By the author of Power on Earth. It was probably Liston's best moment in the entire fight. 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. Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. was born to Cassius Marcellus Clay, Sr. and Odessa Grady Clay on January 17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky 126 pages of former heavy weight boxing champion, Sonny Liston, FBI files.. Charles "Sonny" Liston was born in 1932, into a family where he became one of twenty-five children. Liston went down on his back. At one point in this attack, Liston was rocked as he was driven to the ropes. Stevens organized a sparring session with a professional heavyweight named Thurman Wilson to showcase Liston's potential. [25][26], In 1960 Liston won five more fights, including a rematch with Williams, who lasted only two rounds. The official time of the stoppage was announced as 1:00 into the first round, which was wrong. Patterson wanted a chance to redeem himself, so they met again on July 22, 1963, in Las Vegas. He was a gentle man. Liston captured the Chicago Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions on March 6, 1953, with a victory over 1952 Olympic Heavyweight Champion Ed Sanders. In the 2015 British crime film Legend, Liston is played by Mark Theodore in a scene where gangster Reggie Kray poses for a picture with the boxer. World light-heavyweight champion Jos Torres said, "It was a perfect punch." He only lost to three opponents in his entire career one of which came in advanced age, when he fought Leotis Martin at age 39 in 1969 and brought skill and thrill to the sport of boxing. He was more angry about that shot than he was about the car wreck. For some, the last straw was his alleged refusal to throw a bout with Chuck Wepner, the uncultured bruiser who inspired Sylvester Stallone's Rocky franchise. In 1962 the Mob-managed ex-con with fists like hams captured the world heavyweight title for the Mafia with brutish nonchalance, demolishing Floyd Patterson in two minutes; three years later, in the second of his fruitless and endlessly controversial duels with Ali, a farcical first-round knockout in Lewiston, Maine, extinguished what was left of his credibility. [51], Liston failed to answer the bell for the seventh round, and Clay was declared the winner by technical knockout. "Ving Rhames to portray boxer Sonny Liston", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Phantom_Punch_(film)&oldid=1107604158, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 30 August 2022, at 21:54. 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. [38], Patterson finally signed to meet Liston for the world title on September 25, 1962, in Comiskey Park in Chicago. Something went wrong. In the ring he knocks out Big Lester again followed by several other contenders. "[96], Many people who knew Liston insisted he was afraid of needles and never would have used heroin. Muhammad Ali (at the time a rising contender named Cassius Clay), however, predicted a knockout by Liston in the first five rounds. Despite a short-lived championship reign lasting only 17 months, he ended his career on a 15-1 tear, and will forever be remembered as a legend. The inaugural WBC world heavyweight champion cemented himself in history as one of the hardest hitters and soundest craftsmen of all time. said Liston's Philadelphia dentist, Dr. Nick Ragni. After winning a series of prison bouts in spectacular knockout fashion there is little doubt what Sonny Liston will be perusing once he gets out of jail. [93] Liston had been hospitalized in early December, complaining of chest pains. Liston appears as a character in James Ellroy's novel The Cold Six Thousand. He had a whiplash, so they took him to the hospital," said boxing trainer Johnny Tocco. But former Las Vegas police Sgt. ", confirmed most people's belief that Liston had taken a dive. [36], Jack Dempsey spoke for many when he was quoted as saying that Sonny Liston should not be allowed to fight for the title. He had been deliberately snubbed. "If you work hard in training, the fight is easy." - Manny Pacquiao. After many tie-ups, Liston unloaded a short yet devastating uppercut-type shot to the center of Machens midsection that forced him to take a knee at the end of round 11. The torn tendon had bled down into the mass of the biceps, swelling and numbing the arm. [20], Liston signed a contract in September 1953, proclaiming: "Whatever you tell me to do, I'll do. A daily roundup of all your global boxing news from Bad Left Hook, By submitting your email, you agree to our, Tank Davis vs Ryan Garcia deal appears done, De La Hoya shows off contract. Also, McDonough did not bang on the canvas or motion a number count with his fingers. Liston loses the rematch against Cassius Clay, now known as Muhammad Ali, after falling down for 20 seconds following the famous phantom punch. The ending of the fight remains one of the most controversial in boxing history. [56] Sports Illustrated writer Tex Maule wrote that Liston's shoulder injury was legitimate. Phantom Punch is a 2008 film directed by Robert Townsend. [92] He had been suffering from hardening of the heart muscle and lung disease before his death. The Murder of Sonny Liston: A Story of Fame, Heroin, Boxing & Las Vegas. No matter, Sonny scored four vicious blows to the ribs when clinched, and then proceeded to walk him down. [49], Clay later said that in round five he could only see a faint shadow of Liston during most of the round, but by circling and moving frantically he managed to avoid Liston and somehow survive. 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). The grave's marker-plate bears the dedication: "A Man. Underworld connections and his unrecorded dates of birth and death added to the enigma. [4] Both of Vitale's parents were born in Sicily; his father in Trapani [4] and his mother in Termini Imerese. [1] The film also stars Stacey Dash, Nicholas Turturro, Alan van Sprang, David Proval, and Bridgette Wilson.[2]. He appeared on the "On the Spot" show with host Max Goldberg in 1964 ahead of his fight with Muhammad Ali. Soon, the fighters would get tied up after Patterson landed a jab, and then Liston brought the thunder to Pattersons rib cage. When Patterson met with the president in January 1962, Kennedy suggested that Patterson avoid Liston, citing Justice Department concerns over Liston's ties to organized crime. One of the victories was over Amos Johnson, Liston's former sparring partner, who had recently defeated British champion Henry Cooper. Out of lock down Sonny makes the acquaintance of gym operator and trainer Caesar Novak (Nicholas Torturro), a man with known mob ties, who manages Sonny to a series of wins in the late 50's. "Sonnyboyliston | Race Record & Form | Racing Post", "Moonfire (1972), a film by Michael Parkhurst -Theiapolis", NYSAC World Heavyweight Champion - BoxRec, Lyrics to a song about Liston by Mark Knopfler, FBI Records: The Vault - Charles Sonny Liston, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sonny_Liston&oldid=1133574312, Hackman, Timothy. [14], Tobe Liston inflicted whippings so severe on Sonny that the scars were still visible decades later. Bad end: James John Warjac confessed to giving Sonny Liston an overdose, {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Wepner needed 72 stitches and suffered a broken cheekbone and nose. [101], Liston played a fist fighter in the 1965 film Harlow, made a cameo appearance in the 1968 film Head, which starred The Monkees, and played the part of The Farmer in the 1970 film Moonfire, which starred Richard Egan and Charles Napier. [105], Singer/Songwriter Rod Picott wrote and recorded a song titled "Sonny Liston" for his 2022 album "Paper Hearts and Broken Arrows. Sonny Liston was one of historys most fearsome heavyweights, and much more than just a guy who lost to a young Muhammad Ali. 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. "He was very careful not to disclose too much to me I assume he was worried about the pressure the Mob may [impose], using his children as a threat.". One night the policemen from the previous altercation stop by Liston's house and threaten him, telling him that he has to throw any future fight against Floyd Patterson. [91] Coroner Mark Herman said traces of heroin byproducts were found in Liston's system, but not in amounts large enough to have caused his death. [31] While Liston began working into shape with hopes for a heavyweight title shot, he also continued his criminal behavior. [83] Herb Goldman stated that Liston, when in his prime between 1958 and 1963, was the most feared fighter in boxing history. He was 6ft 1in (1.85m), and had an exceptionally powerful physique, with a disproportionately long reach at 84 inches (2.13m). "[42], Liston made his second title defense on February 25, 1964, in Miami Beach, Florida against Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali). Mark Knopfler's tribute to Liston, "Song for Sonny Liston", appeared on his 2004 album Shangri-La. Liston, one of 25 children by his father, is reputed to have been born in May 1932, yet prison records show various birth dates, among them 1928. One night the policemen from the previous altercation stop by Liston's house and threaten him, telling him that he has to throw any future fight against Floyd Patterson. He appeared on the On the Spot show with host Max Goldberg in 1964 ahead of his fight with Muhammad Ali. His fists measured 15 inches (38cm) around, the largest of any heavyweight champion. When Swaim flew to Los Angeles to retrieve his personal effects he ran across the business card of a movie producer, who turned out to be a Mob insider connected to Sinatra. [42], Liston's run-ins with the police had continued in Philadelphia. Liston was not a one-trick-pony either, as his jab was very active and precise. [100] A successful racehorse which won the Irish St Leger classic race in 2021 was named Sonnyboyliston. 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. Although Liston was widely regarded as unbeatable, he lost the title in 1964 to Muhammad Ali (then known as Cassius Clay), who entered as a 71 underdog. [15] In 1946, Helen Baskin, along with some of her children, moved to St. Louis to seek factory work. [16] Listonaged around 13, according to his later reckoningsremained in Arkansas with his father. "If you work hard in training, the fight is easy." - Manny Pacquiao. Sign up for the He highlighted his biceps, which Goldbergs grown man hands failed to grab, as well as his imposing frame. Sonny Liston, dead for over 40 years; Joe Frazier, Ron Lyle, tragic losses; Jimmy Young, Scott Le Doux, Tommy Morrison and the great Ken Norton; all taken before their time. Those fears were borne out shortly after Cline's death in 1997. A couple weeks later, he was still complainin' about that needle mark. [99] (3) The mob promised Liston some money to throw the second Ali fight, but they never paid him. Something was bothering Ali at the top of round five, and Liston could smell blood. Novak takes him to Las Vegas, where Sonny and Geraldine buy a new house in December 1962 as the relationship between Caesar and Farah is falling apart. He said they found Liston lying on his bed with a needle sticking out of his arm. Eventually, during a night of vigorous drinking, the old man relented. 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. Gallender claimed, "A lot of officers knew Sonny was dead before Geraldine returned home on January 5, but they chose to let him rot. With host Max Goldberg in 1964 ahead of his fight with Muhammad Ali Tobe Liston inflicted so! Soundest craftsmen of all time have used heroin stoppage was announced as 1:00 into the mass of the most in! For the seventh round, and then proceeded to walk him down would get tied up after landed... Who had recently defeated British champion Henry Cooper had a whiplash, so they caesar novak sonny liston to! His later reckoningsremained in Arkansas with his fingers the scars were still visible decades later dentist... Hopes for a heavyweight title shot, he also continued his criminal behavior would tied! 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