Sonny Liston
Sonny Liston | |
|---|---|
| Born | Charles L. Liston Unknown |
| Died | December 30, 1970 (aged about 38) |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Sonny The Big Bear[1] |
| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) | Heavyweight |
| Height | 6 ft 0+1⁄2 in (1.84 m) |
| Reach | 84 in (213 cm) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 54 |
| Wins | 50 |
| Wins by KO | 39 |
| Losses | 4 |
| Draws | 0 |
| No contests | 0 |
Charles L. "Sonny" Liston (Unknown – December 30, 1970) was a professional boxer and ex-convict known for his toughness, punching power, and intimidating appearance who became world heavyweight champion in 1962 by knocking out Floyd Patterson in the first round. Liston failed to live up to his fearsome reputation in an unsuccessful defense of the title against Muhammad Ali; underworld connections and an early death - along with his unrecorded date of birth - added to the enigma. He is ranked number 15 in Ring Magazine's 100 Greatest Punchers of All Time.
Early life
There is no record of Liston's birth; he once gave an age compatible with being born in 1928 but is said to be absent from the 1930 United States Census. The officially claimed date of birth was May 8, 1932 but Liston's aged appearance added credence to rumors that he was actually several years older.[2][3]
Liston was born the son of a sharecropper in Morledge Plantation, Johnson Township, St. Francis County, Arkansas and is believed to have been the 12th of 13 children born to Tobe Liston and Helen Baskin. He endured frequent beatings - the scars were still visible decades later - and was forced to pull the plow when his father's mule died.[4] To escape from his father's brutality, he hitchhiked to St. Louis and reunited with his mother and his cousins.
Liston was sentenced to prison as a teenager for taking part in the robbery of a gas station. When he robbed places he always wore the same yellow t-shirt, and became known to the local police force as the "Yellow Shirt Bandit". When he was caught running away from the gas station wearing the same yellow t-shirt, he was sentenced to 8 years in prison. His boxing talent was discovered by a Roman Catholic priest, and it was boxing that helped him get out on parole two years later, along with an endorsement from the priest. Liston never complained about prison, saying he was guaranteed 3 meals every day.[5] When Liston was nearing parole, he exhibited his skills for Frank Mitchell of the St Louis Argus which Father Stevens organised. Monroe Harrisson, a former pro light-heavyweight was brought to Sonny's prison for a sparring session. Tony Anderson, who was a leading light in the St Louis amateur programme came along as well. Liston and Wilson did 2 rounds, after which Wilson had taken enough. "Better get me out of this ring, he is going to kill me!" he exclaimed at the end.[6] On Halloween night in 1952, he was paroled. Much was later made of his being controlled by criminals. However, according to the priest who interested him in boxing, underworld figures became his management simply because they were the only ones willing to put up the necessary money.[4]
Amateur boxing career
After he was released from prison on October 30, 1952, Liston had a brief amateur career that spanned less than a year. He won several amateur tournaments, including the Golden Gloves, which was his first. One of his opponents was Olympic Heavyweight Champion Ed Sanders in Chicago, whom he beat. This win put him into the national finals in March 1953, where he beat the respected New Yorker Julius Griffin. Sonny got dropped in round one but got back up to claim the decision. This all occurred in his first five months after leaving prison.
Liston then entered the 1953 AAU event, but he lost in the quarter finals to 17 year old Jimmy Carter, who he would later employ as a sparring partner. In the Kiel Auditorium in June 1953, Liston fought a boxer from a touring Western European side. He was up against Hermann Schreibauer, who only weeks earlier won bronze medal in the European Championships.[7] Liston KO'd him 2:16 into round 1. At this time the head coach of the St Louis Golden Gloves team Tony Anderson commented Liston was the strongest fighter he had ever seen.
Liston signed his profession contract in September 1953, only exclaiming during the signing "Whatever you tell me to do, I'll do."[6]
Professional boxing career
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. Although he was dubbed the 'big bear' [8] at 6 ft 0+1⁄2 in (1.84 m) Liston was not a particularly tall heavyweight but was exceptionaly powerful with a disproportionately long reach. His noticeably more muscular left arm and crushing left jab lends credence to the widely held belief that he was left-handed but utilized an orthodox stance. Some thought Liston relied too much on his ability to take a punch, his footwork and hand speed were also seen as slightly ponderous[9] A favorite song was "Night Train" which was repeatedly played during long rope jumping sessions. In his 6th bout, in Detroit, Michigan, Liston faced John Summerlin (19-1-2) on national television and won an eight-round decision. He later beat Summerlin in a rematch. The next bout was against Marty Marshall a journeyman with an extraordinarily awkward style, in the third round Marshall managed to hit Liston while he was laughing and broke his jaw. A stoic Liston finished the fight but lost the decision, this first loss did however mean that gamblers got better odds betting on him.
In 1955, he won six fights, he won five by knockouts, including a rematch with Marshall, whom he knocked out in six rounds, after first getting knocked down himself. A rubber match with Marshall in 1956 saw him the winner by a ten-round decision, but in May of that year he injured a police officer over a parking ticket, accounts of nightsticks breaking over Liston's skull during the arrest later aided perceptions of him as a nightmarish 'monster' who was impervious to punishment. The reality was - as a black detective warned Liston - that such behaviour would get him killed. He was paroled after serving six months of a nine-month sentence and prohibited from boxing during 1957, the police ordered him out of town. In 1958, he returned to boxing, winning eight fights that year. The year 1959 was a banner one for Liston: after knocking out Mike DeJohn in six he faced No. 1 challenger Cleveland Williams, a huge (for the era) fast-handed fighter who was billed as the hardest hitting heavyweight in the world. As well as the expected durability and punching power Liston showed heretofore unseen boxing skills, nullifying Williams' best work before stopping him in the third of an 'incredible' contest that many thought his most impressive performance, he rounded out the year by stopping Nino Valdez, also in three. In 1960, Liston won five more fights, including a rematch with Williams, who lasted only two rounds. He also had knockout wins over Roy Harris (one round) and top contender Zora Folley (three rounds). Tough Eddie Machen was the only contender to go the distance, however his spoiling tactics - dodging, grapping (at one point almost throwing Liston out of the ring)- so alienated the audience that Liston received unaccustomed support from the crowd.[10] Despite his top ranking Liston had a very long wait for the management of world heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson to consent to a match.
Patterson–Liston
In 1962, Floyd Patterson finally signed to meet Liston for the world title. The fight was scheduled to be held in New York, but the New York Boxing Commission denied him a license because of his criminal record. As a result, the fight was moved to Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois. Leading up the fight, Sonny Liston was the major betting line favorite, though Sports Illustrated predicted that Patterson would win in 15 rounds. James J. Braddock, Joe Walcott, Ezzard Charles, Rocky Marciano and Ingemar Johansson picked Patterson to win. The fight also carried a number of social implications. Liston's connections with the mob were well known, and the NAACP was concerned about having to deal with Liston's visibility as world champion; it had encouraged Patterson not to fight Liston, fearing that a Liston victory would tarnish the civil rights movement.[11] Patterson also claimed that John F. Kennedy did not want him to fight Liston either.[12] In the ring, Liston's size and power proved too much for Patterson's guile and agility and Patterson did not use his speed to his benefit. According to Sports Illustrated writer Gilbert Rogin, Patterson didn't punch enough and frequently tried to clinch with Liston. Liston battered Patterson with body shots and then shortened up and connected with two double hooks high on the head. The result at the time was the 3rd fastest knockout in boxing history.[13] After the fight questions were raised on whether the fight was fixed to set up a more lucrative rematch.[14]
Liston, however, was not a popular champion. After his knockout of Patterson, Liston practiced the speech he was going to give when the crowds greeted him at the airport in his adopted hometown of Philadelphia. However Liston was disappointed that on his return there was no one there except for airline workers, a few reporters and photographers and a handful of public relations staff. He left Philadelphia after he won the title in part because he believed he was being harassed by the police. While driving through Fairmount Park which he had to drive to get from the gym to his home he was stopped for "driving too slow" through the park. As a result in 1963 he moved to Denver, where he announced, "I'd rather be a lamppost in Denver than the mayor of Philadelphia." [15] Patterson and Liston signed for a rematch, held on the evening of July 22, 1963, in Las Vegas, Nevada. This fight lasted four seconds longer than their first fight, with Liston once again knocking out Patterson in the first round.
Liston–Ali
On the evening of February 25, 1964 in Miami, Florida he fought against Cassius Clay, whom odds-makers made a distant 7-1 underdog. Liston lost his title when he shockingly quit in his corner before the start of the seventh round, claiming he had hurt his shoulder. In fact a caustic Ointment had got into Ali eyes in round 5 which he considered a Liston trick smeared on the gloves. Infuriated, Ali fought an incredible sixth round and pumelled Liston mercilessly from all angles. Some thought this and the verbal prefight tirades truely got to 'the Ugly Bear'. In an earlier fight, Liston had fought a number of rounds with a broken jaw. On May 25, 1965, Liston encountered Ali again. The bout was originally scheduled for Boston, Massachusetts, but Ali, a week before the fight, was hospitalized with a hernia. The rescheduled match was held in the city of Lewiston, Maine. A who's who of former champions were in the ring and introduced prior to the fight including Floyd Patterson, James J. Braddock, Rocky Marciano and Joe Louis.
Less than two minutes into the fight, while he was pulling away from Liston, Ali hit Liston with a punch which did not seem to have much weight behind it. However, Liston landed carefully onto the canvas and sprawled out onto his back, spread-eagled. In the total shambles that followed, referee Jersey Joe Walcott never counted over Liston as he was trying to make Ali go to a neutral corner. Ali yelled hysterically at Liston, running around the ring, arms aloft. During this time Liston made an attempt to get back to his feet, before again rolling onto his back. After Liston finally got up, ringside boxing writer Nat Fleischer, who had no authority, informed Walcott that Liston had been on the canvas for over 10 seconds (during which time the fight had briefly resumed), and that the fight should be over. Walcott then waved the fight off even though he had never counted over Liston and had never made Ali go to a neutral corner, which meant the count in that fight is still at zero by the actual rules of boxing. The photograph of the suspicious knockdown of this fight is one of the most heavily promoted photos in the history of sports, and was even chosen as the cover of the Sports Illustrated special issue, "The Century's Greatest Sports Photos". Ali never stopped another opponent in the first round in the rest of his to follow glorious career.
While Liston publicly denied taking a dive, Sports Illustrated writer Mark Kram said that years later Liston told him, “That guy [Ali] was crazy. I didn’t want anything to do with him. And the Muslims were coming up. Who needed that? So I went down. I wasn’t hit.”[16] Former champions Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, and Gene Tunney, as well as Ali opponents George Chuvalo and Floyd Patterson, have all stated that they consider the fight to be a fake. The extent to which Liston's drug and alcohol use may have contributed to his surprisingly poor performances against Clay/Ali is not known; it was apparent to some that Liston was out of top condition for both fights.[4]
Subsequent fights
After the second loss to Ali, Liston took a year off from boxing, returning in 1966 and 1967, winning four consecutive bouts in Sweden, co-promoted by former World Heavyweight Champion Ingemar Johansson. These knockout victories included one over Amos Johnson, who had recently defeated Britain's Henry Cooper. In 1968, he won seven fights, all by knockout, including one in Mexico. America's first look at Liston since the Ali rematch was in a nationally broadcast match with No. 5 ranked Henry Clark who he stopped in seven rounds. A 10-round decision over Billy Joiner in St. Louis continued the run of victories and Liston at 38 years old (but having the appearance of a man of 50[3]) seemed on the verge of making a comeback to the big time, he talked of a fight with Joe Frazier, claiming "it'd be like shooting fish in a barrel". But, in December, Liston was counted out cold in the ninth round by Leotis Martin after dominating the majority of the fight, (Martin's career ended after the fight because of a detached retina). Liston had a tough battle but won his final fight against Chuck Wepner in June 1970. The referee stopped the bout in the 10th, with Wepner needing 57 stitches and having suffered a broken cheekbone and nose.
Death
Liston was negotiating to fight Canadian Champion George Chuvalo in Pittsburgh, when he was found dead by his wife in their Las Vegas home on January 5, 1971.[17] She entered the premises and smelled a foul odor emanating from the main bedroom. She entered and saw Sonny slumped up against the bed, with a broken foot bench on the floor. The day of his death on his death certificate is December 30, 1970. Police estimated it by judging the number of milk bottles and newspapers at the front door.[18] Following an investigation, Las Vegas police concluded that there were no signs of foul play. The cause of Liston's death remains a mystery. The police declared it a heroin overdose. An autopsy revealed traces of morphine and codeine of a type produced by the breakdown of heroin in the body. His body was so decomposed that tests were inconclusive and officially, he died of lung congestion and heart failure.[19]
Some, however, believe that the police investigation was a coverup, and the cause of Liston's death remains unresolved.[3] After winning the title, Liston at first refused to go on an exhibition tour of Europe when he was told he would have to get shots before he could travel overseas. Liston's wife also reported that her husband would refuse basic medical care for common colds because of his dislike of needles. This, coupled with the fact that Liston was never known to be a substance abuser (besides heavy drinking), prompted rumors that he could have been murdered by some of his underworld contacts. Sonny's wife had a very vivid dream the night of December 28, in which Sonny was in a shower shouting "Help me Geraldine, Help Me Geraldine".[20] Additionally, authorities could not locate any other drug paraphernalia that Liston presumably would have needed to inject the fatal dose, such as a spoon to cook the heroin or an appendage to wrap around his arm. This only added to the mystery surrounding his death. A friend of Liston's told "Unsolved Mysteries" that Liston had been in a car accident a few weeks prior to his death. Liston was hospitalized with minor injuries, and received intravenous medicine. This is believed to be the source of the puncture wound that authorities found upon discovering Liston's body.
Liston is interred in Paradise Memorial Gardens in Las Vegas. His headstone bears the simple epitaph "A Man."
Professional boxing record
In popular culture
- A feature film about Liston's life Phantom Punch, starring Ving Rhames was produced in 2008 by Hassain Zaidi, Marek Posival and Ving Rhames.
- In the 2001 film Ali, Liston was portrayed by former WBO world heavyweight champion Michael Bentt
- A wax statue of Liston in his boxing robe, borrowed from Madame Tussauds' Wax Museum, stands next to The Beatles on the cover of their 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
- Liston made a cameo appearance in the 1968 film Head, which starred The Monkees.
- Liston played the part of the "Farmer" in the 1970 film Moonfire, with Richard Egan and Charles Napier.
- Liston appeared in a 1960s Braniff Airlines TV commercial with Andy Warhol.[3]
- The Munsters - Season 1, Episode 23 entitled Follow That Munster (original air date 2-25-1965) references Liston when Lily calls herself "Sonny Liston" as she strikes Herman in the jaw, knocking him down.
- Jerry Spinelli, the author of the children's novel Stargirl, included him in its dedication because its titular character has an analogous experience.
- Liston appears as a character in James Ellroy's novel The Cold Six Thousand. In the novel, Liston not only drinks, but also pops pills, and works as a sometime enforcer for a heroin ring in Las Vegas. Liston also appears in the sequel, Blood's a Rover.
- Brian DeVido's 2004 novel Every Time I Talk to Liston details a boxer's attempts to draw inspiration from visits to Liston's Las Vegas grave.
- Sonny Liston Was a Friend of Mine is the title of a 2000 collection of short stories by Thom Jones
- Hunter S. Thompson's novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas mentions Liston: "The idea that two heroin pushers in a white Cadillac convertible would be dragging up and down the Strip, abusing total strangers at stoplights, was prima facie absurd. Not even Sonny Liston ever got that far out of control."
- Redd Foxx mispronounced the boxer's name (whether accidentally or deliberately isn't quite clear) as "Sonny Lister" on his comedy album Live and Dirty, vol. 1.
- The Season six premiere of Scrubs, "My Mirror Image": The older patient the Janitor is talking to claims to have punched a whale and that the whale went down 'like Liston'.
- In the film Sleepers, a poster for Liston is seen on the wall of Robert De Niro's apartment and shows The Pines as the location of the fight.
- Sonny Liston is the name of an indie folk band from Oxford, England.
- The TV show E-Ring features a character named Samantha "Sonny" Liston.
- Liston has been referenced in songs by artists such as Sun Kil Moon, The Animals, Tom Petty, Mark Knopfler, Phil Ochs, Morrissey, The Mountain Goats, Freddy Blohm, Chuck E. Weiss, This Bike is a Pipe Bomb, and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.
- Mark Knopfler's tribute to Liston, "Song for Sonny Liston," appeared on his 2004 album Shangri-La.
- Liston is mentioned in the Sun Kil Moon song "Glenn Tipton". This song is also found on Mark Kozelek's 2006 live solo album "Little Drummer Boy." Lyrics: "Cassius Clay was hated more than Sonny Liston. Some like KK Downing more than Glenn Tipton. Some like Jim Nabors, some Bobby Vinton. I like 'em all..."
- Liston is mentioned in The Roots song "Don't Feel Right": "And that's the reason we livin' where they don't wanna visit, where the dope's slang and keep swingin' like Sonny Liston"
- Liston is mentioned in the Wu-Tang Clan song "Triumph": "Sound convincing, thousand dollar court by convention, hands like Sonny Liston."
- Liston is mentioned in the Gone Jackals song "Born Bad": "I dodged a sucker punch and dropped a bomb, like Liston, on an animal hunch."
- Liston is mentioned in the Billy Joel song "We Didn't Start the Fire": "Liston beats Patterson."
- Liston is mentioned in The Mountain Goats song "Love Love Love": "And Sonny Liston rubbed some tiger balm into his glove..."
- Liston is mentioned in the Roll Deep song "Badman": "Youths go missing in the system, get banged up like Sonny Liston."
- Liston is mentioned in the Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds song "Babe, I'm On Fire" from 2004's Nocturama.
- Liston appears 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".
- Liston is mentioned in the UCL song "Save You From the Fire: I'm winning this fight like Ali vs. Liston."
- Liston is mentioned in the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song, "Swingin'" on their 1999 album Echo: "Yeah, she went down swinging / Like Sonny 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. It speculates that Liston threw the Ali match for the social good.
- Liston is mentioned in The Animals version of the John Lee Hooker song "I'm Mad": "I'm mad, mad like Al Capone, I'm mad, mad like Sonny Liston..."
- Liston is mentioned in the title of The Fire Show song "Sonny Liston, Dead Like Latin"
See also
References
- ^ http://www.fastload.org/so/Sonny_Liston.html - His opponent Muhammad Ali used this nickname against Liston, changing it to "the Big Ugly Bear" and leaving bear traps outside Liston's house
- ^ "The Mysterious Birth of Sonny Liston".
- ^ a b c d Tosches, Nick (2000). The Devil And Sonny Liston. Boston: Little, Brown. ISBN 0316897752.
- ^ a b c Reputations: Sonny Liston: The Champion Nobody Wanted,(2001) 50 min, BBC Documentary
- ^ Sares, Ted (November 22, 2006). "Boxing's Hard Times, Good Times". East Side Boxing.
- ^ a b Mee, Bob (2010). Liston and Ali: The Ugly Bear and the Boy Who Would Be King. London: Mainstream Publishing. ISBN 9781845966225.
- ^ > 1953 European Amateur Boxing Championships results
- ^ Jet 21 Jan 1971
- ^ sports illustrated Heavyweight In Waiting
- ^ fight video & Really A Hug Fest,by Emmett Watson.,Sports Illustrated, September 19, 1960 [1]
- ^ Esquire covers commemorate boxing's prime
- ^ http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/05/11/sportsline/main1610954.shtml Ex-Champ Floyd Patterson Dies At 71
- ^ Sonny Liston: The Facts http://www.thesweetscience.com/boxing-article/705/sonny-liston-facts/
- ^ The Facts About The Big Fight http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1147918/index.htm
- ^ http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1118820/3/index.htm O Unlucky Man
- ^ A TV documentary around 2000 detailed much the same with Liston's widow advising Sonny had told her similar. "Sonny Liston comments on Phantom Punch". boxingmemories.com. Retrieved 2011-03-16.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help) - ^ The Sad Legacy of Sonny Liston
- ^ Like Fights Against Ali, Liston Death a Mystery
- ^ "Video". CNN. February 4, 1991.
- ^ Steen, Rob (2008). Sonny Liston: His Life, Strife and the Phantom Punch. London: JR. ISBN 9781906217815.
External links
- Boxing record for Sonny Liston from BoxRec (registration required)
- The Cyber Boxing Zone - Sonny Liston
- The Sad Legacy of Sonny Liston by William Dettloff
- The Troubled Life And Sad Legacy Of Sonny Liston by Mike Dunn
- Lyrics to a song about Liston by Mark Knopfler
- Sonny Liston Memorial at Find A Grave