hand or footwork, that he relied too much on his ability to take a punch, and that he could be vulnerable to an opponent with more hand speed. Ali called it "the anchor punch." [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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. He got out of prison in 52, won the Golden Gloves in Chicago, and went pro after less than a year Unfortunately, the only financial backers willing to put up the necessary money for him to turn professional were local mobsters, and Liston supplemented his income by working for the local mob as an intimidator-enforcer. He was found dead in his Las Vegas home on January 5, 1971 Six months after the Wepner fight. Dennis Caputo of the Clark County Sheriff's Department was one of the first officers on the scene. [16] Listonaged around 13, according to his later reckoningsremained in Arkansas with his father. Although Clay often carried his gloves down at his waist, seemingly open to attack, he proved very difficult to hit. [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". [17] The athletic director at Missouri State Penitentiary, Rev. [92] He had been suffering from hardening of the heart muscle and lung disease before his death. He walks to the ring with his gloves on the shoulders of his manager, Eddie Polino. "[96], Many people who knew Liston insisted he was afraid of needles and never would have used heroin. [107] The story speculates that Liston threw the Ali match for the good of society. Childhood & Early Life. [citation needed], Rogin wrote that Patterson backers expected him to "go inside on Liston, fire away and then run like a thief in the night. Rogin wrote. Liston was the subject of a 2008 feature film based upon his life titled Phantom Punch. As the years passed and Liston's financial situation worsened, he got angry and told the mob he'd go public with the story unless they gave him the money. Charles L. "Sonny" Liston was born in St. Francis County, Arkansas, to Tobe Liston and Helen Baskin. He won eight fights that year, six by knockout. This is just a glimpse into what was. "He told me in the strictest confidence, but it was like he wanted to get it off his chest." In The Devil and Sonny Liston by Nick Tosches, published in 2000, when many of Liston's former acquaintances were still alive, Tosches posits that Liston's idol Joe Louis introduced him to heroin, and that he ultimately overdosed. We cooked up that shoulder thing on the spot. Liston tried going to school but quickly left after jeers about his illiteracy; the only employment he could obtain was sporadic and exploitative. Liston retired in his corner due to an inflamed shoulder. Larry Merchant, then a writer with the Philadelphia Daily News, wrote: "A celebration for Philadelphia's first heavyweight champ is now in order. When he tried to muscle in for a bigger share, his employers got him very drunk, took him home, and stuck him with a needle. Clay confessed later he had been hurt by the punch, but Liston was unable to press his advantage home. He had been deliberately snubbed. Twenty-two-year-old Clay achieved. On May 7, backers of the rematch ended the court battle by pulling the fight out of Boston. I was down but not hurt, but I looked up and saw Ali standing over me. Mother Bridget Sheehan. Professor Liston's research interests . He had a whiplash, so they took him to the hospital," said boxing trainer Johnny Tocco. Liston biographer Paul Gallender claims that Liston fathered several children, though none with his wife. Banker said, "Sheriff [Ralph] Lamb told me, 'Tell your pal Sonny to stay away from the West Side because we're going to bust the drug dealers.'" (, Shaun Assael. 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. I never realized how much of a freak of nature Sonny Liston was. In the 2020 film One Night in Miami, Liston is played by Aaron D. Alexander. Geraldine remembered her husband as "Great with me, great with the kids. 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. 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. And (4) Liston was supposed to take a dive when he fought Chuck Wepner 6 months earlier, and killing him was payback for his failure to do so. (35.6 x 21.6 cm) Description 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." "[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. Sit down!' [56] Sports Illustrated writer Tex Maule wrote that Liston's shoulder injury was legitimate. [42], Liston's run-ins with the police had continued in Philadelphia. He was a gentle man. "He said: 'Look what they did!' John F. Kennedy also did not want Patterson to fight Liston. [38], Patterson finally signed to meet Liston for the world title on September 25, 1962, in Comiskey Park in Chicago. Liston also appears in the sequel, Blood's a Rover. All of us encounter trouble from time to time in our lives. There are a ton of other dubious deaths and (hopefully) little-known facts about Vegas in this week's episode. The coroner said he died from natural causes. He said it was taught to him by comedian and film actor Stepin Fetchit, who learned it from Jack Johnson. Liston's wife also recalled that her husband would refuse basic medical care for common colds because of his dislike of needles. O n January 5, 1971, Sonny Liston, the former heavyweight champion of the world, was found dead in his home in Las Vegas. [55], There is ample evidence that Liston did carry an injury to his left shoulder into the fight. Tosches' intended title was "Night Train" after one of Liston's favorite songs. The connections to organized crime were an advantage early in his career but were later used against him. [8], Liston turned to crime and led a gang of thugs who committed muggings and armed robberies. Pan, 2017. An Associated Press poll had 64 of 102 reporters picking Patterson. [52][53] It was the first time since 1919when Jack Dempsey defeated Jess Willardthat a world heavyweight champion had quit on his stool. The inaugural WBC world heavyweight champion cemented himself in. Banker later learned that the police told Liston the same thing to his face. He would later employ McCarter as a sparring partner. 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. "[35], U.S. President John F. Kennedy also did not want Patterson to fight Liston. After a rough upbringing, with little formal education, Liston found himself in trouble with the law. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. [105], Singer/Songwriter Rod Picott wrote and recorded a song titled "Sonny Liston" for his 2022 album "Paper Hearts and Broken Arrows. I know it", Liston said afterward. I didn't want anything to do with him. Sonny Liston was a ferocious fighter, the heavyweight champion of the world and the man Cassius Clay beat to win the title for the first time, igniting his own legend. In that same book Liston was quoted two years after the fight: "Ali knocked me down with a sharp punch. 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