[50] They fought for a third time on March 6, 1956, which Liston won by a ten-round unanimous decision. SO here are four theories behind who killed Sonny Liston at only the age of 40. On May 7, backers of the rematch ended the court battle by pulling the fight out of Boston. Daniel (Dan) Liston is Professor of Education in the Educational Foundations, Policy and Practice (EFPP) program and in the Curriculum and Instruction (C&I) program. 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]. 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. Thom Jones titled his 2000 collection of short stories Sonny Liston Was a Friend of Mine. The two American fighters met again 15 months later, Ali winning . Liston went down at 1:44, got up at 1:56, and Walcott stopped the fight at 2:12. McDonough, however, claimed Walcott was looking at the crowd and never at him. [107] The story speculates that Liston threw the Ali match for the good of society. John F. Kennedy also did not want Patterson to fight Liston. Patterson defended against Liston in Comiskey Park, Chicago, on September 25, 1962, and the rest is history. Boulder, CO 80309-0249. Clearly, it was time to turn pro. The second round saw Liston continue to pursue Clay. The film starred Ving Rhames as Liston and was produced by Rhames, Hassain Zaidi and Marek Posival. I know!" Tosches, Nick (2000). It's been 43 years since Sonny passed. Mike DeJohn was the highest paid boxer at $15,000 while James Dickey received $20,000. January 5, 2017. -- CHARLES (SONNY) LISTON It was already dark when she stepped from the car in front of her house on Ottawa Drive, but she could see her pink Cadillac convertible and Sonny's new black. He particularly resented a 1961 arrest by a black patrolman for loitering, claiming to have merely been signing autographs and chatting with fans outside a drugstore. Referee Jersey Joe Walcott, a former world heavyweight champion, had a hard time getting Ali to go to a neutral corner. After two rounds, Wilson had taken enough. He had a whiplash, so they took him to the hospital," said boxing trainer Johnny Tocco. 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. 2023 Barstool Sports. [84], Liston married Geraldine Chambers in St. Louis, Missouri, on September 3, 1957. 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 champion. And, while Patterson was growing as a fighter, Sonny was taking on mostly journeyman and starting to age. Fans rejected Liston after he won the heavyweight title over Floyd Patterson in 1962. 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. He won eight fights that year, six by knockout. The inaugural WBC world heavyweight champion cemented himself in. Born to a large and impoverished sharecropping family, Charles 'Sonny' Liston probably came into the world four years before his official 1932 birthdate, and his struggle to fashion a real identity would remain with him his whole life. He was found dead in his Las Vegas home on January 5, 1971 Six months after the Wepner fight. The fight lasted four seconds longer than the first one. But others contend he just was not the same Liston. [22], Early in his career, Liston faced capable opponents. [83] Herb Goldman stated that Liston, when in his prime between 1958 and 1963, was the most feared fighter in boxing history. [45][46] A clearly angered Liston rallied at the end of the round when Clay seemed tired, delivering punishing body shots. Sonny was one of 25 children of a sharecropper in Arkansas. A grateful Liston found there was no need to give chase. Liston wins, 10 times out of 10. [79][80][81] These include Muhammad Ali, who stated in a 1975 interview that he was a great admirer of Liston's talents: "Liston had a tremendous jab, could punch with either hand, was smart in the ring and as strong as any heavyweight Ive ever seen. Liston was a heavy favorite. interview with Alex Haley in Muhammad Ali by Thomas Hauser. He was a heavyweight world champion. Professor Liston's research interests . 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. 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. On April 21, 1955, he defeated Marshall in a rematch, dropping him four times en route to a sixth-round knockout. Officially, Liston died of lung congestion and heart failure. Once he went down, I got excited. Furthermore, that count cannot be started until the fighter scoring the knockdown goes to and remains in a neutral corner. Charles "Sonny" Liston was an enigma that, by way of testimonial, put fear in the hearts of men all throughout the 1960s. He inflicted whippings so severe on Sonny that the scars were still visible in the ring decades later as an adult. Time magazine said Liston had worked himself into the best shape of his career. Patterson wanted a chance to redeem himself, so they met again on July 22, 1963, in Las Vegas. Sonny knocked out Patterson at 2:06 of the first round, with that powerful left hook to the jaw 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. Other than that, little is definite about his birth, but he seems to have been born in a shack on the cotton plantation where his parents worked, a little outside Forrest City, in Arkansas, which did . . The heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali stood over Sonny Liston in the first round of their title fight in Lewiston, Me., on May 25, 1965, and was heard to say, "Get up and fight, sucker!" John . [17] The athletic director at Missouri State Penitentiary, Rev. [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. [8][9], There is no official record of Liston's birth. 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. ", Chuck Wepner on Liston's intimidating appearance. [34] Many African-Americans disdained Liston. 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." Liston claimed he was born in 1932, yet his rap sheet for his 1950 arrest for armed robbery listed his age as 22, making him born in 1928. Patterson, a 4-1 betting underdog, was knocked down three times and counted out at 2:10 of the first round. "But they'll have to swing along until somebody comes to beat me.". Muhammad Ali vs Sonny Liston, 1965 Source: AFP. Charles L. "Sonny" Liston (c. 1930 - c. December 30, 1970) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1953 to 1970. The Murder of Sonny Liston: A Story of Fame, Heroin, Boxing & Las Vegas. Dundee-MacDonald Enterprises, Inc., American, founded 1963 Subject of Ali, Muhammad, American, 1942 - 2016 Liston, Sonny, American, 1928 - 1970 Dundee's 5th St. Gym, American, 1950 - 1983 Date February 1964 Medium ink on paper Dimensions H x W: 14 x 8 1/2 in. Liston returned to the United States and won seven fights, all by knockout, in 1968, increasing his string to eleven. I know it", Liston said afterward. "[18], After Liston was released from prison on October 31, 1952, he had a brief amateur career that spanned less than a year. Cassius Clay is embraced by his handlers after he won the world heavyweight championship on a TKO over Sonny Liston in the 7th round. You can listen to it at your leisure, or read about it now. Gallender claimed, "A lot of officers knew Sonny was dead before Geraldine returned home on January 5, but they chose to let him rot. "[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. In 1950, Liston was arrested at his apartment at 1006 O'Fallon Street for robbing the Unique Cafe on 1502 Market Street in St. Louis for 37 dollars. Shaun Assael wrote "The Murder of Sonny Liston: Las Vegas, Heroin, and Heavyweights", published in 2016. Many did not see the punch land, and some who did questioned that it was powerful enough to knock Liston out. 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. In the first fight, in Miami, a 22-year-old Cassius Clay danced around the ring, taunted Liston, promised reporters he'd shock the world, and then delivered on that promise with a blistering late. "[42], Liston made his second title defense on February 25, 1964, in Miami Beach, Florida against Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali). [87], Liston was found dead by his wife, Geraldine, in their Las Vegas home on January 5, 1971. Some writers thought Liston brought bad press on himself by a surly and hostile attitude toward journalists. Now you know who he is Heres how he died. Stuttgarter Amtsblatt No. "There was nothing Sonny feared more than a needle. There were some, however, who believed the fight was legitimate. (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. Felix later said Clay was seconds from being disqualified. Sonny Liston, I think was possibly the greatest intimidator of all time. "The public is not with me. Daniel 'Sonny' Liston is on Facebook. [42], Liston's run-ins with the police had continued in Philadelphia. "[82] Johnny Tocco, a trainer who worked with George Foreman and Mike Tyson as well as Liston, said Liston was the hardest hitter of the three. Sonny's in a simple white robe, hood covering a white towel that's draped over his head. [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". He would later employ McCarter as a sparring partner. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. [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. 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. Wepner, who also fought George Foreman and Muhammad Ali, said after his career was over that Liston was the hardest puncher he faced. Several reports say Liston had fresh needle marks on his arms when he died. [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 talked of a fight with Joe Frazier, claiming, "It'd be like shooting fish in a barrel." 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