Sonny Liston

Charles L. "Sonny" Liston ( – December 30, 1970), nicknamed "the Big Bear", was an American professional boxer who competed from 1953 until his death in 1970. A dominant contender of his era, he became the undisputed world heavyweight champion in 1962 after knocking out Floyd Patterson in the first round, repeating the knockout the following year in defense of the title; in the latter fight he also became the inaugural WBC heavyweight champion. Often regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time, Liston is known for his immense strength, formidable jab, long reach, toughness, and is widely regarded as one of the most intimidating men in boxing history.

Although Liston was widely regarded as unbeatable, he lost the title in 1964 to Muhammad Ali (then known as Cassius Clay), who entered as an 8:1 underdog. Liston retired in his corner due to an inflamed shoulder. Controversy followed with claims that Liston had been drinking heavily the night before the fight and had entered the bout with a lame shoulder. In his 1965 rematch with Ali, Liston suffered an unexpected first-round knockout that led to unresolved suspicions of a fix. He was still a world-ranked boxer when he died under mysterious circumstances in 1970.

The Ring magazine ranks Liston as the tenth greatest heavyweight of all time, while boxing writer Herb Goldman ranked him second and Richard O'Brien, Senior Editor of Sports Illustrated, placed him third. Alfie Potts Harmer in The Sportster also ranked him the third greatest heavyweight and the sixth greatest boxer at any weight. Liston was inducted to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991.

Early life

Family

Charles "Sonny" Liston was born circa 1930 into a sharecropping family that farmed the poor land of Morledge Plantation near Johnson Township, St. Francis County, Arkansas. 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. Helen had one child before she married Tobe, and Tobe had 13 children with his first wife. Tobe and Helen had 12 children together; Sonny was the second-youngest child.

Date of birth

There is no official record of Liston's birth as his family's home state of Arkansas did not make birth certificates mandatory until 1965. His family, but not Charles (or Sonny) Liston, can be found in the 1930 census, and in the 1940 census he was listed as 10 years old. but by the time he won the world title an aged appearance added credence to rumors that he was actually several years older. One writer concluded that Liston's most plausible date of birth was July 22, 1930, citing census records and statements from his mother during her lifetime. In 1946, Helen Baskin, along with some of her children, moved to St. Louis to seek factory work. Liston—aged around 13, according to his later reckonings—remained in Arkansas with his father. The following year, Sonny—determined to reunite with his mother and siblings—thrashed the pecans from his brother-in-law's tree and sold them in Forrest City, Arkansas. With the proceeds, he traveled to St. Louis to live with his mother. Liston tried going to school but quickly left after jeers about his illiteracy; the only employment he could obtain was sporadic and exploitative.

Liston turned to crime and led a gang of thugs who committed muggings and armed robberies. Because of the shirt he wore during robberies, the St. Louis police called Liston the "Yellow Shirt Bandit." When caught in January 1950, Liston gave his age as 20, while the St. Louis Globe-Democrat reported that he was 22. The athletic director at Missouri State Penitentiary, Rev. Alois Stevens, suggested to Liston that he try boxing, and his obvious aptitude, along with an endorsement from Stevens, who was also a priest, aided Liston in getting an early parole. Stevens organized a sparring session with a professional heavyweight named Thurman Wilson to showcase Liston's potential. After two rounds, Wilson had taken enough. "Better get me out of this ring," exclaimed Wilson, "he is going to kill me!" Stevens stated about Liston that "He was the most perfect specimen of manhood I had ever seen" noting that Liston had "Powerful arms, big shoulders. Pretty soon he was knocking out everybody in the gym. His hands were so large! I couldn't believe it".

Amateur career

After Liston was released from prison on October 31, 1952, he had a brief amateur career that spanned less than a year. Liston captured the Chicago Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions on March 6, 1953, with a victory over 1952 Olympic Heavyweight Champion Ed Sanders. 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). Liston was knocked down in the first round, but came back to control the next two rounds and had Griffin hanging on at the end.

Liston competed in the 1953 United States National Championships at Boston Garden and passed the preliminaries, stopping Lou Graff in the second round on April 13, but lost in the quarterfinals to 17-year-old Jimmy McCarter on April 15. He would later employ McCarter as a sparring partner.

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. Liston knocked out Hermann Schreibauer of West Germany at 2:16 of the first round. The previous month, Schreibauer had won a bronze medal in the European Championships. At this time, the head coach of the St. Louis Golden Gloves team, Tony Anderson, stated that Liston was the strongest fighter he had seen.

Professional career

Early fights

Liston signed a contract in September 1953, proclaiming: "Whatever you tell me to do, I'll do."

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. He was , and had an exceptionally powerful physique, with a disproportionately long reach at . His fists measured around, the largest of any heavyweight champion. Sports Illustrated writer Mort Sharnik said his hands "looked like cannonballs when he made them into fists." 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.

Early in his career, Liston faced capable opponents. In his sixth bout, he faced ranked heavyweight Johnny Summerlin (18–1–2) on national television and won in an eight-round decision. In his next fight, he had a rematch with Summerlin and again won an eight-round decision. Both fights were in Summerlin's hometown of Detroit.

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. In the third round, Marshall nailed Liston—reportedly while he was laughing—and broke his jaw. A stoic Liston finished the fight, but lost in an eight-round split decision. On April 21, 1955, he defeated Marshall in a rematch, dropping him four times en route to a sixth-round knockout. They fought for a third time on March 6, 1956, which Liston won by a ten-round unanimous decision.

Liston's criminal record, compounded by a personal association with a notorious labor racketeer, led to the police stopping him on sight, and he began to avoid main streets. On May 5, 1956, a policeman confronted Liston and a friend about a cab parked near Liston's home. Liston assaulted the officer, breaking his knee and gashing his face. He also took his gun. He claimed the officer used racial slurs. A widely publicized account of Liston resisting arrest—even after nightsticks were allegedly broken over his skull—added to the public perception of him as a nightmarish "monster" impervious to physical punishment. He was paroled after serving six months of a nine-month sentence, and was not prohibited from boxing during 1957.

March to the title

In 1958, Liston returned to boxing. He won eight fights that year, six by knockout. Liston was training in the stable of Eddie Yawitz, who along with Bernie Glickman, managed welterweight champion Virgil Akins. Yawitz and Glickman would be subpoenaed to testify in the grand jury trial of mafia soldier Frankie Carbo. The same year, he was shifted to a new manager, Joseph "Pep" Barone, who was a front man for Frankie Carbo and Frank "Blinky" Palermo. 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. This victory is regarded by some as Liston's most impressive performance. He rounded out the year by stopping Nino Valdez and Willi Besmanoff.

In 1960, Liston won five more fights, including a rematch with Williams, who lasted only two rounds. Roy Harris, who had gone 13 rounds with Floyd Patterson in a title match, was crushed in one round by Liston. Top contender Zora Folley was stopped in three rounds. After demolishing these top-ranked fighters in the heavyweight division, Liston was regarded as the top-contender champion-in-waiting.

Liston's streak of nine straight knockout victories ended when he won a unanimous twelve-round decision against Eddie Machen on September 7, 1960. Machen's mobility enabled him to go the distance but he was clearly outpointed despite Liston being penalised for a low blow in the 11th round. Machen's taunting and his spoiling tactics of dodging and grappling—at one point almost heaving Liston over the ropes—so alienated the audience that Liston received unaccustomed support from the crowd.

Title challenge delay

Liston became the No. 1 contender in 1960, but the handlers of world heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson refused to give him a shot at the title citing Liston's links to organized crime. While Liston began working into shape with hopes for a heavyweight title shot, he also continued his criminal behavior. Two more arrests—for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest and another for impersonating a cop—led to Liston being suspended by the Pennsylvania Athletic Commission on July 14, 1961. The suspension was honored in all states. 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 Patterson vs. Ingemar Johansson title fight in June 1959.

Civic leaders were also reluctant, worrying that Liston's unsavory character would set a bad example for youth. The NAACP had urged Patterson not to fight Liston, fearing that a Liston victory would hurt the civil rights movement. Many African-Americans disdained Liston. Asked by a young white reporter why he was not fighting for freedom in the South, Liston deadpanned, "I ain't got no dog-proof ass.", referring to the use of police dogs against protesters.

U.S. President John F. Kennedy also did not want Patterson to fight Liston. 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.

Jack Dempsey spoke for many when he was quoted as saying that Sonny Liston should not be allowed to fight for the title. Liston angrily responded by questioning whether Dempsey's failure to serve in World War I qualified him to moralize. Frustrated, Liston changed his management in 1961 and applied pressure through the media by remarking that Patterson, who had faced mostly white challengers since becoming champion, was drawing the color line against his own race. Patterson maintained, however, that he desperately wanted to fight Liston all the while, but was blocked by aforementioned trainer Cus D'Amato, subsequently contributing to his firing.

Patterson vs. Liston

120px|thumb|right|Liston standing over Patterson in the ring

Patterson finally signed to meet Liston for the world title on September 25, 1962, in Comiskey Park in Chicago. Leading up to the fight, Liston was an 8:5 betting favorite, although many picked Patterson to win. In an Associated Press poll, 64 of 102 reporters picked Patterson. Sports Illustrated predicted a Patterson victory in 15 rounds, stating: "Sonny has neither Floyd's speed nor the versatility of his attack. He is a relatively elementary, one-track fighter." Former champions James J. Braddock, Jersey Joe Walcott, Ezzard Charles, Rocky Marciano and Ingemar Johansson all picked Patterson to win. Muhammad Ali (at the time a rising contender named Cassius Clay), however, predicted a knockout by Liston in the first five rounds.

The fight turned out to be a mismatch. Liston, with a 25-pound weight advantage, to , knocked out Patterson at 2:06 of the first round, putting him down for the count with a powerful left hook to the jaw. Sports Illustrated writer Gilbert Rogin wrote that "that final left hook crashed into Patterson's cheek like a diesel rig going downhill, no brakes." It was the third-fastest knockout in a world heavyweight title fight, and the first time the defending champion had been knocked out in round one.

Rogin wrote that Patterson backers expected him to "go inside on Liston, fire away and then run like a thief in the night. He would not close in until the accumulated inside damage and Liston's own frustration had sapped the challenger's strength and will." Patterson's fatal mistake was that he "did not punch enough and frequently tried to clinch with Liston. ... In these feckless clinches he only managed to tie up one of Liston's arms. A grateful Liston found there was no need to give chase. The victim sought out the executioner." 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."

World heavyweight champion

thumb|Liston during a visit to [[Finland in 1963]]

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 upon arrival, Liston was met by only a handful of reporters and public-relations staff. Writer Jack McKinney said, "I watched Sonny. His eyes swept the whole scene. ... You could feel the deflation, see the look of hurt in his eyes. ... He had been deliberately snubbed. Philadelphia wanted nothing to do with him." People describe Sonny's disappointment further, recalling his shoulders slumping and all joy being removed from his demeanor. This point, the absence of a crowd or parade upon his arrival, is marked by many as Sonny's abandonment of any hope of being accepted as a champion. From this point forward, he would play into the stereotypes that reporters bestowed on him, departing from any efforts to appear amiable and affectionate to the public.

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. Larry Merchant, then a writer with the Philadelphia Daily News, wrote: "A celebration for Philadelphia's first heavyweight champ is now in order. ... Emily Post would probably recommend a ticker-tape parade. For confetti we can use torn-up arrest warrants." He also wrote that Liston's win over Patterson proved that "in a fair fight between good and evil, evil must win." Some writers thought Liston brought bad press on himself by a surly and hostile attitude toward journalists. He also had a reputation for bullying people such as porters and waitresses.

Liston's run-ins with the police had continued in Philadelphia. He particularly resented a 1961 arrest by a black patrolman for loitering, claiming to have merely been signing autographs and chatting with fans outside a drugstore. 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. 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. After he won the title, Liston relocated to Denver permanently, saying, "I'd rather be a lamppost in Denver than the mayor of Philadelphia." Patterson, a 4:1 betting underdog, was knocked down three times and counted out at 2:10 of the first round. The fight lasted four seconds longer than the first one. 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. A clearly angered Liston rallied at the end of the round when Clay seemed tired, delivering punishing body shots. It was probably Liston's best moment in the entire fight.

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. 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 wrote—to keep Liston at bay.

But by the sixth round his sight had cleared, and a clearly enraged Clay fought a blisteringly aggressive round landing numerous combination punches. It was the first time since 1919—when Jack Dempsey defeated Jess Willard—that a world heavyweight champion had quit on his stool. Liston said he quit because of a shoulder injury. Dr. Alexander Robbins, chief physician for the Miami Beach Boxing Commission, diagnosed Liston with a torn tendon in his left shoulder. However, David Remnick, for his book King of the World: Muhammad Ali and the Rise of an American Hero, interviewed one of Liston's cornermen, who told him that Liston could have continued: "[The shoulder] was all BS. We had a return bout clause with Clay, but if you say your guy just quit, who is gonna get a return bout? We cooked up that shoulder thing on the spot."

There is ample evidence that Liston did carry an injury to his left shoulder into the fight. 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. Despite Liston carrying an injury and being undertrained, Ali stated in 1975 that the first fight with Liston was the toughest of his career.

Ali vs. Liston II

Liston trained hard for the rematch, which was scheduled to take place November 13, 1964, in Boston. Time magazine said Liston had worked himself into the best shape of his career. However, there were again rumors of alcohol abuse in training. The extent to which Liston's heavy drinking and possible drug use may have contributed to his surprisingly poor performances against Ali is not known. The new date was set for May 25, 1965. 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. Byrne sought an injunction blocking the fight in Boston because Inter-Continental Promotions was promoting the fight without a Massachusetts license. Inter-Continental said local veteran Sam Silverman was the promoter. On May 7, backers of the rematch ended the court battle by pulling the fight out of Boston. The promoters needed a new location quickly, whatever the size, to rescue their closed-circuit television commitment around the country. Governor John H. Reed of Maine stepped forward, and within a few hours the promoters had a new site: Lewiston, Maine, a mill town with a population of about 41,000 located north of Boston.

thumb|alt=Muhammad Ali standing over Sonny Liston|Muhammad Ali standing over Sonny Liston

The ending of the fight remains one of the most controversial in boxing history. Midway through the first round, Liston threw a left jab and Ali went over it with a fast right, knocking the former champion down. Liston went down on his back. He rolled over, got to his right knee and then fell on his back again. Many in attendance did not see Ali deliver the punch. The fight quickly descended into chaos. Referee Jersey Joe Walcott, a former world heavyweight champion, had a hard time getting Ali to go to a neutral corner. Ali initially stood over his fallen opponent, gesturing and yelling at him, "Get up and fight, sucker!" and "Nobody will believe this!"

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. Walcott never did pick up the count. He said he could not hear McDonough, who did not have a microphone. Also, McDonough did not bang on the canvas or motion a number count with his fingers. McDonough, however, claimed Walcott was looking at the crowd and never at him. After Liston arose, Walcott wiped off his gloves. He then left the fighters to go over to McDonough. "The timekeeper was waving both hands and saying, 'I counted him out—the fight is over,'" Walcott said after the fight. "Nat Fleischer [editor of The Ring] was sitting beside McDonough and he was waving his hands, too, saying it was over." Walcott then rushed back to the fighters, who had resumed boxing, and stopped the fight—awarding Ali a first-round knockout victory. Strict interpretation of the knockdown/count rule states it is the referee's count and not the timekeeper's that is the official count. Furthermore, that count cannot be started until the fighter scoring the knockdown goes to and remains in a neutral corner. Ali did neither. 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. 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.

The fight ranks as one of the shortest heavyweight title bouts in history. Many in the small crowd had not even settled in their seats when the fight was stopped. The official time of the stoppage was announced as 1:00 into the first round, which was wrong. Liston went down at 1:44, got up at 1:56, and Walcott stopped the fight at 2:12.

Numerous fans booed and started yelling, "Fix!" Many did not see the punch land, and some who did questioned that it was powerful enough to knock Liston out. Skeptics called the knockout blow "the phantom punch." Ali called it "the anchor punch." He said it was taught to him by comedian and film actor Stepin Fetchit, who learned it from Jack Johnson.

There were some, however, who believed the fight was legitimate. World light-heavyweight champion José Torres said, "It was a perfect punch." Jim Murray of the Los Angeles Times wrote that it was "no phantom punch." And Tex Maule of Sports Illustrated wrote, "The blow had so much force it lifted Liston's left foot, upon which most of his weight was resting, well off the canvas."

Still, some found it hard to believe that the punch could have floored a man like Liston. Hall of Fame announcer Don Dunphy said, "Here was a guy who was in prison and the guards used to beat him over the head with clubs and couldn't knock him down." But others contend he just was not the same Liston. Dave Anderson of The New York Times said Liston "looked awful" in his last workout before the fight. Arthur Daley of The New York Times wrote that Liston's handlers knew he "didn't have it anymore," and allegedly they had secretly paid sparring partner Amos Lincoln an extra $100 to take it easy on him – the same man, incidentally, that Liston dismissed in less than two rounds a full three years later.

Contender George Chuvalo declared that he considered the fight to be a fake. 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?", confirmed most people's belief that Liston had taken a dive. There have been a number of unproven theories as to the background to the purported dive including that Liston was threatened by associates of Ali, or agreed to lose in return for a share in the more marketable Ali's future purses. 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.

Subsequent fights

After the second loss to Ali, Liston stayed out of the ring for more than a year. 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. One of the victories was over Amos Johnson, Liston's former sparring partner, who had recently defeated British champion Henry Cooper. He was denied entry to the 1967 WBA tournament to find a successor to Ali who had been stripped of his title following his refusal to be drafted into the US military during the Vietnam war.

Liston returned to the United States and won seven fights, all by knockout, in 1968, increasing his string to eleven. America's first look at Liston since the Ali rematch was when he fought fifth–ranked Henry Clark in a nationally broadcast bout in July 1968. He won by a seventh-round technical knockout, and seemed on the verge of making a comeback to the big time. He talked of a fight with Joe Frazier, claiming, "It'd be like shooting fish in a barrel." Liston won 14 consecutive bouts, 13 by knockout, before fighting third-ranked Leotis Martin, previously beaten by Clark, in December 1969. Liston decked Martin with a left hook in the fourth round and dominated most of the fight, but Martin came back and knocked Liston out cold in the ninth round. Unfortunately for Martin, however, his career ended after that fight due to a detached retina he suffered during the bout.

Liston won his final fight, a tough but one-sided match against future world title challenger Chuck Wepner in June 1970. The bout was stopped after the ninth round due to cuts over both of Wepner's eyes. Wepner needed 72 stitches and suffered a broken cheekbone and nose. Wepner, who also fought George Foreman and Muhammad Ali, said after his career was over that Liston was the hardest puncher he faced.

Boxing style

Writer Gilbert Rogin assessed Liston's style and physique after his win over Zora Folley. He said that Liston was not quick with his hand or footwork, that he relied too much on his ability to take a punch, and that he could be vulnerable to an opponent with more hand speed. "But can he hit!" Rogin wrote. "There is power in both his left and his right, even though the fists move with the languor of motoring royalty or as if passing through a gaseous envelope more dense than air." Rogin called Liston's physique "awesome—arms like fence posts, thighs like silos." His defense was described as "the gate-crossing of arms à la Archie Moore."

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. Foreman stated: "There wasn't anything missing from Sonny Liston. He had the whole package." While much has been written about the effectiveness of his left jab, others have commented favorably on Liston's wide range of boxing skills. 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 I've ever seen." Boxing trainer and manager Johnny Tocco stated that "Sonny hit harder than anyone I ever saw. Yes, harder than Tyson, (Earnie) Shavers . . . anyone. When Sonny got you, you were outta there."

Liston is ranked second in the ESPN.com list of "The Hardest Hitters in Heavyweight History." 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. Herb Goldman stated that Liston, when in his prime between 1958 and 1963, was the most feared fighter in boxing history.

Personal life

Liston married Geraldine Chambers in St. Louis, Missouri, on September 3, 1957. Geraldine had a daughter from a previous marriage, and the Listons subsequently adopted a boy from Sweden. Geraldine remembered her husband as "Great with me, great with the kids. He was a gentle man." Former light-heavyweight champion José Torres said, "I have never met an athlete in baseball, basketball or football who is smarter, more intelligent than Sonny Liston".

Death

Liston was found dead by his wife, Geraldine, in their Las Vegas home on January 5, 1971. On returning home from a two-week trip Geraldine smelled a foul odor emanating from the main bedroom. Upon entering the room, she saw him slumped up against the bed, with a broken foot bench on the floor. Authorities theorized that he was undressing for bed when he fell over backward with such force that he broke the rail of the bench. Geraldine called Liston's attorney and his doctor, but did not notify the police until two to three hours later.

Following an investigation, Las Vegas police concluded there were no signs of foul play and declared Liston's death a heroin overdose. "It was common knowledge that Sonny was a heroin addict," said Sgt. Caputo, one of the investigating police officers, "The whole department knew about it." The date of death listed on his death certificate is December 30, 1970, which police estimated by judging the number of milk bottles and newspapers around the front door of the property. 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. Also, scar tissue, possibly from needle marks, was found in the bend of Liston's left elbow. The toxicology report said his body was too decomposed for the tests to be conclusive. Officially, Liston died of lung congestion and heart failure. He had been suffering from hardening of the heart muscle and lung disease before his death. Liston had been hospitalized in early December, complaining of chest pains.

Liston was buried at Paradise Memorial Gardens in Las Vegas, Nevada. The grave's marker-plate bears the dedication: "A Man."

Theories regarding death circumstances

Sgt. Dennis Caputo of the Clark County Sheriff's Department was one of the first officers on the scene. He found a quarter-ounce of heroin in a balloon in the kitchen, and a half-ounce of marijuana in Liston's pants pocket, but no syringes or needles. Some found it suspicious that authorities could not locate any drug paraphernalia that Liston presumably would have needed to inject the fatal dose, such as a spoon to cook the heroin or a tourniquet to wrap around his arm. However, according to former Las Vegas police Sergeant Gary Beckwith, "It wasn't uncommon for family members in these cases to go through and tidy up ... to save family embarrassment."

Many people who knew Liston insisted he was afraid of needles and never would have used heroin. "He had a deadly fear of needles," said Davey Pearl, a boxing referee and friend of Liston's. "There was nothing Sonny feared more than a needle. I know!" said Liston's Philadelphia dentist, Dr. Nick Ragni. "He was afraid of needles," echoed Father Edward Murphy. "He would do everything to avoid taking shots." According to Liston's trainer, Willie Reddish, Liston cancelled a planned tour to Africa in 1963 because he refused to get the required inoculations. Liston's wife also recalled that her husband would refuse basic medical care for common colds because of his dislike of needles.

"The month before he died, some guy ran into Sonny while he was making a left turn. He had a whiplash, so they took him to the hospital," said boxing trainer Johnny Tocco. "He said: 'Look what they did!' and he was pointing at some little bandage over the needle mark in his arm. He was more angry about that shot than he was about the car wreck. A couple weeks later, he was still complainin' about that needle mark. To this day, I'm convinced that's what the coroner saw in his exam—that hospital needle mark."

However, some individuals have claimed that Liston was murdered. Another theory is that the mob promised Liston some money to throw the second Ali fight, but they never paid him. 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, leading to his murder. Yet another version is that 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. A successful racehorse which won the Irish St Leger classic race in 2021 was named Sonnyboyliston. Another unconnected and unrelated horse named Sonny Liston finished 2nd in the Royal Hunt Cup at Royal Ascot in 2023 and 2024.

Life outside boxing

Acting

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. 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.

Portrayal in film

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.

Liston was the subject of a 1995 HBO documentary titled Sonny Liston: The Mysterious Life and Death of a Champion.

In the 2001 film Ali, Liston was portrayed by former WBO Heavyweight Champion Michael Bentt.

Liston was the subject of a 2008 feature film based upon his life titled Phantom Punch. The film starred Ving Rhames as Liston and was produced by Rhames, Hassain Zaidi and Marek Posival.

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.

In the 2020 film One Night in Miami..., Liston is played by Aaron D. Alexander.

Liston served as the archetype for the character of Clubber Lang in the movie Rocky III, written and directed by Sylvester Stallone.

Portrayal in fiction

Liston appears as a character in James Ellroy's novel The Cold Six Thousand. In the novel, Liston not only drinks but also pops pills and works as a sometime enforcer for a heroin ring in Las Vegas. Liston also appears in the sequel, Blood's a Rover.

Thom Jones titled his 2000 collection of short stories Sonny Liston Was a Friend of Mine.

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.

Music

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. Mark Knopfler's tribute to Liston, "Song for Sonny Liston", appeared on his 2004 album Shangri-La.

A wax model of Liston appears in the front row of the iconic sleeve cover of the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. 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.

Singer/songwriter Rod Picott wrote and recorded a song titled "Sonny Liston" for his 2022 album "Paper Hearts and Broken Arrows."

Print

Liston appeared on the December 1963 cover of Esquire magazine (cover photograph by Carl Fischer) "the last man on earth America wanted to see coming down its chimney".

Elizabeth Bear wrote the short story "Sonny Liston Takes the Fall", published in The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy in 2008. The story speculates that Liston threw the Ali match for the good of society.

Shaun Assael wrote "The Murder of Sonny Liston: Las Vegas, Heroin, and Heavyweights", published in 2016. The book suggests that Sonny Liston may have been murdered and a possibility that the crime was never investigated. 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.

Activism

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.

Professional boxing record

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

!Result

!Record

!Opponent

!Type

!Round, time

!Date

!Location

!Notes

|54

|Win

|50–4

|style="text-align:left;"|Chuck Wepner

|TKO

|9 (10),

|Jun 29, 1970

|style="text-align:left;"|

|53

|Loss

|49–4

|style="text-align:left;"|Leotis Martin

|KO

|9 (12),

|Dec 6, 1969

|style="text-align:left;"|

|52

|Win

|49–3

|style="text-align:left;"|Sonny Moore

|KO

|3 (10)

|Sep 23, 1969

|style="text-align:left;"|

|51

|Win

|48–3

|style="text-align:left;"|George Johnson

|TKO

|7 (10),

|May 19, 1969

|style="text-align:left;"|

|50

|Win

|47–3

|style="text-align:left;"|Billy Joiner

|UD

|10

|Mar 28, 1969

|style="text-align:left;"|

|49

|Win

|46–3

|style="text-align:left;"|Amos Lincoln

|KO

|2 (10),

|Dec 10, 1968

|style="text-align:left;"|

|48

|Win

|45–3

|style="text-align:left;"|Roger Rischer

|KO

|3 (10),

|Nov 12, 1968

|style="text-align:left;"|

|47

|Win

|44–3

|style="text-align:left;"|Willis Earls

|KO

|2 (10),

|Nov 3, 1968

|style="text-align:left;"|

|46

|Win

|43–3

|style="text-align:left;"|Sonny Moore

|TKO

|3 (10)

|Oct 14, 1968

|style="text-align:left;"|

|45

|Win

|42–3

|style="text-align:left;"|Henry Clark

|TKO

|7 (10),

|Jul 6, 1968

|style="text-align:left;"|

|44

|Win

|41–3

|style="text-align:left;"|Billy Joiner

|RTD

|7 (10),

|May 23, 1968

|style="text-align:left;"|

|43

|Win

|40–3

|style="text-align:left;"|Bill McMurray

|TKO

|4 (10),

|Mar 16, 1968

|style="text-align:left;"|

|42

|Win

|39–3

|style="text-align:left;"|Elmer Rush

|TKO

|6 (10)

|Apr 28, 1967

|style="text-align:left;"|

|41

|Win

|38–3

|style="text-align:left;"|Dave Bailey

|KO

|1 (10),

|Mar 30, 1967

|style="text-align:left;"|

|40

|Win

|37–3

|style="text-align:left;"|Amos Johnson

|KO

|3 (10),

|Aug 19, 1966

|style="text-align:left;"|

|39

|Win

|36–3

|style="text-align:left;"|Gerhard Zech

|KO

|7 (10),

|Jul 1, 1966

|style="text-align:left;"|

|38

|Loss

|35–3

|style="text-align:left;"|Muhammad Ali

|KO

|1 (15),

|May 25, 1965

|style="text-align:left;"|

|37

|Loss

|35–2

|style="text-align:left;"|Cassius Clay

|RTD

|6 (15),

|Feb 25, 1964

|style="text-align:left;"|

|36

|Win

|35–1

|style="text-align:left;"|Floyd Patterson

|KO

|1 (15),

|July 22, 1963

|style="text-align:left;"|

|35

|Win

|34–1

|style="text-align:left;"|Floyd Patterson

|KO

|1 (15),

|Sep 25, 1962

|style="text-align:left;"|

|34

|Win

|33–1

|style="text-align:left;"|Albert Westphal

|KO

|1 (10),

|Dec 4, 1961

|style="text-align:left;"|

|33

|Win

|32–1

|style="text-align:left;"|Howard King

|TKO

|3 (10),

|Mar 8, 1961

|style="text-align:left;"|

|32

|Win

|31–1

|style="text-align:left;"|Eddie Machen

|UD

|12

|Sep 7, 1960

|style="text-align:left;"|

|31

|Win

|30–1

|style="text-align:left;"|Zora Folley

|KO

|3 (12),

|Jul 18, 1960

|style="text-align:left;"|

|30

|Win

|29–1

|style="text-align:left;"|Roy Harris

|TKO

|1 (10),

|Apr 25, 1960

|style="text-align:left;"|

|29

|Win

|28–1

|style="text-align:left;"|Cleveland Williams

|TKO

|2 (10),

|Mar 21, 1960

|style="text-align:left;"|

|28

|Win

|27–1

|style="text-align:left;"|Howard King

|RTD

|7 (10),

|Feb 23, 1960

|style="text-align:left;"|

|27

|Win

|26–1

|style="text-align:left;"|Willi Besmanoff

|RTD

|6 (10),

|Dec 9, 1959

|style="text-align:left;"|

|26

|Win

|25–1

|style="text-align:left;"|Niño Valdés

|KO

|3 (10),

|Aug 5, 1959

|style="text-align:left;"|

|25

|Win

|24–1

|style="text-align:left;"|Cleveland Williams

|TKO

|3 (10),

|Apr 15, 1959

|style="text-align:left;"|

|24

|Win

|23–1

|style="text-align:left;"|Mike DeJohn

|TKO

|6 (10),

|Feb 18, 1959

|style="text-align:left;"|

|23

|Win

|22–1

|style="text-align:left;"|Ernie Cab

|RTD

|7 (10),

|Nov 18, 1958

|style="text-align:left;"|

|22

|Win

|21–1

|style="text-align:left;"|Bert Whitehurst

|UD

|10

|Oct 24, 1958

|style="text-align:left;"|

|21

|Win

|20–1

|style="text-align:left;"|Frankie Daniels

|KO

|1 (10),

|Oct 7, 1958

|style="text-align:left;"|

|20

|Win

|19–1

|style="text-align:left;"|Wayne Bethea

|TKO

|1 (10),

|Aug 6, 1958

|style="text-align:left;"|

|19

|Win

|18–1

|style="text-align:left;"|Julio Mederos

|2 (10)

|May 14, 1958

|style="text-align:left;"|

|18

|Win

|17–1

|style="text-align:left;"|Bert Whitehurst

|PTS

|10

|Apr 3, 1958

|style="text-align:left;"|

|17

|Win

|16–1

|style="text-align:left;"|Ben Wise

|TKO

|4 (8)

|Mar 11, 1958

|style="text-align:left;"|

|16

|Win

|15–1

|style="text-align:left;"|Billy Hunter

|TKO

|2 (6)

|Jan 29, 1958

|style="text-align:left;"|

|15

|Win

|14–1

|style="text-align:left;"|Marty Marshall

|UD

|10

|Mar 6, 1956

|style="text-align:left;"|

|14

|Win

|13–1

|style="text-align:left;"|Larry Watson

|TKO

|4 (10)

|Dec 13, 1955

|style="text-align:left;"|

|13

|Win

|12–1

|style="text-align:left;"|Johnny Gray

|TKO

|6 (10)

|Sep 13, 1955

|style="text-align:left;"|

|12

|Win

|11–1

|style="text-align:left;"|Calvin Butler

|TKO

|2 (8),

|May 25, 1955

|style="text-align:left;"|

|11

|Win

|10–1

|style="text-align:left;"|Emil Brtko

|TKO

|5 (10),

|May 5, 1955

|style="text-align:left;"|

|10

|Win

|9–1

|style="text-align:left;"|Marty Marshall

|TKO

|6 (8)

|Apr 21, 1955

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Win

|8–1

|style="text-align:left;"|Neal Welch

|PTS

|Mar 1, 1955

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Loss

|7–1

|style="text-align:left;"|Marty Marshall

|SD

|Sep 7, 1954

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Win

|7–0

|style="text-align:left;"|Johnny Summerlin

|SD

|Aug 10, 1954

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Win

|6–0

|style="text-align:left;"|Johnny Summerlin

|Jun 29, 1954

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Win

|5–0

|style="text-align:left;"|Stanley Howlett

|PTS

|Mar 31, 1954

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Win

|4–0

|style="text-align:left;"|Martin Lee

|TKO

|6 (6)

|Jan 25, 1954

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Win

|3–0

|style="text-align:left;"|Bennie Thomas

|Nov 21, 1953

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Win

|2–0

|style="text-align:left;"|Ponce de Leon

|Sep 17, 1953

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Win

|1–0

|style="text-align:left;"|Don Smith

|1 (4),

|Sep 2, 1953

|style="text-align:left;"|

Titles in boxing

Major world titles

NYSAC heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)
WBA heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)
WBC heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)

The Ring magazine titles

The Ring heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)

Undisputed titles

Undisputed heavyweight champion

Notes

References

External links

NYSAC World Heavyweight Champion – BoxRec
Sonny Liston profile at Cyber Boxing Zone
Boxing Hall of Fame
ESPN.com
ESPN.com – additional information
Red Arrow: The Mysterious Death of Sonny Liston by Carlos Acevedo
Lyrics to a song about Liston by Mark Knopfler
FBI Records: The Vault – Charles Sonny Liston at fbi.gov
The Mysterious Birth of Sonny Liston at tss.ib.tv

Early life

Family

Date of birth

Amateur career

Professional career

Early fights

March to the title

Title challenge delay

Patterson vs. Liston

World heavyweight champion

Ali vs. Liston II

Subsequent fights

Boxing style

Personal life

Death

Theories regarding death circumstances

Life outside boxing

Acting

Portrayal in film

Portrayal in fiction

Music

Print

Activism

Professional boxing record

Titles in boxing

Major world titles

The Ring magazine titles

Undisputed titles

See also

Notes

References

Further reading

External links