Sonny Liston

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Sonny Liston
Statistics
Real name	Charles L. Liston
Nickname(s)	Sonny The Big Bear[1]
Rated at	Heavyweight
Height	6 ft 0.5 in (1.84 m)
Nationality	American
Birth date	May 8, 1932(1932-05-08)?
Birth place	Sand Slough, Arkansas, U.S.
Death date	December 30, 1970 (aged 38)?
Death place	Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	54
Wins	50
Wins by KO	39
Losses	4
Draws	0
No contests	0

Charles L. "Sonny" Liston (May 8, 1932?–December 30, 1970?) was a formidable boxer who became world heavyweight champion in 1962 by knocking out Floyd Patterson in the first round. Liston was one of the most powerful punchers in the history of the heavyweight division.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Professional boxing career 2.1 Liston versus Ali 2.2 Subsequent fights 3 Death 4 Trivia 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Early life

Because of a lack of documentation or birth certificate, it is not known when exactly Liston was born. His mother believed he was born in January, 1929, but Liston would later claim his birth date to be May 8, 1932, a date which is probably off by at least two years.^[2]

Liston was born the son of a sharecropper in the sector of Morledge Plantation that lay in Johnson Township, St. Francis County, Arkansas. He was the 12th of 13 children born to Tobe Liston and Helen Baskin, and he endured frequent beatings as a child.

At 13, he escaped from his father's control and hitchhiked to St. Louis by himself to reunite with his mother.

After the teenage Liston was sentenced to prison for taking part in the robbery of a gas station, his boxing talent was discovered by a Roman Catholic priest, and it was boxing that helped him leave jail early. ^[3] On Halloween night in 1952, he was paroled, and during a brief amateur career that spanned less than a year, he won several amateur tournaments, including the Golden Gloves. One of his victims was Olympic Heavyweight Champion Ed Sanders.

[edit] 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 the first five bouts. In his sixth bout, in Detroit, Michigan, he faced John Summerlin (22-0) on national television. Liston won an eight-round decision.

Liston beat Summerlin in a rematch, and then suffered his first defeat, also in Detroit, at the hands of Marty Marshall on September 7, 1954. In the third round, Marshall, a defensive-minded journeyman, managed to break Liston's jaw with a right hand while Liston was laughing at the smaller man's unorthodox ring tactics. Liston proved his mettle by lasting the scheduled eight rounds despite the pain.

In 1955, he won six fights, five by knockout, including a rematch with Marshall, whom he knocked out in six rounds.

A rubber match with Marshall in 1956 saw him the winner by a ten-round decision, but in May of that year he ran afoul of the law. In an incident for which varying accounts have emerged over time, Liston was accused of beating up a police officer. He was paroled after serving six months of a nine-month sentence and prohibited from boxing during 1957.

In 1958, he returned to boxing, winning eight fights that year. 1959 was a banner year for Liston, as he fought four times, knocking out Mike DeJohn in six, No. 1 challenger Cleveland Williams in three, and 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). Eddie Machen was the only contender who was not knocked out by Liston, but Liston secured a one-sided, 12-round decision.

Despite moving up in the rankings, Liston had difficulty getting a shot at world heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson, whose handlers cited Liston's links with the mob. In 1962, however, he finally signed to meet Floyd Patterson for the 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. Liston and Patterson met on September 25 of that year, and Liston became world champion by knocking out Patterson in the first round.

Liston, however, was not a popular champion and was disappointed that on his return to his hometown of Philadelphia, the fans did not show up at the airport to cheer his success. Jerry Spinelli, the author of the children's novel Stargirl, included him in its dedication because its titular character has an analogous experience.

Patterson and Liston signed for a rematch, held on the evening of July 22, 1963, in Las Vegas, Nevada. This fight lasted two seconds longer than their first fight, with Liston once again knocking out Patterson in the first round.

[edit] Liston versus Ali

Main article: Muhammad Ali versus Sonny Liston

Liston did not box again in 1963, but in 1964 he faced a young contender named Cassius Clay on the evening of February 25 in Miami. Ali (still known as Cassius Clay until after the bout), however, had a plan for the fight. At the pre-fight weigh-in, Ali's pulse rate was around 120, more that double his norm of 54. Liston, along with others, misread this as nervousness, and as such, was typically over-confident and unprepared for any result other than a quick knockout victory in his favor. In the opening rounds, Ali's speed kept him away from Liston's powerful head and body shots, as he used his height advantage to beat Liston to the punch with his own lightning-quick jab.

By the third round, Ali was ahead on points and had opened a cut under Liston's eye. Liston regained some ground in the fourth, as Ali was blinded by a substance in his eyes. It is unconfirmed whether this was something used to close Liston's cuts, or deliberately applied to Liston's gloves for a nefarious purpose; however, Bert Sugar (author, boxing historian and insider) has recalled at least two other Liston fights in which a similar situation occurred, suggesting the possibility that the Liston corner deliberately attempted to cheat.

Whatever the case, Liston came into the fourth round aggressively looking to put away the challenger. As Ali struggled to recover his vision, he sought to escape Liston's offensive. He was able to keep out of range until his sweat and tears rinsed the substance from his eyes, responding with a flurry of combinations near the end of the fifth round. By the sixth, he was looking for a finish and dominated Liston. Then, Liston shocked the boxing world when he failed to answer the bell for the seventh round, later claiming a shoulder injury as the reason. Muhammad Ali had indeed "Shook up the world!" just as he had promised.

Liston lost his title when he quit in his corner before the start of the 7th round, claiming he had injured his shoulder. Some believed the fight was fixed, and doubted that Liston's shoulder injury was real. Others felt that Liston was a beaten man that night and simply lost the will to continue.

Liston was scheduled to fight a rematch with Clay, who by then had adopted the name Muhammad Ali in a bout originally scheduled for Boston, Massachusetts in the fall of 1964, but Ali, a week before the fight, was hospitalized for an operation to repair a hernia. The match was rescheduled for May 25, 1965, with a new venue: the Central Maine Civic Center in Lewiston, Maine (a small town for such an event).

Less than two minutes into the fight, it was over. While he was pulling away from Liston, Ali hit Liston with what came to be known as a "phantom punch," and Liston, who had seldom been knocked off his feet, went down. In the chaos that followed, referee (and former heavyweight champion) Jersey Joe Walcott never began his count over Liston. Instead, in an attempt to make him go to a neutral corner, he followed Ali around the ring as Ali yelled hysterically at Liston to get up and fight. Walcott stopped the fight after the two men began boxing again because Ring magazine editor Nat Fleischer yelled out that Liston had been lying on the canvas for more than 10 seconds. The photograph of the conclusion of the fight is one of the most famous in the history of sports and was chosen as the cover for the Sports Illustrated special issue, "The Century's Greatest Sports Photos."

Many believed the fight was fixed.^[4] George Chuvalo, who sat in the fourth row at ringside and later fought Ali twice, said, "It was a phony." Allegedly, Floyd Patterson also said he did not believe the fight was on the level, as did former heavyweight champions Jack Dempsey, Gene Tunney and Joe Louis. ^[2]. Sports Illustrated in 1965 ran a frame-by-frame analysis and concluded that the punch was real. ^[5]

[edit] 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 Ingemar Johansson. These knockout victories included one over Amos Johnson, who had recently defeated Henry Cooper. In 1968, he won seven fights, all by knockout, including one in Mexico. During that year, he stopped the young prospect Henry Clark (seven rounds), who was ranked No. 5 at the time. This bout was broadcasted on ABC's "Wide World Of Sports" and was America's first look at Liston since the Ali rematch.

In 1969, Liston had three wins and one loss. Among his wins was a 10-round decision over Billy Joiner in St. Louis. But, in December, Liston lost by a knockout in nine rounds to Leotis Martin in Las Vegas after dominating the majority of the fight. Martin's career ended after the fight because of a detached retina, but Liston went on to win his final fight by technical knockout, against Chuck Wepner in June 1970.

[edit] Death

Liston was negotiating to fight George Chuvalo in Pittsburgh, when on January 5, 1971 he was found dead by his wife in their Las Vegas home.[1] The time of death has been placed as six to eight days prior to that, and several sources list December 30, 1970 as his date of passing. He was supposedly 38 years old, although most experts believe Liston's true age at the time of his death was actually 41 or 42. Following an investigation, Las Vegas police concluded that there were no signs of foul play. Many, however, believed that the police investigation was a coverup.^[2]

The cause of Liston's death remains a mystery. The police declared it a heroin overdose, yet Liston was known to have a phobia regarding needles. 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. For some, the cause of Liston's death remains unresolved. ^[2]

As documented on the show Unsolved Mysteries, authorities found a puncture wound on Liston's right arm, a syringe near his body, and small bags of heroin inside his kitchen. Authorities thus ruled Liston's death a heroin overdose, although an autopsy showed only minute morphine and codeine levels in Liston's body; too small for an apparent overdose.

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 also 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, Nevada. His headstone bears the simple epitaph "A Man."

[edit] Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• Liston's image appears on The Beatles' 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.
• He was 6′½″ tall.
• Liston has been the subject of songs by Sun Kil Moon, The Animals, The Mountain Goats, Phil Ochs, Morrissey, Freddy Blohm, treysuno, Chuck E. Weiss, This Bike is a Pipe Bomb, Tom Petty, Mark Knopfler and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.
• Liston appeared in a 1960s Braniff Airlines TV commercial with Andy Warhol. ^[2]
• Liston's favorite song was "Night Train". He was known to repeat both versions (Jimmy Forrest's original 1952 version and James Brown's 1965 smash hit) during long rope jumping sessions.
• On a visit to Great Britain, Liston met gangsters the Kray twins.
• The exact dates of Sonny Liston's birth and death are both unknown.
• Brian DeVido's 2004 novel Every Time I Talk to Liston (Bloomsbury USA) 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
• Mark Knopfler's tribute to Liston, "Song for Sonny Liston," can be heard on his 2004 album Shangri-La.
• 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 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 Roll Deep song "Badman": "Youths go missing in the system, get banged up like Sonny Liston."
• 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 treysuno song "A Man": "I am a man / and I did what I had to / because I'm Sonny Liston / and you're The Greatest."
• Liston is mentioned in the Nick Cave and the Bad seeds song "Babe, I'm On Fire" from 2004's Nocturama.
• Liston appears as a character in a novel by James Ellroy "The Cold Six Thousand."
• 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."
• The TV show E-Ring features a character named Samantha "Sonny" Liston.
• 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 stikes Herman in the jaw, knocking him down.
• At 6' 1/2", Liston had a disproportionately long reach, 84" (equaled only by some champs who were/are 6'4" and over). He also had the largest fists in heavyweight history, 15", at least until the recent appearance of 7-ft Nikolay Valuev.
• Liston's noticeably more muscular left arm and crushing left jab lends credence to the widely held theory that he was a "lefty" who had converted to boxing as a "righty."
• 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 refers to a whale going down after a punch like Sonny Liston.

[edit] See also

• Muhammad Ali versus Sonny Liston
• List of heavyweight boxing champions
• List of male boxers
• List of WBC world champions

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Professional boxing record for Sonny Liston from Boxrec
• International Boxing Hall of Fame - Sonny Liston
• 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

Preceded by Floyd Patterson

Heavyweight boxing champion 1962 – 1964

Succeeded by Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali)