"He said: 'Look what they did!' "He had a deadly fear of needles," said Davey Pearl, a boxing referee and friend of Liston's. 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.. [50] Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. 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. "It really has made an impact, actually from the very first time I performed it on 'A Prairie Home Companion,"' Knopfler said in a telephone interview. [52][53] It was the first time since 1919when Jack Dempsey defeated Jess Willardthat a world heavyweight champion had quit on his stool. The fight ranks as one of the shortest heavyweight title bouts in history. Liston tried going to school but quickly left after jeers about his illiteracy; the only employment he could obtain was sporadic and exploitative. 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." During a ringside interview after the fight, Terrellwith his swollen eye and deflated egowould later say he respected all boxers. "[68], While Liston publicly denied taking a dive, Sports Illustrated writer Mark Kram said that years later Liston told him, "That guy [Ali] was crazy. 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. 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. [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. For confetti we can use torn-up arrest warrants." In the novel, Liston not only drinks but also pops pills and works as a sometime enforcer for a heroin ring in Las Vegas. Dennis Caputo of the Clark County Sheriff's Department was one of the first officers on the scene. "[18], After Liston was released from prison on October 31, 1952, he had a brief amateur career that spanned less than a year. Only Massachusetts was willing to host the fight, though it was delayed from November 1964 to May 1965 so that Ali could recover from hernia surgery. 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.". [38], Patterson finally signed to meet Liston for the world title on September 25, 1962, in Comiskey Park in Chicago. 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. Liston didn't seem to mind though. His family's home state of Arkansas did not make birth certificates mandatory until 1965. He also took his gun. Liston went down at 1:44, got up at 1:56, and Walcott stopped the fight at 2:12. Stevens organized a sparring session with a professional heavyweight named Thurman Wilson to showcase Liston's potential. . There were some, however, who believed the fight was legitimate. Walcott then rushed back to the fighters, who had resumed boxing, and stopped the fightawarding Ali a first-round knockout victory. The ending of the fight remains one of the most controversial in boxing history. He then left the fighters to go over to McDonough. 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. [108] The book suggests that Sonny Liston may have been murdered and a possibility that the crime was never investigated. He was hardly leading a life of health and fitness. 589 Share 23K views 1 year ago Rare interview of Sonny Liston colorized. "Nat Fleischer [editor of The Ring] was sitting beside McDonough and he was waving his hands, too, saying it was over." Writer Jack McKinney said, "I watched Sonny. Due to Listons long association with the mafia and the reputation as a peerless tough guy, there was speculation that hed thrown the fight for some financial reward. Wepner, who also fought George Foreman and Muhammad Ali, said after his career was over that Liston was the hardest puncher he faced. One of the victories was over Amos Johnson, Liston's former sparring partner, who had recently defeated British champion Henry Cooper. Muhammad Ali biographer Jonathan Eig shared a new theory as to why Sonny Liston may have taken a dive in the boxers' second bout. It is hardly the first recording by a rock musician about boxing. "When he first got to the big city, he was hanging out with a bunch of people who were just looking for trouble.". 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. This is a clip out of the \"The Other Side\" Documentary. Support this Channel:https://www.patreon.com/LegendsofBoxing Merchandise:LegendsofBoxing.redbubble.com I restore \u0026 colorize your projects, PayPal Donations: LegendsofBoxingYT@gmail.comThank you!________________________________________________________________________________ Credit Original B\u0026W Footage:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CLMlEpRb9wSonny Liston Interview uploaded by haNZAgodAll My YouTube ChannelsMy Main Channel \"Legends of Boxing\": https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC73ffQAknNEWJlRoFSWH_awMy Second Boxing Channel \"Legends of Boxing\": https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-QLrFyDnskqz5_z95mcOAMy History Channel \"Time Travel: Colorized Archive\": https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC29VFkNvVVi6_OzwFV2oTqQMy Documentary Channel \"Tales From The Past\":https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZpFIIYrCc1lOHbG-fUo5vwMein Dokumentation Channel \"Geschichten aus der Vergangenheit\" (Tales From The Past in Deutsch) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXBfWoE1KVXEzh9d2NrwBhASocial https://www.instagram.com/legends_of_boxing1/ He was also seeking to prove himself after his two embarrassing and suspicious losses to Ali. Reminds me of former UFC fighter Shane Carwin. In an unearthed, unaired TV interview, Sonny Liston's wife once said that the fighter needed to get out of the ring as fast as possible because he had diarrhea. All Rights Reserved. Ali initially stood over his fallen opponent, gesturing and yelling at him, "Get up and fight, sucker!" It'll just be for slow guitar, soft trumpet and a bell.". After he won the title, Liston relocated to Denver permanently, saying, "I'd rather be a lamppost in Denver than the mayor of Philadelphia. 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. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. said Liston's Philadelphia dentist, Dr. Nick Ragni. ", This page was last edited on 7 February 2023, at 06:36. 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. The governor of nearby Maine, John Reed, stepped up and volunteered to host it in the small town of Lewiston, where a resort and ice rink could provide some infrastructure. [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. Joe Louis commenting on TV at ringside said "It's looking good for Sonny Liston". (, Shaun Assael. Odds makers gave Liston 71 to win. interview with Alex Haley in Muhammad Ali by Thomas Hauser. "[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. Liston biographer Paul Gallender claims that Liston fathered several children, though none with his wife. Clay brought Malcolm X along with him to Miami, and amid the controversy, the fight was almost canceled. Liston had thrown a jab with his left arm and, leaning forward, took a right hook from Ali right to the skull. [60] The extent to which Liston's heavy drinking and possible drug use may have contributed to his surprisingly poor performances against Ali is not known.[15]. Liston's story, Knopfler said, "is great for a writer for many reasons. Either way, nat fleisher as the KD timekeeper had NO right telling Walcott the fight was over. This victory is regarded by some as Liston's most impressive performance. There are no official records of his birth On May 7, backers of the rematch ended the court battle by pulling the fight out of Boston. ", It was later theorized that a substance used on Liston's cuts by Joe Pollino, his cut man, may have caused the irritation. 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. More on that in a second. Night Train is like $11 on Amazon, peep that if you want to get more of the story, i don't like how max was squeezing sonny's bicep. [94], Liston was buried at Paradise Memorial Gardens in Las Vegas, Nevada. Many did not see the punch land, and some who did questioned that it was powerful enough to knock Liston out. [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. [83] Herb Goldman stated that Liston, when in his prime between 1958 and 1963, was the most feared fighter in boxing history. Even before the first punch was thrown, the May 25, 1965 bout between Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston . Sonny Liston shot a gun at Muhammad Ali. "[42], Liston made his second title defense on February 25, 1964, in Miami Beach, Florida against Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali). Ali did neither. [62] The promoters needed a new location quickly, whatever the size, to rescue their closed-circuit television commitment around the country. I'm the best ever. Although Clay often carried his gloves down at his waist, seemingly open to attack, he proved very difficult to hit. Sonny Liston had a very sad upbringing & had to learn to survive at a young age. [47] Sitting on his stool between rounds, however, Liston was breathing heavily as his cornermen worked on his cut. He could have remained typecast as a musician performing rock songs. Before he left for his bout with Clay, Sonny's training in Denver took him to some strange places. [51], Liston failed to answer the bell for the seventh round, and Clay was declared the winner by technical knockout. Numerous fans booed and started yelling, "Fix!" Rare interview of Sonny Liston colorized. "Yes, it was good and honest". I wasn't hit. . This is a place for friendly and civil debate about the greatest sport on earth. One mile up on a mountain 13 miles west of Denver is the Shrine of Mother Cabrini. [36], Jack Dempsey spoke for many when he was quoted as saying that Sonny Liston should not be allowed to fight for the title. The story goes that Liston was born somewhere . Tosches, Nick (2000). Sheed says that the punch and the knockdown "may have been genuine, but when referee Joe Walcott blew the count and gave him all evening to get up, Liston's rendition of a coma wouldn't have fooled a possum. In the 2020 film One Night in Miami, Liston is played by Aaron D. Alexander. A wax model of Liston appears in the front row of the iconic sleeve cover of the Beatles' Sgt. "It was common knowledge that Sonny was a heroin addict," said Sgt. Authorities theorized that he was undressing for bed when he fell over backward with such force that he broke the rail of the bench. Helen had one child before she married Tobe, and Tobe had 13 children with his first wife. He pulled the same stuff Walcott did against Marciano.
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