sonny liston interview

[59], Liston trained hard for the rematch, which was scheduled to take place November 13, 1964, in Boston. 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. Knopfler said the track "uses a lot of the country-blues style of playing that I started to absorb when I was young.". For me, the most fascinating thing about Liston was the fact that his birth date is unknown. "I'm doing a portrait of a life, really, in a way, so you are trying to get the whole thing into just a few verses. There was something caustic in both eyes." [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. 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.". ", The Liston song appears on an album called "Shangri-La." At the IBHOF, the casts of Listons hands were bigger than Lennox Lewis' which were also gigantic. [52][53] It was the first time since 1919when Jack Dempsey defeated Jess Willardthat a world heavyweight champion had quit on his stool. Liston angrily responded by questioning whether Dempsey's failure to serve in World War I qualified him to moralize. 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. Don't confuse shyness with dullness, Sonny was. Rare interview of Sonny Liston colorized. Never before seen Sonny Liston interview. Support this Channel: https://www.patreon.com/join/LegendsofBoxing Merchandise: https://www.redbubble.com/peo. Muhammad Ali biographer Jonathan Eig shared a new theory as to why Sonny Liston may have taken a dive in the boxers' second bout. And the face, it was an unforgettable face. [83] Herb Goldman stated that Liston, when in his prime between 1958 and 1963, was the most feared fighter in boxing history. In this case, Intercontinental Promotions Inc., which had the rights to Listons fight, also got to choose the first opponent for the new champion, should Liston lose. [76][77] Foreman stated: "There wasn't anything missing from Sonny Liston. 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. Philadelphia wanted nothing to do with him. Cleveland Williams was the last person to defeat Liston and made $100,000 for his efforts. "When he first got to the big city, he was hanging out with a bunch of people who were just looking for trouble.". He claimed the officer used racial slurs. [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. Hed shown up to the fight in the best shape of his life no hot dogs or beer in his diet this time and promised to take down Ali. He said it was taught to him by comedian and film actor Stepin Fetchit, who learned it from Jack Johnson. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. that startles everyone in a 100 foot radius. Frank Mir was around that height and was noticeably taller than Carwin. Half a mile above and beyond the shrine, looking down from the summit of the mountain, is a statue of the Sacred Heart. During a ringside interview after the fight, Terrellwith his swollen eye and deflated egowould later say he respected all boxers. Walcott never did pick up the count. Tosches, Nick (2000). Mike DeJohn was the highest paid boxer at $15,000 while James Dickey received $20,000. Good lord, Sonny's mitts are massive. "[18], After Liston was released from prison on October 31, 1952, he had a brief amateur career that spanned less than a year. 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. He is a relatively elementary, one-track fighter." A grateful Liston found there was no need to give chase. The Real Story behind the Ali-Liston Fights. Referee Jersey Joe Walcott, a former world heavyweight champion, had a hard time getting Ali to go to a neutral corner. Sports Illustrated writer Mort Sharnik said his hands "looked like cannonballs when he made them into fists." He was 6ft 1in (1.85m), and had an exceptionally powerful physique, with a disproportionately long reach at 84 inches (2.13m). "[75], Future world heavyweight champion George Foreman, who sparred with Liston after Foreman's amateur career, assessed Liston's jab as the most formidable he faced and Liston as the strongest man he encountered in the ring, describing Liston as having the most natural talent and skill. For his part, Liston said that the referees inability to keep track of time doomed him, as he didnt know when to get up from the mat. He is seen in the far left part of the row, wearing a white and gold robe, standing beside the original-look Beatle wax figures. Rogin called Liston's physique "awesomearms like fence posts, thighs like silos." Sonny Liston was one of the hardest hitters the boxing world has ever seen. [33], Civic leaders were also reluctant, worrying that Liston's unsavory character would set a bad example for youth. After two rounds, Wilson had taken enough. [22], Early in his career, Liston faced capable opponents. [37] Frustrated, Liston changed his management in 1961 and applied pressure through the media by remarking that Patterson, who had faced mostly white challengers since becoming champion, was drawing the color line against his own race. [73] The bout was stopped after the ninth round due to cuts over both of Wepner's 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. Carwin probably wasn't even that tall. 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. 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 . According to a New York Times report the day after the fight, Clay was indeed an official member of the Nation of Islam. "A blues song just for fighters: The legend of Sonny Liston. In the 2001 film Ali, Liston was portrayed by former WBO Heavyweight Champion Michael Bentt. A wax model of Liston appears in the front row of the iconic sleeve cover of the Beatles' Sgt. There are no official records of his birth Boston: Little, Brown. At that point, the fight was scored as even on the official scorecards. I remember thinking as a child that this was a man who wanted to be left alone.". 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 theres a documentary somewhere on YouTube Id recommend watching it. In a pre-fight poll, 43 of 46 sportswriters picked Liston to win by knockout. I forgot about the rules." Reminds me of former UFC fighter Shane Carwin. The official time of the stoppage was announced as 1:00 into the first round, which was wrong. What are you doing? Liston went down on his back. He pulled the same stuff Walcott did against Marciano. "[54] Hall of Fame matchmaker Teddy Brenner also disputed the shoulder injury, claiming he saw Liston use the same arm to throw a chair in his dressing room after the match. 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. The bout would need to be delayed by six months. "[59], Liston is ranked second in the ESPN.com list of "The Hardest Hitters in Heavyweight History. 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.'" Ali called it "the anchor punch." 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. . [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]. It burned like hell. This is a place for friendly and civil debate about the greatest sport on earth. Im free to be who I want.. #muhammadali #henrycooper #sonnyliston #dougjones #heavyweight #greatness #boxing #legend #larryholmes #ironmike #sonnyliston #intimidating #bad #big #greatb. 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. Tale of the tape: Fight poster for Sonny Liston v Cassius Clay in 1964. . He used the platform to expound on the political theory that was so reviled in white America, defending Malcolm X and condemning racial oppression this was still months before President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. [67] Some felt the knockdown was real but the knockout was fake. He returned with four consecutive knockout victories in Sweden between July 1966 and April 1967, all four co-promoted by former world heavyweight champion Ingemar Johansson. "Nat Fleischer [editor of The Ring] was sitting beside McDonough and he was waving his hands, too, saying it was over." Tobe and Helen had 12 children together; Sonny was the second youngest child. The connections to organized crime were an advantage early in his career but were later used against him. Thom Jones titled his 2000 collection of short stories Sonny Liston Was a Friend of Mine. It was the third-fastest knockout in a world heavyweight title fight, and the first time the defending champion had been knocked out in round one. The photo captures the champions exhortations, with all the fire and passion and dynamic physicality that made him such a phenomenon. [93] Liston had been hospitalized in early December, complaining of chest pains. #1 December 1963 extended Interview with Champion Sonny Liston - discusses Ali defense, his contenders, even the JFK Assassination 12-02-2022, 12:32 PM Pretty cool interview. [16] Listonaged around 13, according to his later reckoningsremained in Arkansas with his father. Very rare interview of Sonny Liston talking about how he got started in boxing, his fights with Williams and Patterson and his training routine. [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! He rolled over, got to his right knee and then fell on his back again. 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. Ira Gay Sealy/The Denver Post via Getty Images According to the post, he returned back home later that morning and called his sparring partner Gary Bates to tell him he was leaving for Los Angeles but that they should get together when he returned in a couple of days. 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. The fight lasted less than one full round, with Ali knocking out Liston at the 1:44 mark. Press J to jump to the feed. 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. (. Gary Beckwith said, "It wasn't uncommon for family members in these cases to go through and tidy up to save family embarrassment. 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. The commotion was not lost on referee Barney Felix, who was walking toward Clay's corner. And it was probably for the best ticket-buyers didnt exactly get their moneys worth. Then again, you can also have guys like Ali or Mike Tyson. [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. Liston's story, Knopfler said, "is great for a writer for many reasons. Writer Jack McKinney said, "I watched Sonny. 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. [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. Boston: Little, Brown. But by the sixth round his sight had cleared, and a clearly enraged Clay fought a blisteringly aggressive round landing numerous combination punches. After Ali's win against Sonny Liston, he wouldn't . Standing 185 centimeters (6'1) tall and packing over 90 kilograms (200 lb) of pure muscle, there's a reason he was nicknamed "The Big Bear," and it wasn't for the hugs he gave.. His career in heavyweight boxing spanned from 1953 to 1970, and he spent all 17 of those years going guts for glory against the . Three days before the fight, Ali needed emergency surgery for a strangulated hernia. 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." (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. Liston won his final fight, a tough but one-sided match against future world title challenger Chuck Wepner in June 1970. [10] His family, but not one Charles (or Sonny) Liston, can be found in the 1930 census, and in the 1940 census he was listed as 10 years old. [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. [citation needed], The fight turned out to be a mismatch. Sit down!' There's never been anybody as ruthless. It was 1965, not 1955. Knopfler, 55, said inspiration for the Liston song has been growing for a long time. [105], Singer/Songwriter Rod Picott wrote and recorded a song titled "Sonny Liston" for his 2022 album "Paper Hearts and Broken Arrows. Liston said he quit because of a shoulder injury. Liston won 14 consecutive bouts, 13 by knockout, before fighting third-ranked Leotis Martin, previously beaten by Clark, in December 1969. "Some songs just seem to reverberate with people.". Skeptics called the knockout blow "the phantom punch." The year 1959 was a banner one for Liston: after knocking out contender Mike DeJohn in six rounds he faced Cleveland Williams, a fast-handed fighter who was billed as the hardest-hitting heavyweight in the world against whom he showed durability, power and skill, nullifying Williams' best work before stopping him in the third round. [97], "The month before he died, some guy ran into Sonny while he was making a left turn. While true he also sent women to the hospital, which his sparring partner confirms. "Now (after seeing video) I think Clay, seeing the opening, snapped the punch the last six inches. He also took his gun. Clay confessed later he had been hurt by the punch, but Liston was unable to press his advantage home. Some writers thought Liston brought bad press on himself by a surly and hostile attitude toward journalists. 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. [56] Sports Illustrated writer Tex Maule wrote that Liston's shoulder injury was legitimate. 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. Jim Murray of the Los Angeles Times wrote that it was "no phantom punch." "From Bad Buck to White Hope: Journalism and Sonny Liston, 19581965. [94], Liston was buried at Paradise Memorial Gardens in Las Vegas, Nevada. Sonny Liston, once the heavyweight champ, died at the age of who-knows-what some days before Dec. 30, 1970. The second fight? 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]. 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. Even before the first punch was thrown, the May 25, 1965 bout between Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston . 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. Unfortunately for Martin, however, his career ended after that fight due to a detached retina he suffered during the bout. On the album's lyric sheet, below the Liston song, Knopfler includes a famous quotation from Liston from 1962: "Some day, they're gonna write a blues for fighters. He would later employ McCarter as a sparring partner. His defense was described as "the gate-crossing of arms la Archie Moore. Remembering One Of Boxing's Storied Bouts Robert Siegel and Melissa Block recall the fight between Cassius Clay and and Sonny Liston, the fight at the heart of the off-Broadway play Fetch Clay, . "But can he hit!" 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. C'mon now, this is for the title, this is the big apple. He cited Liston's inability to lift his arm: "There is no doubt that Liston's arm was damaged. The most iconic photo in boxing history documents the knockout that almost nobody saw happen. [62] The promoters needed a new location quickly, whatever the size, to rescue their closed-circuit television commitment around the country. Washington University Libraries, Film and Media Archive, Henry Hampton Collection. All Rights Reserved. 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. "[78] While much has been written about the effectiveness of his left jab, others have commented favorably on Liston's wide range of boxing skills. "He had a left like Henry's hammer," Knopfler sings, "a right like Betty Bamalam. [8] Convicted and sentenced to five years in the Missouri State Penitentiary, Liston started his prison time on June 1, 1950. [101], Liston played a fist fighter in the 1965 film Harlow, made a cameo appearance in the 1968 film Head, which starred The Monkees, and played the part of The Farmer in the 1970 film Moonfire, which starred Richard Egan and Charles Napier. [55], There is ample evidence that Liston did carry an injury to his left shoulder into the fight. The FBI was on the hunt for evidence for match-fixing, given Listons mob ties mobsters still owned much of his fight promotion contract and the sports shady business model. In the 2020 film One Night in Miami, Liston is played by Aaron D. Alexander. [8][9], There is no official record of Liston's birth. 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. "[57] Those findings were confirmed in a formal investigation immediately after the fight by Florida State Attorney Richard Gerstein, who also noted that there was little doubt that Liston went into the fight with a sore or lame shoulder. While valuing the photograph, appraiser Kathleen Guzman told. You've seen him before but probably didn't realize it because the most famous photo ever taken of Sonny was not at his best angle. Sonny Liston in his prime . The second round saw Liston continue to pursue Clay. Ali would lose his title a year later, though it didnt happen in the ring. In that same book Liston was quoted two years after the fight: "Ali knocked me down with a sharp punch. 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. Top contender Zora Folley was stopped in three rounds. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. Liston retired in his corner due to an inflamed shoulder. Interviewing and trash-talk have both gone through some tremendous evolutions, havent they? [50] 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." [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. You could feel the deflation, see the look of hurt in his eyes. "He told me in the strictest confidence, but it was like he wanted to get it off his chest." [87], Liston was found dead by his wife, Geraldine, in their Las Vegas home on January 5, 1971. But he spoke to his friend Resnick on the day of the fight and was told not to bet on the champion. In his sixth bout, he faced ranked heavyweight Johnny Summerlin (18-1-2) on national television and won in an eight-round decision. Patterson, a 4-1 betting underdog, was knocked down three times and counted out at 2:10 of the first round. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. In his next fight, he had a rematch with Summerlin and again won an eight-round decision. Dennis Caputo of the Clark County Sheriff's Department was one of the first officers on the scene. Be respectful and come chat with us. The previous month, Schreibauer had won a bronze medal in the European Championships. I didn't think it was a powerful punch when I saw the fight from ringside," he said. Banker said he was told by police that Liston had been seen at a house that would be the target of a drug raid. 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/ "[35] However, in 1963 in the aftermath of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, Liston broke off a European boxing exhibition tour to return home and was quoted as saying he was "ashamed to be in America. [47] Sitting on his stool between rounds, however, Liston was breathing heavily as his cornermen worked on his cut. [64] Strict interpretation of the knockdown/count rule states it is the referee's count and not the timekeeper's that is the official count.

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