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(. "He told me in the strictest confidence, but it was like he wanted to get it off his chest." [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! ", Hutchison, Phillip J. Genuinely kind mobster who had been convicted of armed robbery and assault. [89], Following an investigation, Las Vegas police concluded there were no signs of foul play and declared Liston's death a heroin overdose. Sonny Liston | Boxing's Most Intimidating and Unwanted Champion Rainy Day Boxing 302K subscribers 5.6M views 1 year ago Join Rainy Day Boxing for an in depth career tribute to arguably the most. Knopfler, who now records as a soloist and performs with a backup band, has a wide-ranging curiosity that has produced an eclectic collection of songs. A grateful Liston found there was no need to give chase. It became known as the phantom punch and has been the subject of controversy and speculation for the last 55 years. [34] Many African-Americans disdained Liston. [39] Leading up to the fight, Liston was an 85 betting favorite, although many picked Patterson to win. [74], Writer Gilbert Rogin assessed Liston's style and physique after his win over Zora Folley. "I remember him telling me one day that he found himself watching boxing but he didn't like the way it made him feel," Knopfler said. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. He said they found Liston lying on his bed with a needle sticking out of his arm. One memo, dated 24 May 1966, outlined an interview with Houston gambler Barnett Magids, who believed Liston would win. Sonny Liston Interview 82,818 views Apr 2, 2014 1.3K Dislike Share Save haNZAgod 93.2K subscribers Subscribe A rare interview with former Heavyweight champion of the world, Sonny Liston.. It was probably Liston's best moment in the entire fight. "Johnny wasn't a braggart," Davi told Liston biographer Paul Gallender. A stoic Liston finished the fight, but lost in an eight-round split decision. Also in 1970, Liston appeared on an episode of the TV series Love, American Style and in a television commercial for Braniff Airlines with Andy Warhol.[12][102]. [108] The book suggests that Sonny Liston may have been murdered and a possibility that the crime was never investigated. Very rare interview of Sonny Liston talking about how he got started in boxing, his fights with Williams and Patterson and his training routine. BOXING Correction: July 15, 2005, Friday A sports picture caption on Wednesday with an article about Mark Knopfler's ballad for the boxer Sonny Liston referred incorrectly in some copies to the year in which Muhammad Ali knocked out Liston in Lewiston, Me. "[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. [51], Liston failed to answer the bell for the seventh round, and Clay was declared the winner by technical knockout. Create Space Independent Publishing Platform. ", Knopfler compared writing a song about Liston to the work a sculptor performs on a statue. [25][26], In 1960 Liston won five more fights, including a rematch with Williams, who lasted only two rounds. Walcott then rushed back to the fighters, who had resumed boxing, and stopped the fightawarding Ali a first-round knockout victory. The opening round was fought an extra eight seconds, since both fighters and referee Barney Felix apparently did not hear the bell. He could probably drive his thumb through your skull like Michael Myers, It's crazy to think about the fact that Sonny Liston was an actual gangster running with gangs.. and then he looks so soft spoken in the interview. . Rogin called Liston's physique "awesomearms like fence posts, thighs like silos." knockout kimbo slice evander holyfield nogueira wladimir vitali klitschko haye mma brutal bareknuckle headbutt lowblow foul dirty boxer funny bob sapp david cesar chavez joe frazier rocky marciano larry holmes felix trinidad jackson new tribute video highlight dirtiest best brock lesnar julio cesar ricky hatton randy couture israel vasquez juan manuel marquez antonio margarito felix tito trinidad antonio rodrigo minotauro marco antonio barrera john ruiz freddie roach hector camacho pernell whitaker willie pep sugar ray robinson shane mosley antonio tarver roy jones joe cortez lennox lewis david haye haymaker wladimir vitali vladimir klitschko klitchko prediction prefight postfight press conferencetex cobb gerry cooney jerry pierre coetzer floyd roger mayweather arturo gatti rocky graziano graciano tony zale dariusz michalczewski rocky rocchigiani henry maske james toney vassily jirov vasily unbelievable knockout ko k.o. Tosches, Nick (2000). In "Sailing to Philadelphia," a duet with James Taylor, Knopfler told of Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon traveling from England to North America to draw the Mason-Dixon line. One memo, dated 24 May 1966, outlined an interview with Houston gambler Barnett Magids, who believed Liston would win. [107] The story speculates that Liston threw the Ali match for the good of society. Elizabeth Bear wrote the short story "Sonny Liston Takes the Fall", published in The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy in 2008. He also had a reputation for bullying people such as porters and waitresses. Sonny Liston vs Eddie Machen (1960) 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. During these same years Sonny Liston was on the comeback trail as well. His family's home state of Arkansas did not make birth certificates mandatory until 1965. and he was pointing at some little bandage over the needle mark in his arm. Never before seen Sonny Liston interview. Support this Channel: https://www.patreon.com/join/LegendsofBoxing Merchandise: https://www.redbubble.com/peo. [8], Liston turned to crime and led a gang of thugs who committed muggings and armed robberies. [100] A successful racehorse which won the Irish St Leger classic race in 2021 was named Sonnyboyliston. Patterson, a 4-1 betting underdog, was knocked down three times and counted out at 2:10 of the first round. [42], Liston's run-ins with the police had continued in Philadelphia. On May 7, backers of the rematch ended the court battle by pulling the fight out of Boston. 589 Share 23K views 1 year ago Rare interview of Sonny Liston colorized. He died circa December 30,. Tocco called the police, and they broke into the house. 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." Because of that, Cage may have thought Sonny was an informant and shot him with a hot dose as retribution. [92] He had been suffering from hardening of the heart muscle and lung disease before his death. Sports Illustrated predicted a Patterson victory in 15 rounds, stating: "Sonny has neither Floyd's speed nor the versatility of his attack. Liston won his final fight, a tough but one-sided match against future world title challenger Chuck Wepner in June 1970. It was 1965, not 1955. "Sonnyboyliston | Race Record & Form | Racing Post", "Moonfire (1972), a film by Michael Parkhurst -Theiapolis", NYSAC World Heavyweight Champion - BoxRec, Lyrics to a song about Liston by Mark Knopfler, FBI Records: The Vault - Charles Sonny Liston, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sonny_Liston&oldid=1137950795, International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees, 20th-century African-American sportspeople, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2016, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2022, Articles with unsourced statements from December 2016, Pages with login required references or sources, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Hackman, Timothy. The official time of the stoppage was announced as 1:00 into the first round, which was wrong. "And I suppose Sonny Liston always stuck with me. Tradues em contexto de "with Sonny" en ingls-portugus da Reverso Context : I think you should stay here with Sonny. 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. They fought for a third time on March 6, 1956, which Liston won by a ten-round unanimous decision. 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. ", Chuck Wepner on Liston's intimidating appearance. No, I'm Alexanderhe's no Alexander. that startles everyone in a 100 foot radius. [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. 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. [33], Civic leaders were also reluctant, worrying that Liston's unsavory character would set a bad example for youth. [24], In 1958, Liston returned to boxing. While valuing the photograph, appraiser Kathleen Guzman told. It is hardly the first recording by a rock musician about boxing. You could feel the deflation, see the look of hurt in his eyes. Rogin wrote. Gary Beckwith said, "It wasn't uncommon for family members in these cases to go through and tidy up to save family embarrassment. Mike DeJohn was the highest paid boxer at $15,000 while James Dickey received $20,000. Sonny Liston was a bad, bad guy who was also a victim, and I dont know that anyone can point to when a victim becomes a perpetrator and how much sympathy he deserves, but I also think any holistic take is fair this far in history. Gallender claimed, "A lot of officers knew Sonny was dead before Geraldine returned home on January 5, but they chose to let him rot. 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. You really never watched the first fight did you? In the third round, Marshall nailed Listonreportedly while he was laughingand broke his jaw. Tale of the tape: Fight poster for Sonny Liston v Cassius Clay in 1964. . When Machen clinched in . Although the opening round saw Clay largely on the defensive, it was soon established that Clay could reverse roles quickly and take to the offensive with a remarkably fast series of combinations delivered to Liston's head. . He claimed the officer used racial slurs. "The only thing my old man ever gave me was a beating," Liston said. I forgot about the rules." 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. [76][77] Foreman stated: "There wasn't anything missing from Sonny Liston. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. The commotion was not lost on referee Barney Felix, who was walking toward Clay's corner. [43] A month later, Liston was accused of impersonating a police officer by using a flashlight to wave down a female motorist in Fairmount Park, although all charges were later dropped. At about 30 seconds into the round he hit Liston with several combinations, causing a bruise under Liston's right eye and a cut under his left, which eventually required eight stitches to close. said Liston's Philadelphia dentist, Dr. Nick Ragni. Patterson wanted a chance to redeem himself, so they met again on July 22, 1963, in Las Vegas. Many in the small crowd had not even settled in their seats when the fight was stopped. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. After Liston arose, Walcott wiped off his gloves. Sad how they portrayed sonny in such a negative light he seems like a genuinely kind person. (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. [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. But audiences attending Knopfler's concerts around North America this summer are hearing and responding favorably to a song of a different genre, a bluesy narrative ballad called "Song for Sonny Liston," about the troubled fighter who preceded Muhammad Ali as heavyweight champion in the early 1960's. In the months ahead of the fight, Muhammad Ali went all sorts of routes to get into Sonny Liston's head. Rocky Marciano, the former heavyweight champion, said that he appreciated the punchs strength upon re-examination. Liston said he quit because of a shoulder injury. Another depicts Liston's death scene and autopsy: "There was dope in his veins and a pistol on the drawer Criss-crossed on his back, scars from his daddy like slavery tracks.". 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. He was poking the bear a bit there . Furthermore, that count cannot be started until the fighter scoring the knockdown goes to and remains in a neutral corner. [14], Tobe Liston inflicted whippings so severe on Sonny that the scars were still visible decades later. "You're putting things on and you're taking this out and molding it," Knopfler said. ", Still, some found it hard to believe that the punch could have floored a man like Liston. Very rare interview of Sonny Liston talking about how he got started in boxing, his fights with Williams and Patterson and his training routine. Liston's story, Knopfler said, "is great for a writer for many reasons. Referee Jersey Joe Walcott, a former world heavyweight champion, had a hard time getting Ali to go to a neutral corner. "He was scared of the police. His wife said he was a kind & gentle hearted person who cared deeply for children & that no one ever saw that side of him except those closest to him I believe there's a documentary somewhere on YouTube I'd recommend watching it MatterUpbeat8803 19 days ago "[35], U.S. President John F. Kennedy also did not want Patterson to fight Liston. 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 . [94], On January 1, Liston's wife, Geraldine, called Johnny Tocco and said she had not heard from her husband in three days and was worried. However, David Remnick, for his book King of the World: Muhammad Ali and the Rise of an American Hero, interviewed one of Liston's cornermen, who told him that Liston could have continued: "[The shoulder] was all BS. To the rest of the world, it would be known as "The Phantom Punch." That shot, which Ali dropped Sonny Liston with on May 25, 1965, was far from a phantom. A couple weeks later, he was still complainin' about that needle mark. In these feckless clinches he only managed to tie up one of Liston's arms. This is a place for friendly and civil debate about the greatest sport on earth. Muhammad Ali (at the time a rising contender named Cassius Clay), however, predicted a knockout by Liston in the first five rounds. Theories regarding the circumstance of Liston's death. Traduo Context Corretor Sinnimos Conjugao Conjugao Documents Dicionrio Dicionrio Colaborativo Gramtica Expressio Reverso Corporate "[42], Liston made his second title defense on February 25, 1964, in Miami Beach, Florida against Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali). 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. "[59], Liston is ranked second in the ESPN.com list of "The Hardest Hitters in Heavyweight History. I never saw. Inter-Continental said local veteran Sam Silverman was the promoter. "A blues song just for fighters: The legend of Sonny Liston. He was still a world-ranked boxer when he died in mysterious circumstances in 1970. Sonny Liston had a very sad upbringing & had to learn to survive at a young age. Who needed that? 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. [27][28], Liston's streak of nine straight knockout victories ended when he won a unanimous twelve-round decision against Eddie Machen on September 7, 1960. "[95], Sgt. "[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? Two more arrestsfor disorderly conduct and resisting arrest and another for impersonating a copled to Liston being suspended by the Pennsylvania Athletic Commission on July 14, 1961. [30], Liston became the No. "It was common knowledge that Sonny was a heroin addict," said Sgt. At one point, Liston had Clay against the ropes and landed a hard left hook. Any objective observer would have had to concede that Ali's counterpunch had landed, and landed with enough force to turn Liston's head, Rob Sneddon wrote in The Phantom Punch: The Story Behind Boxing's Most Controversial Bout. After Ali's win against Sonny Liston, he wouldn't . [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. Liston was depicted as a bad guy by the media, a handbreaker for the mafia. At the IBHOF, the casts of Listons hands were bigger than Lennox Lewis' which were also gigantic. 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. Because of the shirt he wore during robberies, the St. Louis police called Liston the "Yellow Shirt Bandit." During the fourth round Liston appeared dominant as Clay coasted, keeping his distance. [105], Singer/Songwriter Rod Picott wrote and recorded a song titled "Sonny Liston" for his 2022 album "Paper Hearts and Broken Arrows. He had a whiplash, so they took him to the hospital," said boxing trainer Johnny Tocco. He was more angry about that shot than he was about the car wreck. "[35], Patterson and Liston had a rematch clause in their contract. Sonny Liston had a very sad upbringing & had to learn to survive at a young age. "[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. A sudden violent combination delivered with 30 seconds left in the round electrified the crowd. Liston assaulted the officer, breaking his knee and gashing his face. 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. For Sonny Liston, a Ballad to a Heavyweight, https://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/13/sports/othersports/for-sonny-liston-a-ballad-to-a-heavyweight.html. 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. 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. Ali called it "the anchor punch." I'm Sonny Liston, I'm Jack Dempsey, there's no one like I'm from their . [52][53] It was the first time since 1919when Jack Dempsey defeated Jess Willardthat a world heavyweight champion had quit on his stool.