[89], Following an investigation, Las Vegas police concluded there were no signs of foul play and declared Liston's death a heroin overdose. I wasn't hit. Boxings brightest young star was again squaring off against a renowned bruiser in a rematch of their thrilling and controversial heavyweight championship fight one year prior, a fight that was followed by 14 months of international intrigue and the combustible politics of the 1960s. and he was pointing at some little bandage over the needle mark in his arm. He also wrote that Liston's win over Patterson proved that "in a fair fight between good and evil, evil must win." Like Dylan's subject, Rubin Carter, Knopfler's version of Liston is sympathetic. A sudden violent combination delivered with 30 seconds left in the round electrified the crowd. For those too young to remember, Sonny "The Big Bear" Liston was a legendary heavyweight boxer. I want to prove to the world there's dirty work afoot.' 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. When caught in January 1950, Liston gave his age as 20, while the St. Louis Globe-Democrat reported that he was 22. [52][53] It was the first time since 1919when Jack Dempsey defeated Jess Willardthat a world heavyweight champion had quit on his stool. (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 went down on his back. "[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. Genuinely kind mobster who had been convicted of armed robbery and assault. Convention Center, Winchester, Nevada, U.S. Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. Municipal Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. St. Louis Arena, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. Midwest Gymnasium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Pittsburgh Gardens, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. New Masonic Temple, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. Motor City Arena, Detroit, Michigan, U.S. Sources vary on his reach, with some listing it as 80in, Reputations: Sonny Liston: The Champion Nobody Wanted (2001), 50 min, BBC Documentary, Mailer: A Biography By Mary V. Dearborn, page 186. It'll just be for slow guitar, soft trumpet and a bell.". that startles everyone in a 100 foot radius. Many did not see the punch land, and some who did questioned that it was powerful enough to knock Liston out. Caputo, one of the investigating police officers, "The whole department knew about it." [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. [14], Tobe Liston inflicted whippings so severe on Sonny that the scars were still visible decades later. On the Spot show with Max Goldberg featuring the heavyweight champion The fight lasted less than one full round, with Ali knocking out Liston at the 1:44 mark. "There was nothing Sonny feared more than a needle. The suspension was honored in all states. Underworld connections and his unrecorded dates of birth and death added to the enigma. Top contender Zora Folley was stopped in three rounds. Never before seen Sonny Liston interview. Support this Channel: https://www.patreon.com/join/LegendsofBoxing Merchandise: https://www.redbubble.com/peo. It burned like hell. "The only thing my old man ever gave me was a beating," Liston said. 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]. Interview Date: March 13, 1989 Camera Rolls: 2104-2105 Sound Rolls: 248 Editorial Notes: Interview with , conducted by Blackside, Inc. on March 13, 1989, for . The toxicology report said his body was too decomposed for the tests to be conclusive. Mark Knopfler enjoyed widespread popularity in the 1980's as the leader of Dire Straits, lending his husky voice to hit songs like "Sultans of Swing" and "Money for Nothing." Liston won 14 consecutive bouts, 13 by knockout, before fighting third-ranked Leotis Martin, previously beaten by Clark, in December 1969. Liston's wife also recalled that her husband would refuse basic medical care for common colds because of his dislike of needles. However, when Clay returned to his corner, he started complaining that there was something burning in his eyes and he could not see. 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]. He had the whole package. Dude was only 6'2 and his hands dwarfed Lesnar's. ", It was later theorized that a substance used on Liston's cuts by Joe Pollino, his cut man, may have caused the irritation. [38], Patterson finally signed to meet Liston for the world title on September 25, 1962, in Comiskey Park in Chicago. Audiences at home were confused and outraged. "[35], U.S. President John F. Kennedy also did not want Patterson to fight Liston. Elizabeth Bear wrote the short story "Sonny Liston Takes the Fall", published in The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy in 2008. In a pre-fight poll, 43 of 46 sportswriters picked Liston to win by knockout. 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. The following year, Sonnydetermined to reunite with his mother and siblingsthrashed the pecans from his brother-in-law's tree and sold them in Forrest City, Arkansas. "It was common knowledge that Sonny was a heroin addict," said Sgt. Interviewing and trash-talk have both gone through some tremendous evolutions, havent they? Anyone can read what you share. The bout would need to be delayed by six months. 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. "He said: 'Look what they did!' Liston didn't seem to mind though. [71] Credence to the latter theory is provided by the fact that Liston, immediately after his fight with Chuck Wepner, seemed more concerned about supporting the proposed Ali-Frazier bout and Ali's claims to be champion than promoting his own career. On This Day: Muhammad Ali knocks out Sonny Liston with - The Ring RARE Sonny Liston Interview before the first Ali fight 1964 in Color Legends of Boxing in Color 2.47K subscribers Subscribe 16K views 8 months ago Very Rare interview with Sonny Liston and. ", Knopfler compared writing a song about Liston to the work a sculptor performs on a statue. Charles L. "Sonny" Liston (c.1930 December 30, 1970) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1953 to 1970. Sonny Liston RARE Interview - YouTube 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. Even before the first punch was thrown, the May 25, 1965 bout between .css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston, during which the photo was snapped, was already shaping up to be the stuff of legends. Sonny Liston Interview - YouTube 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. Mark Knopfler's tribute to Liston, "Song for Sonny Liston", appeared on his 2004 album Shangri-La. The last of Sonny Liston Andscape [31] While Liston began working into shape with hopes for a heavyweight title shot, he also continued his criminal behavior. I never saw. Liston, with a 25-pound weight advantage, 214lb (97kg) to 189lb (86kg), knocked out Patterson at 2:06 of the first round, putting him down for the count with a powerful left hook to the jaw. "[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. 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. Liston had thrown a jab with his left arm and, leaning forward, took a right hook from Ali right to the skull. The photo depicted Ali standing over his opponent, Sonny Liston, after delivering a final blow that knocked Liston to the ground. Also, scar tissue, possibly from needle marks, was found in the bend of Liston's left elbow. Liston biographer Paul Gallender claims that Liston fathered several children, though none with his wife. There are no official records of his birth With the proceeds, he traveled to St. Louis to live with his mother. During these same years Sonny Liston was on the comeback trail as well. [35] Liston's victory was loudly booed. He said he could not hear McDonough, who did not have a microphone. 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." Many in attendance did not see Ali deliver the punch. It was 1965, not 1955. He said it was taught to him by comedian and film actor Stepin Fetchit, who learned it from Jack Johnson. [22], Early in his career, Liston faced capable opponents. "The timekeeper was waving both hands and saying, 'I counted him outthe fight is over,'" Walcott said after the fight. He also cited medical evidence: "A team of eight doctors inspected Liston's arm at St. Francis Hospital in Miami Beach and agreed that it was too badly damaged for Liston to continue fighting. Sonny Liston Interview - Rare - YouTube You could feel the deflation, see the look of hurt in his eyes. The organization was seen as an extremist anti-white people hate group and opponents of desegregation and Martin Luther King Jr. Clays propensity for self-promotion and controversy seemed to fit in with the groups inflammatory rhetoric. 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. interview with Alex Haley in Muhammad Ali by Thomas Hauser. "[42], Liston made his second title defense on February 25, 1964, in Miami Beach, Florida against Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali). During the interim, officials in Boston also got cold feet. [56] Sports Illustrated writer Tex Maule wrote that Liston's shoulder injury was legitimate. I didn't think it was a powerful punch when I saw the fight from ringside," he said. Washington University Libraries, Film and Media Archive, Henry Hampton Collection. "When he first got to the big city, he was hanging out with a bunch of people who were just looking for trouble.". These transcripts contain material that did not appear in the final program. Paul R Gallender, 2012. He had been deliberately snubbed. 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 . On September 7, 1954, Liston suffered defeat for the first time in his eighth professional fight, losing to Marty Marshall, a journeyman with an awkward style. Helen had one child before she married Tobe, and Tobe had 13 children with his first wife. 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 angrily responded by questioning whether Dempsey's failure to serve in World War I qualified him to moralize. Emily Post would probably recommend a ticker-tape parade. He was also seeking to prove himself after his two embarrassing and suspicious losses to Ali. [107] The story speculates that Liston threw the Ali match for the good of society. Muhammad Ali: FBI probed 1964 Sonny Liston fight for match-fixing During the fourth round Liston appeared dominant as Clay coasted, keeping his distance. That got him killed. 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. Liston was particularly known for his immense strength, formidable jab, long reach, toughness, and his infamously intimidating appearance. Liston retired in his corner due to an inflamed shoulder. The story goes that Liston was born somewhere . 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). 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.