And, while Patterson was growing as a fighter, Sonny was taking on mostly journeyman and starting to age. Carwin probably wasn't even that tall. [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. ", Still, some found it hard to believe that the punch could have floored a man like Liston. Liston was depicted as a bad guy by the media, a handbreaker for the mafia. With the proceeds, he traveled to St. Louis to live with his mother.
Sonny Liston - Wikipedia He would not close in until the accumulated inside damage and Liston's own frustration had sapped the challenger's strength and will." [93] Liston had been hospitalized in early December, complaining of chest pains. "He was scared, he was scared of so many things," Knopfler said. [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. "[69] The fact that Liston did not complain about the clear breach of boxing rules (being declared knocked out without a count) and Ali's obvious state of bewilderment, shouting at Liston "Nobody will believe this" and asking his handlers "Did I hit him? Philadelphia wanted nothing to do with him. "[18] The only backers willing to put up the necessary money for him to turn professional were close to underworld figures, and Liston supplemented his income by working for racketeers as an intimidator-enforcer. He had a whiplash, so they took him to the hospital," said boxing trainer Johnny Tocco. And the face, it was an unforgettable face. "The public is not with me. [89], Following an investigation, Las Vegas police concluded there were no signs of foul play and declared Liston's death a heroin overdose. The bout would need to be delayed by six months. That got him killed. More on that in a second. Before he left for his bout with Clay, Sonny's training in Denver took him to some strange places. Boston: Little, Brown. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Sheed says that the punch and the knockdown "may have been genuine, but when referee Joe Walcott blew the count and gave him all evening to get up, Liston's rendition of a coma wouldn't have fooled a possum. "[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. The photo captures the champions exhortations, with all the fire and passion and dynamic physicality that made him such a phenomenon. Rode with the muggers in the dark and dread and all them sluggers went down like lead.
Mike Tyson - Tyson's Speech | Genius Tradues em contexto de "with Sonny" en ingls-portugus da Reverso Context : I think you should stay here with Sonny. However, when Clay returned to his corner, he started complaining that there was something burning in his eyes and he could not see. Patterson's fatal mistake was that he "did not punch enough and frequently tried to clinch with Liston. "[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. That would prove to be an understatement. "There was nothing Sonny feared more than a needle. 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. [36], Jack Dempsey spoke for many when he was quoted as saying that Sonny Liston should not be allowed to fight for the title. 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. One of the reasons why sports stays alive in us is that there's part of us that wants to keep the child alive and recognizes that there is something important in doing that.
Ali's "Phantom Punch" Controversy Explained - PBS "[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. [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. Dave Anderson of the New York Times said Liston "looked awful" in his last workout before the fight. 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.
December 1963 extended Interview with Champion Sonny Liston - discusses Ali initially stood over his fallen opponent, gesturing and yelling at him, "Get up and fight, sucker!" Arthur Daley of the New York Times wrote that Liston's handlers knew he "didn't have it anymore,"[65] and allegedly they had secretly paid sparring partner Amos Lincoln an extra $100 to take it easy on him -[citation needed] - the same man, incidentally, that Liston dismissed in less than two rounds a full three years later. Muhammad Ali biographer Jonathan Eig shared a new theory as to why Sonny Liston may have taken a dive in the boxers' second bout. [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. [29] Machen's taunting and his spoiling tactics of dodging and grapplingat one point almost heaving Liston over the ropesso alienated the audience that Liston received unaccustomed support from the crowd. I didn't want anything to do with him. "[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 is a relatively elementary, one-track fighter." Watch the interview you be the judge. 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. Muhammad Ali called it his "anchor punch," a quick right hand that the young heavyweight champion claimed he had learned from his friend, actor Stepin Fetchit.
Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston: The Controversial Fight Behind Their Who needed that? Geraldine remembered her husband as "Great with me, great with the kids. The story goes that Liston was born somewhere .
Sonny Liston - Death, Muhammad Ali & Children - Biography Liston knocked out Hermann Schreibauer of West Germany at 2:16 of the first round. My man. [22], Early in his career, Liston faced capable opponents. [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.
Muhammad Ali: FBI probed 1964 Sonny Liston fight for match-fixing ", It was later theorized that a substance used on Liston's cuts by Joe Pollino, his cut man, may have caused the irritation. Liston's wife also recalled that her husband would refuse basic medical care for common colds because of his dislike of needles. Because of that, Cage may have thought Sonny was an informant and shot him with a hot dose as retribution. 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. Sit down!'
RARE Sonny Liston Interview before the first Ali fight 1964 in Color 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. The opening round was fought an extra eight seconds, since both fighters and referee Barney Felix apparently did not hear the bell. 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. He had the whole package. "Johnny wasn't a braggart," Davi told Liston biographer Paul Gallender. 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. "He said, 'Cut the gloves off. [31] While Liston began working into shape with hopes for a heavyweight title shot, he also continued his criminal behavior. In these feckless clinches he only managed to tie up one of Liston's arms. Gary Beckwith said, "It wasn't uncommon for family members in these cases to go through and tidy up to save family embarrassment. I know!" When Walcott got back to Liston and looked at the knockdown timekeeper, Francis McDonough, to pick up the count, Liston had fallen back on the canvas. "[35] Although largely illiterate through lack of schooling, Liston was a more complex and interesting individual than has often been acknowledged. Caputo, one of the investigating police officers, "The whole department knew about it." From the opening bell Liston attempted to close with Clay, looking to land a hard punch to the head to end the fight quickly and decisively. The most iconic photo in boxing history documents the knockout that almost nobody saw happen. 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. At one point in this attack, Liston was rocked as he was driven to the ropes. We had a return bout clause with Clay, but if you say your guy just quit, who is gonna get a return bout? His family's home state of Arkansas did not make birth certificates mandatory until 1965. .
10 Wild Stories From The Life Of Sonny Liston - Listverse Once he went down, I got excited. Roy Harris, who had gone 13 rounds with Floyd Patterson in a title match, was crushed in one round by Liston. [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. "[40][41], Upon winning the world heavyweight title, Liston had a speech prepared for the crowd that friends had assured him would meet him at the Philadelphia airport. But then again, he took a pretty good beating in the fight. However, there were again rumors of alcohol abuse in training. Tosches, Nick (2000). 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]. 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. (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. [35] Liston's victory was loudly booed. According to Liston's trainer, Willie Reddish, Liston cancelled a planned tour to Africa in 1963 because he refused to get the required inoculations. NPR's Robert Siegel talks to Gary Robinov, director of Raising Ali, a film about the 50th anniversary of the heavyweight boxing match between Muhammed Ali and Sonny Liston in Lewiston, Maine.. On May 5, 1956, a policeman confronted Liston and a friend about a cab parked near Liston's home. Skeptics called the knockout blow "the phantom punch." And I said, 'Whoa, whoa, back up, baby. Helen had one child before she married Tobe, and Tobe had 13 children with his first wife. "It really has made an impact, actually from the very first time I performed it on 'A Prairie Home Companion,"' Knopfler said in a telephone interview. Joe Louis commenting on TV at ringside said "It's looking good for Sonny Liston". 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.'" [99] (3) The mob promised Liston some money to throw the second Ali fight, but they never paid him.
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