It was a good punch, but I didn't think I hit him so hard that he couldn't have gotten up. His family's home state of Arkansas did not make birth certificates mandatory until 1965. [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! The suspension was honored in all states. Tale of the tape: Fight poster for Sonny Liston v Cassius Clay in 1964. . He was more angry about that shot than he was about the car wreck. 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. The fight lasted four seconds longer than the first one. [47] Sitting on his stool between rounds, however, Liston was breathing heavily as his cornermen worked on his cut. Joe Louis commenting on TV at ringside said "It's looking good for Sonny Liston". "Nat Fleischer [editor of The Ring] was sitting beside McDonough and he was waving his hands, too, saying it was over." [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. Liston's wife also recalled that her husband would refuse basic medical care for common colds because of his dislike of needles. He rolled over, got to his right knee and then fell on his back again. Clay confessed later he had been hurt by the punch, but Liston was unable to press his advantage home. Gary Beckwith said, "It wasn't uncommon for family members in these cases to go through and tidy up to save family embarrassment. It was more likely that Liston was out of shape according to a story in Esquire at the time, Liston trained as normal, running around five miles a day, eating hot dogs and drinking beer. He was also possibly much older than his listed 32 years than anything else Liston was the second-youngest of 25 children to parents who didnt exactly keep records of birthdates. 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. Liston biographer Paul Gallender claims that Liston fathered several children, though none with his wife. With the proceeds, he traveled to St. Louis to live with his mother. [51], Liston failed to answer the bell for the seventh round, and Clay was declared the winner by technical knockout. So I get him down, I get the sponge and I pour the water into his eyes trying to cleanse whatever's there, but before I did that I put my pinkie in his eye and I put it into my eye. 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, . The most iconic photo in boxing history documents the knockout that almost nobody saw happen. 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). [67] Some felt the knockdown was real but the knockout was fake. It is hardly the first recording by a rock musician about boxing. ", This page was last edited on 7 February 2023, at 06:36. According to Liston's trainer, Willie Reddish, Liston cancelled a planned tour to Africa in 1963 because he refused to get the required inoculations. [22], Early in his career, Liston faced capable opponents. The Devil and Sonny Liston. [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. I want to prove to the world there's dirty work afoot.' Tobe and Helen had 12 children together; Sonny was the second youngest child. And, while Patterson was growing as a fighter, Sonny was taking on mostly journeyman and starting to age. "I was rooting around in my childhood, maybe the way you do when you get to a certain age," Knopfler said. "You're putting things on and you're taking this out and molding it," Knopfler said. ", confirmed most people's belief that Liston had taken a dive. Jim Murray of the Los Angeles Times wrote that it was "no phantom punch." [55], There is ample evidence that Liston did carry an injury to his left shoulder into the fight. I dont have to be what you want me to be, Clay told agitated reporters. The grave's marker-plate bears the dedication: "A Man. Theories regarding the circumstance of Liston's death. Ali initially stood over his fallen opponent, gesturing and yelling at him, "Get up and fight, sucker!" All Rights Reserved. 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 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." 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. Liston was a heavy favorite. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. Walcott never did pick up the count. "[35], U.S. President John F. Kennedy also did not want Patterson to fight Liston. Washington University Libraries, Film and Media Archive, Henry Hampton Collection. When caught in January 1950, Liston gave his age as 20, while the St. Louis Globe-Democrat reported that he was 22. Soon, he was known as Cassius X, eschewing the last name given to his enslaved family by their owners. I didn't want anything to do with him. After repeated overnight detention by the St. Louis police and a thinly veiled threat to his life, Liston left for Philadelphia. He also had a reputation for bullying people such as porters and waitresses. But as it approached, there were fears that the promoters were tied to organized crime and Massachusetts officials, most notably Suffolk County District Attorney Garrett H. Byrne, began to have second thoughts. After the second loss to Ali, Liston stayed out of the ring for more than a year. 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. 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. [36], Jack Dempsey spoke for many when he was quoted as saying that Sonny Liston should not be allowed to fight for the title. 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. The NAACP had urged Patterson not to fight Liston, fearing that a Liston victory would hurt the civil rights movement. 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. And Tex Maule of Sports Illustrated wrote, "The blow had so much force it lifted Liston's left foot, upon which most of his weight was resting, well off the canvas. Banker said he was told by police that Liston had been seen at a house that would be the target of a drug raid. "Better get me out of this ring," exclaimed Wilson, "he is going to kill me! Traduo Context Corretor Sinnimos Conjugao Conjugao Documents Dicionrio Dicionrio Colaborativo Gramtica Expressio Reverso Corporate Interviewing and trash-talk have both gone through some tremendous evolutions, havent they? At one point, Clay was wiping his eyes with his right hand while extending his left arm"like a drunk leaning on a lamppost" Bert Sugar wroteto keep Liston at bay. Tosches, Nick (2000). 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. "[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. [30] Before his bout with Liston, Muhammad Ali consulted Machen and was advised that the key to survival was to make Liston lose his temper. His fists measured 15 inches (38cm) around, the largest of any heavyweight champion. Liston retired in his corner due to an inflamed shoulder. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. 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. Both fights were in Summerlin's hometown of Detroit.[23]. 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. Watch the interview you be the judge.. Stuttgarter Amtsblatt No. You could feel the deflation, see the look of hurt in his eyes. The Murder of Sonny Liston: A Story of Fame, Heroin, Boxing & Las Vegas. "Yes, it was good and honest". Carwin probably wasn't even that tall. [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]. [52][53] It was the first time since 1919when Jack Dempsey defeated Jess Willardthat a world heavyweight champion had quit on his stool. "I didn't know what the heck was going on", Angelo Dundee, Clay's trainer, recalled on an NBC special 25 years later. 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. [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. Knopfler said the track "uses a lot of the country-blues style of playing that I started to absorb when I was young.". It burned like hell. Tosches, Nick (2000). [73] The bout was stopped after the ninth round due to cuts over both of Wepner's eyes. Sonny Liston had a very sad upbringing & had to learn to survive at a young age. Never before seen Sonny Liston interview. 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The second round saw Liston continue to pursue Clay. ", Liston appeared on the December 1963 cover of Esquire magazine (cover photograph by Carl Fischer) "the last man on earth America wanted to see coming down its chimney".[106]. Geraldine called Liston's attorney and his doctor, but did not notify the police until two to three hours later. For me, the most fascinating thing about Liston was the fact that his birth date is unknown. [45][46] A clearly angered Liston rallied at the end of the round when Clay seemed tired, delivering punishing body shots. Reminds me of former UFC fighter Shane Carwin. 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. Skeptics called the knockout blow "the phantom punch." [32] Ironically, Patterson's manager, Cus D'Amato, associated with racketeers and had his manager's license revoked by the New York State Athletic Commission for alleged misconduct in connection with the Floyd PattersonIngemar Johansson title fight in June 1959. Anyone can read what you share. Sonny Liston, I think was possibly the greatest intimidator of all time. [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. Lennox is a conqueror? Liston was depicted as a bad guy by the media, a handbreaker for the mafia. 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. 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. Liston was particularly known for his immense strength, formidable jab, long reach, toughness, and his infamously intimidating appearance. Ali did neither. Maybe he was. 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. He offered no comment on the matter, but his victory would soon turn it into an international story. Maule, Tex (March 9, 1964). 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. interview with Alex Haley in Muhammad Ali by Thomas Hauser. Shaun Assael. ", Chuck Wepner on Liston's intimidating appearance. 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. [89], Following an investigation, Las Vegas police concluded there were no signs of foul play and declared Liston's death a heroin overdose. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. 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. "[35], Patterson and Liston had a rematch clause in their contract. Boston: Little, Brown. "The timekeeper was waving both hands and saying, 'I counted him outthe fight is over,'" Walcott said after the fight. [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. Geraldine remembered her husband as "Great with me, great with the kids. 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. 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. Writer Jack McKinney said, "I watched Sonny. Less than 10 days later, he was Muhammad Ali, a name given him to Elijah Muhammad, the head of the Nation of Islam. 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. 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. More on that in a second. "[18], After Liston was released from prison on October 31, 1952, he had a brief amateur career that spanned less than a year. The commotion was not lost on referee Barney Felix, who was walking toward Clay's corner. [15] In 1946, Helen Baskin, along with some of her children, moved to St. Louis to seek factory work. 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. . Rode with the muggers in the dark and dread and all them sluggers went down like lead. "There was nothing Sonny feared more than a needle. Tocco left the house before the police did. Very Rare interview with Sonny Liston and Joe Louis. 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