Rogin called Liston's physique "awesomearms like fence posts, thighs like silos." Byrne sought an injunction blocking the fight in Boston because Inter-Continental Promotions was promoting the fight without a Massachusetts license. His fellow inmate Catfish later arrives to act as his cut man. caesar novak sonny liston. [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. He was more angry about that shot than he was about the car wreck. Liston also threw some wild uppercuts that missed everything. He said he could not hear McDonough, who did not have a microphone. [30], Liston became the No. Clay confessed later he had been hurt by the punch, but Liston was unable to press his advantage home. "[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. [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. McDonough, however, claimed Walcott was looking at the crowd and never at him. He returned with four consecutive knockout victories in Sweden between July 1966 and April 1967, all four co-promoted by former world heavyweight champion Ingemar Johansson. The Devil and Sonny Liston. If Ali was the face of the civil rights movement, Sonny, as Norman Mailer noted, was "the bad nigger". According to Liston's trainer, Willie Reddish, Liston cancelled a planned tour to Africa in 1963 because he refused to get the required inoculations. Both fights were in Summerlin's hometown of Detroit.[23]. When Sonny Liston became the world heavyweight boxing champ by knocking out Floyd Patterson in 1962, he hoped his criminal past and unsavory reputation could be put behind him. [33], Civic leaders were also reluctant, worrying that Liston's unsavory character would set a bad example for youth. [16] Listonaged around 13, according to his later reckoningsremained in Arkansas with his father. Helen had one child before she married Tobe, and Tobe had 13 children with his first wife. On May 5, 1956, a policeman confronted Liston and a friend about a cab parked near Liston's home. He had no glaring weaknesses on offense, save light feet, and would stand a great chance against most heavyweight greats. A sudden violent combination delivered with 30 seconds left in the round electrified the crowd. On July 28, 1963, Liston joined a group of 500 African Americans in Denver who marched to a post office to mail letters urging the Colorado congressional delegation to pass the Kennedy administration's civil rights package. That night in jail he is seriously beaten by the correction officers and told to get out of town or he will be killed. [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. [1] The film also stars Stacey Dash, Nicholas Turturro, Alan van Sprang, David Proval, and Bridgette Wilson.[2]. Everything is a go for Gervonta Davis vs Ryan Garcia on April 15. We had a return bout clause with Clay, but if you say your guy just quit, who is gonna get a return bout? Liston's life was marked with numerous arrests, before and after he entered boxing. The second round saw Liston continue to pursue Clay. Caesar Novak takes Liston back in his gym as a fighter and asks him to stay out of prison. 1973 - The Champ. He said it was taught to him by comedian and film actor Stepin Fetchit, who learned it from Jack Johnson. Authorities theorized that he was undressing for bed when he fell over backward with such force that he broke the rail of the bench. 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. [31] While Liston began working into shape with hopes for a heavyweight title shot, he also continued his criminal behavior. Tosches, Nick (2000). Liston penalized two points for low blows. [55], There is ample evidence that Liston did carry an injury to his left shoulder into the fight. And the Muslims were coming up. The opening round was fought an extra eight seconds, since both fighters and referee Barney Felix apparently did not hear the bell. "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. In 1950 Liston is carrying out a prison sentence in Missouri State Penitentiary. 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. Damage under the eyes caused Listons corner to stop the fight, and Ali spring-boarded off of his misfortune into arguably the greatest career in boxing history. Liston angrily responded by questioning whether Dempsey's failure to serve in World War I qualified him to moralize. They attempt to pin a drunk driving charge on him, even though he is walking, and another fistfight ensues. Already upset, Liston flies into a rage when provoked by the press with questions about the murder of Bobby Zazo and his connection to Caesar Novak. 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. [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. Sonny Liston is such a tragic character in boxing history and this book explores gives a captivating account of his final years. I was down but not hurt, but I looked up and saw Ali standing over me. interview with Alex Haley in Muhammad Ali by Thomas Hauser. On 5 January 1970, he was found lying at the foot of his bed in the Las Vegas home where he had spent the loneliest of Christmases. Tocco left the house before the police did. "[82] Johnny Tocco, a trainer who worked with George Foreman and Mike Tyson as well as Liston, said Liston was the hardest hitter of the three. "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.". 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. However, there were again rumors of alcohol abuse in training. Midway through the first round, Liston threw a left jab and Ali went over it with a fast right, knocking the former champion down. What are you doing? In the early 1980s, when Swaim was 30, his grandmother died, leaving a batch of press clippings about Warjac, who had once been on the FBI's "most wanted" list. Writer Jack McKinney said, "I watched Sonny. In The Greatest, the 1977 film about the life of boxer Muhammad Ali in which Ali played himself, Liston was portrayed by Roger E. Mosley. There was something caustic in both eyes." Sonny Liston FBI Files. After a rough upbringing, with little formal education, Liston found himself in trouble with the law. "[59], Liston is ranked second in the ESPN.com list of "The Hardest Hitters in Heavyweight History. "[35], Patterson and Liston had a rematch clause in their contract. Liston's criminal record, compounded by a personal association with a notorious labor racketeer, led to the police's stopping him on sight, and he began to avoid main streets. He was paroled after serving six months of a nine-month sentence, and was not prohibited from boxing during 1957. Charles L. "Sonny" Liston (c.1930 December 30, 1970) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1953 to 1970. "[35] Although largely illiterate through lack of schooling, Liston was a more complex and interesting individual than has often been acknowledged. No matter, Sonny scored four vicious blows to the ribs when clinched, and then proceeded to walk him down. Liston said he quit because of a shoulder injury. The film was first titled 'Finding Sonny' and full production of the entire movie was to take place in Canton, Ohio. 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. All that is established and familiar giving way to things new and strange and frightening. Liston works his way back up in the rankings with a record of 14-1 in fights around the world between 1966 and 1969. [94], Liston was buried at Paradise Memorial Gardens in Las Vegas, Nevada. [70] There have been a number of unproven theories as to the background to the purported dive including that Liston was threatened by the Muslims, or agreed to lose in return for a share in the more marketable Ali's future purses. caesar novak sonny liston. and he was pointing at some little bandage over the needle mark in his arm. [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. The Real Story behind the Ali-Liston Fights. The place is so remote and sparsely populated it remains something of an anomaly today. ", Still, some found it hard to believe that the punch could have floored a man like Liston. More-over, the autopsy ascertained that Liston's blood contained traces of codeine and morphine common when heroin is broken down. Something was bothering Ali at the top of round five, and Liston could smell blood. Personal life aside, Liston did his talking in the ring. 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. Ali initially stood over his fallen opponent, gesturing and yelling at him, "Get up and fight, sucker!" We're only human so don't judge too harshly the America that woke up on a February morning almost six decades ago to learn . "He told me in the strictest confidence, but it was like he wanted to get it off his chest." Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. A powerhouse, knockout artist who changed the face of boxing.one thunderous combination at a time. After the second loss to Ali Liston stayed out of the ring for more than a year. Caesar's mob connections are likewise suspicious but after speaking with Sonny he convinces them that Sonny was not throwing the fight. "It was common knowledge that Sonny was a heroin addict," said Sgt. In his sixth bout, he faced ranked heavyweight Johnny Summerlin (18-1-2) on national television and won in an eight-round decision. He rolled over, got to his right knee and then fell on his back again. "[42], Liston made his second title defense on February 25, 1964, in Miami Beach, Florida against Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali). Liston moved to Denver from Philadelphia, not to Las Vegas. "[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. ", It was later theorized that a substance used on Liston's cuts by Joe Pollino, his cut man, may have caused the irritation. 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 said, 'Cut the gloves off. Liston experiences nightmares remembering abuse suffered at the hands of his father. The Murder of Sonny Liston: A Story of Fame, Heroin, Boxing & Las Vegas Pan publisher; 2017. He appeared on the "On the Spot" show with host Max Goldberg in 1964 ahead of his fight with Muhammad Ali. He was still a world-ranked boxer when he died in mysterious circumstances in 1970. "He said: 'Look what they did!' [51], Liston failed to answer the bell for the seventh round, and Clay was declared the winner by technical knockout. He didnt tarry with his jab, and was counteracted with typical exaggerated body movement from Patterson, bobbing and weaving from side to side. 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. Three days before the fight, Ali needed emergency surgery for a strangulated hernia. [88] On returning home from a two-week trip, Geraldine had smelled a foul odor emanating from the main bedroom and on entering saw him slumped up against the bed, a broken foot bench on the floor. American boxer. He won by a seventh-round technical knockout, and seemed on the verge of making a comeback to the big time. Time magazine said Liston had worked himself into the best shape of his career. When Machen clinched in the second, Liston focused on the body, punishing his rib cages with hooks. role name; Sonny Liston: Ving Rhames: Geraldine Liston: Stacey Dash: Ceasar Novak: Nicholas Turturro: Farah: Bridgette Wilson-Sampras: Savino: David Proval: Father Alios Buy Now Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, along with countless other . Many in the small crowd had not even settled in their seats when the fight was stopped. Liston assaulted the officer, breaking his knee and gashing his face. 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. "There was nothing Sonny feared more than a needle. At that point, the fight was scored as even on the official scorecards. He won eight fights that year, six by knockout. Two of the three official scorers, or judges, awarded the round to Liston, and the other scored the round even. Larry Merchant, then a writer with the Philadelphia Daily News, wrote: "A celebration for Philadelphia's first heavyweight champ is now in order. At one point, he had him up on the ropes and partially landed with his flurries. Liston was always destined to meet a sticky end. [92] He had been suffering from hardening of the heart muscle and lung disease before his death. At one point in this attack, Liston was rocked as he was driven to the ropes. John J. Vitale was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1909, [3] the eldest of eight children of Joseph Vitale, Sr. and Mary Theresa Bovacanti. Wepner, who also fought George Foreman and Muhammad Ali, said after his career was over that Liston was the hardest puncher he faced. On April 21, 1955, he defeated Marshall in a rematch, dropping him four times en route to a sixth-round knockout. [19], On June 23, 1953, a team consisting of ten recent St. Louis Golden Gloves champions of all weight classes, with Liston on top as the heavyweight, was gathered to represent the United States in an International Golden Gloves (USA vs. West Europe) competition at Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis. He could send a man to the canvas with his uppercut, but didnt favor overhand punches much. [47] Sitting on his stool between rounds, however, Liston was breathing heavily as his cornermen worked on his cut. [108] The book suggests that Sonny Liston may have been murdered and a possibility that the crime was never investigated. He secretly resorted to heavy icing and ultrasound therapy after each training session. Throughout his fights, his strengths and weaknesses spoke for themselves. 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. Soon, the fighters would get tied up after Patterson landed a jab, and then Liston brought the thunder to Pattersons rib cage. Banker later learned that the police told Liston the same thing to his face. Sonny Liston was the original Intimidator. [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. Listons great head movement was met with otherworldly movement from Ali (then known as Cassius Clay, but only for a couple more weeks). 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. Dave Anderson of the New York Times said Liston "looked awful" in his last workout before the fight. He was 6ft 1in (1.85m), and had an exceptionally powerful physique, with a disproportionately long reach at 84 inches (2.13m). (, Shaun Assael. He also had a reputation for bullying people such as porters and waitresses. 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