"He said, 'Cut the gloves off. "There was nothing Sonny feared more than a needle. [45][46] A clearly angered Liston rallied at the end of the round when Clay seemed tired, delivering punishing body shots. America's first look at Liston since the Ali rematch was when he fought fifthranked Henry Clark in a nationally broadcast bout in July 1968. Inter-Continental said local veteran Sam Silverman was the promoter. Liston believed his date of birth to be May 8, 1932, and used this for official purposes[11] but by the time he won the world title an aged appearance added credence to rumors that he was actually several years older. The commotion was not lost on referee Barney Felix, who was walking toward Clay's corner. Rogin wrote. [67] Some felt the knockdown was real but the knockout was fake. [108] The book suggests that Sonny Liston may have been murdered and a possibility that the crime was never investigated. In the novel, Liston not only drinks but also pops pills and works as a sometime enforcer for a heroin ring in Las Vegas. In the first fight, in Miami, a 22-year-old Cassius Clay danced around the ring, taunted Liston, promised reporters hed shock the world, and then delivered on that promise with a blistering late attack that prompted Liston to toss in the towel after the sixth round. Shaun Assael wrote "The Murder of Sonny Liston: Las Vegas, Heroin, and Heavyweights", published in 2016. 9, 1 March 2018, p. 8, New York Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions, "Photographic image of 'Tale of the Tape', "Sonny Liston vs. Floyd Patterson (Tale of the tape)", "From THE RING: The greatest heavyweight of all time", "25 Greatest Fighters of All Time (Heavyweight)", "ESPN Classic - Liston was trouble in and out of ring", "Jacob's Beach by Kevin Mitchell: review", "Hard Times, Good Times: Charles "Sonny" Liston - Boxing.com", "Dismayed D'Amato Is Expecting To Get Back Manager's License", "Esquire covers commemorate boxing's prime", "Cassius Clay-Sonny Liston I: 50 Years Later", "Sonny Liston vs. Cassius Clay (1st meeting) - BoxRec", "1964 Clay vs. Liston Judges' Scorecards from Miami Beach Bout. | Lot #80073 | Heritage Auctions", "Muhammad Ali's Toughest Fight Wasn't Against Joe Frazier", "Fifty Years Later: The Mystery of Muhammad Ali's 'Phantom Punch', "I WAS THERE: George Chuvalo Watches Sonny Liston Take a Dive - YouTube", "Fifty Years Later: The Mystery of Muhammad Ali's 'Phantom Punch' | Boxing News", "Daytona Beach Morning Journal - Google News Archive Search", "Sonny Liston the most talented Heavyweight in history", "George Foreman Discusses Friendship With Sonny Liston", "Sonny Liston: Say Goodnight to the Bad Guy Boxing News", "LOTIERZO'S LOWDOWN Sonny Liston: The Most Underrated Heavyweight Champ In History", "The Most Feared Fighter in Boxing History: Charles 'Sonny' Liston remembered", "Liston KO'd Popular Patterson for Title", "O Unlucky Man: Fortune never smiled on Sonny Liston", "Sonny Liston Meets the Press - Boxing.com", "Like Fights Against Ali, Liston Death a Mystery", "December 30, 1970: Mysterious Death of Sonny Liston", "19 YEARS LATER: Liston Death Remains Mystery to His Friends". He said he could not hear McDonough, who did not have a microphone. For Sonny Liston, a Ballad to a Heavyweight - The New York Times The story goes that Liston was born somewhere . Sonny Liston Interview - YouTube 'What's My Name| Muhammad Ali' Proves Why Ali's The Greatest - VIBE.com C'mon now, this is for the title, this is the big apple. Sports Illustrated writer Mort Sharnik said his hands "looked like cannonballs when he made them into fists." Im free to be who I want.. In his 1965 rematch with Ali, Liston suffered an unexpected first-round knockout that led to unresolved suspicions of a fix. Maybe he was. Two of the best-known are "The Boxer" by Simon and Garfunkel and "Hurricane" by Bob Dylan. "[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. Shaun Assael. [15] In 1946, Helen Baskin, along with some of her children, moved to St. Louis to seek factory work. Liston tried going to school but quickly left after jeers about his illiteracy; the only employment he could obtain was sporadic and exploitative. Sonny Liston is considered by many as the most intimidating boxer of all time with a devastating jab which is widely regarded as one of the best in heavyweight history. He was 6ft 1in (1.85m), and had an exceptionally powerful physique, with a disproportionately long reach at 84 inches (2.13m). He would later employ McCarter as a sparring partner. [100] A successful racehorse which won the Irish St Leger classic race in 2021 was named Sonnyboyliston. A lot of his life was mysterious and messy. "There's no doubt that he was mean," Knopfler said of Liston. The Devil And Sonny Liston. [24], In 1958, Liston returned to boxing. [17] The athletic director at Missouri State Penitentiary, Rev. There was something caustic in both eyes." Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. #1 December 1963 extended Interview with Champion Sonny Liston - discusses Ali defense, his contenders, even the JFK Assassination 12-02-2022, 12:32 PM Pretty cool interview. He was more angry about that shot than he was about the car wreck. "Nat Fleischer [editor of The Ring] was sitting beside McDonough and he was waving his hands, too, saying it was over." To this day, I'm convinced that's what the coroner saw in his examthat hospital needle mark. [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. Good lord, Sonny's mitts are massive. The most iconic photo in boxing history documents the knockout that almost nobody saw happen. The Murder of Sonny Liston is an absorbing, albeit speculative, attempt at addressing the mystery that died with the man. But as it approached, there were fears that the promoters were tied to organized crime and Massachusetts officials, most notably Suffolk County District Attorney Garrett H. Byrne, began to have second thoughts. He allegedly later told an assistant that he took a dive because he was afraid of the consequences of beating Ali he thought it would put a target on his own back. On May 5, 1956, a policeman confronted Liston and a friend about a cab parked near Liston's home. [22], Early in his career, Liston faced capable opponents. For confetti we can use torn-up arrest warrants." In The Devil and Sonny Liston by Nick Tosches, published in 2000, when many of Liston's former acquaintances were still alive, Tosches posits that Liston's idol Joe Louis introduced him to heroin, and that he ultimately overdosed. Liston was particularly known for his immense strength, formidable jab, long reach, toughness, and his infamously intimidating appearance. Very rare interview of Sonny Liston talking about how he got started in boxing, his fights with Williams and Patterson and his training routine. [16] Listonaged around 13, according to his later reckoningsremained in Arkansas with his father. One of the victories was over Amos Johnson, Liston's former sparring partner, who had recently defeated British champion Henry Cooper. For his part, Liston said that the referees inability to keep track of time doomed him, as he didnt know when to get up from the mat. He offered no comment on the matter, but his victory would soon turn it into an international story. [30], Liston became the No. Sonny Liston Interview - Rare - YouTube In his own words in Thomas Hauser's 1991 biography: "The punch jarred him. Philadelphia wanted nothing to do with him. The last of Sonny Liston Andscape Sonny Liston had a very sad upbringing & had to learn to survive at a young age. He was hardly leading a life of health and fitness. "[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. On April 21, 1955, he defeated Marshall in a rematch, dropping him four times en route to a sixth-round knockout. [39] Leading up to the fight, Liston was an 85 betting favorite, although many picked Patterson to win. Anyone can read what you share. Please read the rules before posting/commenting. Sonny Liston vs Eddie Machen (1960) As usual, Liston wasted no time throwing his jab and keeping Machen at bay, who was trying to get his hands off with minimal success. In an interview with The Associated Press shortly before his death in May 2009, Liston said he regretted . Roy Harris, who had gone 13 rounds with Floyd Patterson in a title match, was crushed in one round by Liston. The photo captures the champions exhortations, with all the fire and passion and dynamic physicality that made him such a phenomenon. 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. Liston's story, Knopfler said, "is great for a writer for many reasons. said Liston's Philadelphia dentist, Dr. Nick Ragni. Either way, nat fleisher as the KD timekeeper had NO right telling Walcott the fight was over. The Real Story behind the Ali-Liston Fights. Sonny was definitely a specimen. Helen had one child before she married Tobe, and Tobe had 13 children with his first wife. Maule, Tex (March 9, 1964). People around the world tuned in via satellite to watch the match, which was fought in front of 2,434 paying ticket-holders, the smallest crowd in heavyweight championship fight history; people there suggested the crowd was more like 4,000, but nonetheless, it was a very small in-person audience. Walcott then rushed back to the fighters, who had resumed boxing, and stopped the fightawarding Ali a first-round knockout victory. Walcott never began a count in the ring because of Ali's non-compliance and his physical struggle with getting Ali to go to that neutral corner. [103], Sonny Liston was featured in a novel "Girl Fighter" with a brief reference to his early life, his rise to WBC heavyweight champion and his eventual losses to Clay/Ali.[104]. Mark Knopfler enjoyed widespread popularity in the 1980's as the leader of Dire Straits, lending his husky voice to hit songs like "Sultans of Swing" and "Money for Nothing." Half a mile above and beyond the shrine, looking down from the summit of the mountain, is a statue of the Sacred Heart. 'Raising Ali' Remembers The 'Worst Mess In The History Of Sports' - NPR Liston's wife also recalled that her husband would refuse basic medical care for common colds because of his dislike of needles. Boxings brightest young star was again squaring off against a renowned bruiser in a rematch of their thrilling and controversial heavyweight championship fight one year prior, a fight that was followed by 14 months of international intrigue and the combustible politics of the 1960s. The toxicology report said his body was too decomposed for the tests to be conclusive. [59], Liston trained hard for the rematch, which was scheduled to take place November 13, 1964, in Boston. For me, the most fascinating thing about Liston was the fact that his birth date is unknown. In these feckless clinches he only managed to tie up one of Liston's arms. Knopfler said the track "uses a lot of the country-blues style of playing that I started to absorb when I was young.". "Better get me out of this ring," exclaimed Wilson, "he is going to kill me! "Yes, it was good and honest". kos k.o.s ko.s knockouts fight of the year joe louis lewis primo carnera buddy max baer tony galento lamon brewster monte barrett barret amir khan oleg maskaev nicolai valuev nikolai joe calzaghe sergej sergey liakhovich liakovich shannon briggs evander holyfield zultan ibragimov sultan meldrick taylor pauli ayala paul spadafora prince prinze naseem hamed naz johnny tapia john ruiz wilfredo gomez wilfried benitez george foreman big ron lyle earnie shavers joe frazier ken norton angelo dundee eddie futch riddick bowe Henry Akinwande Muhammad Ali Max Baer Michael Bentt Riddick Bowe James J. Braddock Shannon Briggs Tommy Burns Primo Carnera Ruslan Chagaev Ezzard Charles Gerrie Coetzee James J. Corbett Francesco Damiani Jack Dempsey Michael Dokes Jimmy Ellis Bob Fitzsimmons Joe Frazier Marvin Hart Herbie Hide Evander Holyfield James J. Jeffries Ingemar Johansson Jack Johnson Vitali Klitschko Sonny Liston Joe Louis Rocky Marciano Ray Mercer Tommy Morrison Greg Page Floyd Patterson John Ruiz Max Schmeling Bruce Seldon Jack Sharkey James Smith John L. Sullivan John Tate Ernie Terrell Tony Tubbs Nikolay Valuev Jersey Joe Walcott Mike Weaver Jess Willard Tim Witherspoon Muhammad Ali Lou Ambers Sammy Angott Fred Apostoli Ray Arcel Alexis Argello Baby Arizmendi Henry Armstrong Abe Attell Max Baer Caleb Baldwin Carmen Basilio Wilfred Bentez Nino Benvenuti Jack Kid Berg Jimmy Bivins Umberto Branchini Joe Brown Panama Al Brown Ken Buchanan Charley Burley Orlando Canizales Miguel Canto Tony Canzoneri Michael Carbajal Jem Carney Jimmy Carter Marcel Cerdan Antonio Cervantes Bobby Chacon Arthur Chambers Ezzard Charles Kid Chocolate Joe Choynski Stanley Christodoulou Billy Conn Eugne Criqui Jos Cuevas Jack Dempsey Jack (Nonpareil) Dempsey Jack Dillon Professor Mike Donovan Paddy Duffy Don Dunphy Roberto Durn Lou Duva Billy Edwards Gabriel Elorde Jeff Fenech Bob Fitzsimmons George Foreman Bob Foster Joe Frazier Gene Fullmer Khaosai Galaxy Vctor Galndez Joe Gans Kid Gaviln Joey Giardello Mike Gibbons Wilfredo Gmez Humberto Mike Tyson December 1963 extended Interview with Champion Sonny Liston - discusses The second fight? Officially, Liston died of lung congestion and heart failure. Mark Knopfler's tribute to Liston, "Song for Sonny Liston", appeared on his 2004 album Shangri-La. He had the whole package. that startles everyone in a 100 foot radius. Banker said he was told by police that Liston had been seen at a house that would be the target of a drug raid. "He was scared, he was scared of so many things," Knopfler said. The ending of the fight remains one of the most controversial in boxing history. 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. The governor of nearby Maine, John Reed, stepped up and volunteered to host it in the small town of Lewiston, where a resort and ice rink could provide some infrastructure. Sonny Liston RARE Interview - YouTube 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. [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. 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. It was more likely that Liston was out of shape according to a story in Esquire at the time, Liston trained as normal, running around five miles a day, eating hot dogs and drinking beer. He was also possibly much older than his listed 32 years than anything else Liston was the second-youngest of 25 children to parents who didnt exactly keep records of birthdates. 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]. Genuinely kind mobster who had been convicted of armed robbery and assault. The champion was stripped of the belt when he refused to be drafted into the armed services during the Vietnam War, and he didnt box again in a match that counted until 1970. 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. (, Shaun Assael. When you can kill almost anybody in the world with your bare hands, you don't really have to go around proclaiming it to everyone. And the Muslims were coming up. Never before seen Sonny Liston interview. Support this Channel: https://www.patreon.com/join/LegendsofBoxing Merchandise: https://www.redbubble.com/peo. Knopfler said he enjoys boxing and other sports but reflected on a conversation he had with a friend about the fights. "[35], Patterson and Liston had a rematch clause in their contract. He also had a reputation for bullying people such as porters and waitresses. [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. Was Pariah boxing legend Sonny Listons OD really a mob murder? It was 1965, not 1955. At that point, the fight was scored as even on the official scorecards. Don't confuse shyness with dullness, Sonny was reluctant to talk to the press - the always painted a bad picture of him.Dwight Muhammad Qawi Braxton ATG Philly Joe Frazier Bernard HopkinsTags:pernell whitaker jersey joe walcott louis julio chavez evander holyfield lennox lewis felix sturm oscar de la hoya floyd mayweather miguel cotto marquez manny pacquiao pacman boxing boxer ko knockout tribute robbery mike tyson rocky marciano oscar de la hoya manny pacquiao foreman fight miguel cotto dead death muhammad ali cassius mike tyson clay lennox lewis eric morales barrera floyd mayweather fedor emelianenko ufc boxing ko k.o. "[68], While Liston publicly denied taking a dive, Sports Illustrated writer Mark Kram said that years later Liston told him, "That guy [Ali] was crazy. Sonny Liston, I think was possibly the greatest intimidator of all time. Time magazine said Liston had worked himself into the best shape of his career. "The timekeeper was waving both hands and saying, 'I counted him outthe fight is over,'" Walcott said after the fight. During the interim, officials in Boston also got cold feet. "[42], Liston made his second title defense on February 25, 1964, in Miami Beach, Florida against Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali). He said it was taught to him by comedian and film actor Stepin Fetchit, who learned it from Jack Johnson. I didn't think it was a powerful punch when I saw the fight from ringside," he said. Also, McDonough did not bang on the canvas or motion a number count with his fingers. Liston knocked out Hermann Schreibauer of West Germany at 2:16 of the first round. Night Train is like $11 on Amazon, peep that if you want to get more of the story, i don't like how max was squeezing sonny's bicep. Mike Tyson - Tyson's Speech | Genius 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. Joe Louis commenting on TV at ringside said "It's looking good for Sonny Liston". Three days before the fight, Ali needed emergency surgery for a strangulated hernia. Liston retired in his corner due to an inflamed shoulder. Only Massachusetts was willing to host the fight, though it was delayed from November 1964 to May 1965 so that Ali could recover from hernia surgery. The previous month, Schreibauer had won a bronze medal in the European Championships. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. I'm Sonny Liston, I'm Jack Dempsey, there's no one like I'm from their . In a pre-fight poll, 43 of 46 sportswriters picked Liston to win by knockout. [8][9], There is no official record of Liston's birth. 589 Share 23K views 1 year ago Rare interview of Sonny Liston colorized. [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. He rounded out the year by stopping Nino Valdez and Willi Besmanoff. And, while Patterson was growing as a fighter, Sonny was taking on mostly journeyman and starting to age. Sonny Liston - Death, Muhammad Ali & Children - Biography "He said: 'Look what they did!' Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. On May 7, backers of the rematch ended the court battle by pulling the fight out of Boston. He would not close in until the accumulated inside damage and Liston's own frustration had sapped the challenger's strength and will." . His family's home state of Arkansas did not make birth certificates mandatory until 1965. THE PREFIGHT MOODS OF SONNY LISTON. Pan, 2017. 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. Furthermore, that count cannot be started until the fighter scoring the knockdown goes to and remains in a neutral corner. "I remember him telling me one day that he found himself watching boxing but he didn't like the way it made him feel," Knopfler said. Washington University Libraries, Film and Media Archive, Henry Hampton Collection. ", Still, some found it hard to believe that the punch could have floored a man like Liston. My man. In the months ahead of the fight, Muhammad Ali went all sorts of routes to get into Sonny Liston's head. with Sonny - Traduo em portugus - Reverso Context One Journalist's Attempt To Solve 'The Murder Of Sonny Liston' - WBUR Sonny Liston had a controversial boxing career, winning 54 of 58 bouts from 1953 to 1970. 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. Beat me to it! Traduo Context Corretor Sinnimos Conjugao Conjugao Documents Dicionrio Dicionrio Colaborativo Gramtica Expressio Reverso Corporate Another depicts Liston's death scene and autopsy: "There was dope in his veins and a pistol on the drawer Criss-crossed on his back, scars from his daddy like slavery tracks.". While valuing the photograph, appraiser Kathleen Guzman told. I dont have to be what you want me to be, Clay told agitated reporters. He was poking the bear a bit there . [34] Many African-Americans disdained Liston. [79][80][81] These include Muhammad Ali, who stated in a 1975 interview that he was a great admirer of Liston's talents: "Liston had a tremendous jab, could punch with either hand, was smart in the ring and as strong as any heavyweight Ive ever seen. He used the platform to expound on the political theory that was so reviled in white America, defending Malcolm X and condemning racial oppression this was still months before President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He was a gentle man. He said they found Liston lying on his bed with a needle sticking out of his arm. It was a good punch, but I didn't think I hit him so hard that he couldn't have gotten up. And it was probably for the best ticket-buyers didnt exactly get their moneys worth. ", During an era when white journalists still described black athletes in stereotypes, Liston had long been a target of racially charged slurs; he was called a "gorilla" and "a jungle beast" in print. The connections to organized crime were an advantage early in his career but were later used against him. Interview Date: March 13, 1989 Camera Rolls: 2104-2105 Sound Rolls: 248 Editorial Notes: Interview with , conducted by Blackside, Inc. on March 13, 1989, for . 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. 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. 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. . Because of the shirt he wore during robberies, the St. Louis police called Liston the "Yellow Shirt Bandit." He had a whiplash, so they took him to the hospital," said boxing trainer Johnny Tocco. Sonny Liston | Boxing's Most Intimidating and Unwanted Champion Rainy Day Boxing 302K subscribers 5.6M views 1 year ago Join Rainy Day Boxing for an in depth career tribute to arguably the most. Remembering One Of Boxing's Storied Bouts : NPR Liston captured the Chicago Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions on March 6, 1953, with a victory over 1952 Olympic Heavyweight Champion Ed Sanders. Known for his powerful punch, the majority of his victories were knockouts. Patterson's fatal mistake was that he "did not punch enough and frequently tried to clinch with Liston. Liston's noticeably more muscular left arm, crushing left jab and powerful left hook lent credence to the widely held belief that he was left-handed, although he fought in an orthodox stance. "He was afraid of needles," echoed Father Edward Murphy. 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. [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. "[35], U.S. President John F. Kennedy also did not want Patterson to fight Liston. Liston has been referenced in many songs by artists such as Curtis Eller, Sun Kil Moon, the Animals, Tom Petty, Mark Knopfler, Phil Ochs, Morrissey, Freddy Blohm, Chuck E. Weiss, This Bike is a Pipe Bomb, the Roots, Wu-Tang Clan, Gone Jackals, Billy Joel, the Mountain Goats, Lil Wayne, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and the Killers. [citation needed], The fight turned out to be a mismatch. Odds makers gave Liston 71 to win. Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston: The Controversial Fight Behind Their ", Hutchison, Phillip J. Boston: Little, Brown. Liston went down on his back. A sudden violent combination delivered with 30 seconds left in the round electrified the crowd. [25][26], In 1960 Liston won five more fights, including a rematch with Williams, who lasted only two rounds. [5][6] Alfie Potts Harmer in The Sportster also ranked him the third greatest heavyweight and the sixth greatest boxer at any weight. The rumors swirling nearly canceled the fight the night prior, and when a reporter that morning broke tradition and asked if Clay was a member of the Black Muslims, as the group was often called, the boxer confirmed his new religion. Welcome to r/boxing, the official home of pro boxing on Reddit! Like Dylan's subject, Rubin Carter, Knopfler's version of Liston is sympathetic. The date of death listed on his death certificate is December 30, 1970,[90] which police estimated by judging the number of milk bottles and newspapers around the front door of the property. Ali's "Phantom Punch" Controversy Explained - PBS He could have remained typecast as a musician performing rock songs. And I said, 'Whoa, whoa, back up, baby. . But he spoke to his friend Resnick on the day of the fight and was told not to bet on the champion. Tocco left the house before the police did. Even before the first punch was thrown, the May 25, 1965 bout between Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston . [50] (. Sonny Liston Interview in Color - YouTube We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. Once he went down, I got excited. In this case, Intercontinental Promotions Inc., which had the rights to Listons fight, also got to choose the first opponent for the new champion, should Liston lose. Carwin probably wasn't even that tall. The mysterious life of Sonny Liston : r/Boxing - Reddit Dave Anderson of the New York Times said Liston "looked awful" in his last workout before the fight. Writer Jack McKinney said, "I watched Sonny.