sonny liston interview

During these same years Sonny Liston was on the comeback trail as well. ", Ali clearly did not think he knocked Liston out. It made a champion out of Clay, who declared that hed shook up the world.. Liston captured the Chicago Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions on March 6, 1953, with a victory over 1952 Olympic Heavyweight Champion Ed Sanders. The champion was stripped of the belt when he refused to be drafted into the armed services during the Vietnam War, and he didnt box again in a match that counted until 1970. Anyone can read what you share. In the first fight, in Miami, a 22-year-old Cassius Clay danced around the ring, taunted Liston, promised reporters hed shock the world, and then delivered on that promise with a blistering late attack that prompted Liston to toss in the towel after the sixth round. [8], Liston turned to crime and led a gang of thugs who committed muggings and armed robberies. 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.'" His defense was described as "the gate-crossing of arms la Archie Moore. McDonough, however, claimed Walcott was looking at the crowd and never at him. [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. Watch the interview you be the judge.. 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. [58] Despite Liston carrying an injury and being undertrained, Clay stated in 1975 that the first fight with Liston was the toughest of his career. However, there were again rumors of alcohol abuse in training. ", This page was last edited on 7 February 2023, at 06:36. Top contender Zora Folley was stopped in three rounds. Im free to be who I want.. [45][46] A clearly angered Liston rallied at the end of the round when Clay seemed tired, delivering punishing body shots. Sonny Liston in Denver, Colorado. One memo, dated 24 May 1966, outlined an interview with Houston gambler Barnett Magids, who believed Liston would win. RARE Sonny Liston Interview before the first Ali fight 1964 in Color Sad how they portrayed sonny in such a negative light he seems like a genuinely kind person. One mile up on a mountain 13 miles west of Denver is the Shrine of Mother Cabrini. Muhammad Ali called it his "anchor punch," a quick right hand that the young heavyweight champion claimed he had learned from his friend, actor Stepin Fetchit. [31] While Liston began working into shape with hopes for a heavyweight title shot, he also continued his criminal behavior. The most iconic photo in boxing history documents the knockout that almost nobody saw happen. I wasn't hit. Knopfler, who was born in Scotland and grew up in northern England, said Liston's story was "exciting subject matter because it's so mysterious." 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. No, I'm Alexanderhe's no Alexander. Some writers thought Liston brought bad press on himself by a surly and hostile attitude toward journalists. [91] Coroner Mark Herman said traces of heroin byproducts were found in Liston's system, but not in amounts large enough to have caused his death. Muhammad Ali talking about Henry Cooper, Sonny Liston, and - YouTube On April 21, 1955, he defeated Marshall in a rematch, dropping him four times en route to a sixth-round knockout. Sonny Liston - Wikipedia Mike Tyson - Tyson's Speech | Genius 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 was a heavy favorite. 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. interview with Alex Haley in Muhammad Ali by Thomas Hauser. At one point in this attack, Liston was rocked as he was driven to the ropes. Charles L. "Sonny" Liston (c.1930 December 30, 1970) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1953 to 1970. Clay confessed later he had been hurt by the punch, but Liston was unable to press his advantage home. 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. Liston kept running into trouble with the law and Ali had a target on his back after the assassination of Malcolm X, whom he had disavowed after Elijah Muhammad forced him out of the Nation of Islam. 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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 Either way, nat fleisher as the KD timekeeper had NO right telling Walcott the fight was over. Liston knocked out Hermann Schreibauer of West Germany at 2:16 of the first round. Writer Jack McKinney said, "I watched Sonny. Liston also appears in the sequel, Blood's a Rover. Create Space Independent Publishing Platform. Remembering One Of Boxing's Storied Bouts : NPR 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. On May 5, 1956, a policeman confronted Liston and a friend about a cab parked near Liston's home. [10][11] It has been suggested Liston himself may not have known what year he was born, as he was not precise on the matter. Beat me to it! In the novel, Liston not only drinks but also pops pills and works as a sometime enforcer for a heroin ring in Las Vegas. "Johnny wasn't a braggart," Davi told Liston biographer Paul Gallender. Very rare interview of Sonny Liston talking about how he got started in boxing, his fights with Williams and Patterson and his training routine. 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. "I didn't know what the heck was going on", Angelo Dundee, Clay's trainer, recalled on an NBC special 25 years later. "He told me in the strictest confidence, but it was like he wanted to get it off his chest." 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." It became known as the phantom punch and has been the subject of controversy and speculation for the last 55 years. His death was, too. The mysterious life of Sonny Liston. NPR's Robert Siegel talks to Gary Robinov, director of Raising Ali, a film about the 50th anniversary of the heavyweight boxing match between Muhammed Ali and Sonny Liston in Lewiston, Maine.. Liston had never been knocked out before, and most people didnt even see the punch happen. I didn't want anything to do with him. Sonny Liston in his prime . Rogin discounted speculation that Patterson had thrown the fight, writing: "The genesis of all this wide-eyed theorizing and downright baloney was the fact that many spectators failed to see the knockout blows. Good lord, Sonny's mitts are massive. Liston did eventually rise from the mat, but soon after, the referee broke up the two boxers once again the former champion had been down for more than 10 seconds, ending the fight. Even before the first punch was thrown, the May 25, 1965 bout between Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston . During the fourth round Liston appeared dominant as Clay coasted, keeping his distance. Liston appears as a character in James Ellroy's novel The Cold Six Thousand. In the months ahead of the fight, Muhammad Ali went all sorts of routes to get into Sonny Liston's head. After two rounds, Wilson had taken enough. Sonny Liston fought for only $10,000 during his career. [103], Sonny Liston was featured in a novel "Girl Fighter" with a brief reference to his early life, his rise to WBC heavyweight champion and his eventual losses to Clay/Ali.[104]. 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. [97], "The month before he died, some guy ran into Sonny while he was making a left turn. Knopfler said he enjoys boxing and other sports but reflected on a conversation he had with a friend about the fights. In his sixth bout, he faced ranked heavyweight Johnny Summerlin (18-1-2) on national television and won in an eight-round decision. "[35] Although largely illiterate through lack of schooling, Liston was a more complex and interesting individual than has often been acknowledged. Interviewing and trash-talk have both gone through some tremendous evolutions, havent they? I didn't think it was a powerful punch when I saw the fight from ringside," he said. "He said: 'Look what they did!' Theories regarding the circumstance of Liston's death. Sonny Liston Interview in Color - YouTube Tosches, Nick (2000). He was scared of the black-power movement. He was poking the bear a bit there . Liston believed his date of birth to be May 8, 1932, and used this for official purposes[11] but by the time he won the world title an aged appearance added credence to rumors that he was actually several years older. 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. There was something caustic in both eyes." When he tried to muscle in for a bigger share, Conrad thinks his employers got him very drunk, took him home and stuck him with a needle. Tocco called the police, and they broke into the house. A sudden violent combination delivered with 30 seconds left in the round electrified the crowd. Concert Preview/Interview: John Lodge of the Moody Blues on Reprising "Days of Future Passed . Sonny Liston - Death, Muhammad Ali & Children - Biography He is a relatively elementary, one-track fighter." [14], Tobe Liston inflicted whippings so severe on Sonny that the scars were still visible decades later. Many did not see the punch land, and some who did questioned that it was powerful enough to knock Liston out. Gary Beckwith said, "It wasn't uncommon for family members in these cases to go through and tidy up to save family embarrassment. RARE Sonny Liston Interview before the first Ali fight 1964 in Color Legends of Boxing in Color 2.47K subscribers Subscribe 16K views 8 months ago Very Rare interview with Sonny Liston and. Sports Illustrated predicted a Patterson victory in 15 rounds, stating: "Sonny has neither Floyd's speed nor the versatility of his attack. Lennox is a conqueror? Interview with Floyd Patterson - Washington University in St. Louis [87], Liston was found dead by his wife, Geraldine, in their Las Vegas home on January 5, 1971. [52][53] It was the first time since 1919when Jack Dempsey defeated Jess Willardthat a world heavyweight champion had quit on his stool. He found a quarter-ounce of heroin in a balloon in the kitchen, and a half-ounce of marijuana in Liston's pants pocket, but no syringes or needles. "There is power in both his left and his right, even though the fists move with the languor of motoring royalty or as if passing through a gaseous envelope more dense than air." Jim Murray of the Los Angeles Times wrote that it was "no phantom punch." Sports Illustrated writer Gilbert Rogin wrote that "that final left hook crashed into Patterson's cheek like a diesel rig going downhill, no brakes." Time magazine said Liston had worked himself into the best shape of his career. Traduo Context Corretor Sinnimos Conjugao Conjugao Documents Dicionrio Dicionrio Colaborativo Gramtica Expressio Reverso Corporate What are you doing? Dave Anderson of the New York Times said Liston "looked awful" in his last workout before the fight. Two of the best-known are "The Boxer" by Simon and Garfunkel and "Hurricane" by Bob Dylan. Very Rare interview with Sonny Liston and Joe Louis. 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Odds makers gave Liston 71 to win. Dude was only 6'2 and his hands dwarfed Lesnar's. 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 death under mysterious circumstances. He also had a reputation for bullying people such as porters and waitresses. It'll just be for slow guitar, soft trumpet and a bell.". 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. 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. The toxicology report said his body was too decomposed for the tests to be conclusive. QUESTION 1 "But can he hit!" I know!" [8] Convicted and sentenced to five years in the Missouri State Penitentiary, Liston started his prison time on June 1, 1950. . December 1963 extended Interview with Champion Sonny Liston - discusses [25][26], In 1960 Liston won five more fights, including a rematch with Williams, who lasted only two rounds. "[96], Many people who knew Liston insisted he was afraid of needles and never would have used heroin. Although Clay often carried his gloves down at his waist, seemingly open to attack, he proved very difficult to hit. Numerous fans booed and started yelling, "Fix!" [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. Roy Harris, who had gone 13 rounds with Floyd Patterson in a title match, was crushed in one round by Liston. Paul R Gallender, 2012. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. 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. (4) Liston was supposed to take a dive when he fought Chuck Wepner six months earlier, and killing him was payback for his failure to do so. I forgot about the rules." Many in attendance did not see Ali deliver the punch. The Ring magazine ranks Liston as the tenth greatest heavyweight of all time,[4] while boxing writer Herb Goldman ranked him second and Richard O'Brien, Senior Editor of Sports Illustrated, placed him third. [citation needed], The fight turned out to be a mismatch. "Yes, it was good and honest". Sonny Liston is considered by many as the most intimidating boxer of all time with a devastating jab which is widely regarded as one of the best in heavyweight history. [83] Herb Goldman stated that Liston, when in his prime between 1958 and 1963, was the most feared fighter in boxing history. Sonny Liston was one of the hardest hitters the boxing world has ever seen. Even before the first punch was thrown, the May 25, 1965 bout between .css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston, during which the photo was snapped, was already shaping up to be the stuff of legends. Soon, he was known as Cassius X, eschewing the last name given to his enslaved family by their owners. Furthermore, that count cannot be started until the fighter scoring the knockdown goes to and remains in a neutral corner. Tale of the tape: Fight poster for Sonny Liston v Cassius Clay in 1964. . A stoic Liston finished the fight, but lost in an eight-round split decision. 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. I'm the best ever. 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. "From Bad Buck to White Hope: Journalism and Sonny Liston, 19581965. The match had more storylines than a soap opera. Unfortunately for Martin, however, his career ended after that fight due to a detached retina he suffered during the bout. He then outpointed Julius Griffin, winner of the New York Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions, to capture the Intercity Golden Gloves Championship on March 26 (representing Chicago). Sonny Liston had a controversial boxing career, winning 54 of 58 bouts from 1953 to 1970. 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. The connections to organized crime were an advantage early in his career but were later used against him. [7] Liston was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Please read the rules before posting/commenting. He had a whiplash, so they took him to the hospital," said boxing trainer Johnny Tocco. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. According to a report in the Miami Herald a few weeks before the 1964 fight, Clay was consorting with members of the Nation of Islam, who Clays father claimed had brainwashed his son. [108] The book suggests that Sonny Liston may have been murdered and a possibility that the crime was never investigated. "He had a deadly fear of needles," said Davey Pearl, a boxing referee and friend of Liston's. Then again, you can also have guys like Ali or Mike Tyson. Liston was the subject of a 1995 HBO documentary titled Sonny Liston: The Mysterious Life and Death of a Champion. Philadelphia wanted nothing to do with him. Liston assaulted the officer, breaking his knee and gashing his face. His "Speedway at Nazareth" was about auto racing. Sonny Liston | Boxing's Most Intimidating and Unwanted Champion "At about noon on the day of the fight, (Magids) reached Resnick again by phone," the memo read. The film starred Ving Rhames as Liston and was produced by Rhames, Hassain Zaidi and Marek Posival. The mysterious life of Sonny Liston : r/Boxing - Reddit Washington University Libraries, Film and Media Archive, Henry Hampton Collection. But a Senate subcommittee hearing turned up no evidence of any match-fixing, and doctors confirmed his explanation that hed taken such damage to his shoulder that he couldnt feel his arm. Clay countered in verse, "If you want to lose your money, then bet on Sonny! Liston was supremely confident of easily beating Clay, trained minimally for the fight and went ahead with it despite an injury to his left shoulder.[44]. Book Review: Was Sonny Liston Murdered? - The Arts Fuse Rogin wrote. After the second loss to Ali, Liston stayed out of the ring for more than a year. At one point, Liston had Clay against the ropes and landed a hard left hook. Shaun Assael. Joe Frazier vs Sonny Liston : r/Boxing - Reddit ", The Liston song appears on an album called "Shangri-La." It was probably Liston's best moment in the entire fight. It is hardly the first recording by a rock musician about boxing. Pan, 2017. Sonny Liston interview with Max Goldberg before his fight with Cassius Sonny Liston Interview - YouTube