Sonny Liston is the unwanted terrible champion
Sonny Liston is the unwanted terrible champion
Sonny Liston was born Charles Lliston on May 8, 1932, in Sand Slough, Arkansas. He was the 24th of 25 children born to a sharecropper. Liston's early life was marked by poverty and violence. His father was a sharecropper who was often abusive towards his family. Liston's mother died when he was young, and he was raised by his grandmother.
Liston began boxing at a young age. He was a natural athlete with a powerful physique. Liston turned professional in 1953 and quickly rose through the ranks of the heavyweight division. He was known for his intimidating appearance and his devastating punching power.
In 1962, Liston won the world heavyweight championship by defeating Floyd Patterson in the first round. He successfully defended the title once, defeating Patterson again in a rematch. Liston was considered to be one of the most feared fighters in the world during his reign as champion.
In 1964, Liston lost his title to Muhammad Ali in a controversial upset. Ali was a young, brash challenger who was not given much of a chance against the powerful Liston. However, Ali surprised the world by defeating Liston in the seventh round.
Liston never regained the title. He fought on for several more years, but he was never the same fighter after the loss to Ali. Liston died in 1970 at the age of 38. The cause of death was officially ruled a heroin overdose, but there have been many conspiracy theories surrounding his death.
Sonny Liston was a complex and controversial figure. He was a talented boxer who was also a troubled man. Liston's life was marked by poverty, violence, and addiction. However, he also achieved great success in the ring. Liston is considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time.
Here are some of Sonny Liston's accomplishments:
- World heavyweight champion (1962-1964)
- Won the NBA and Ring magazine heavyweight titles in 1962
- Defended the heavyweight title once
- Ranked #10 on Ring magazine's list of the 100 greatest fighters of all time
Some of Liston's most famous fights include:
- His victory over Floyd Patterson in 1962, which made him the heavyweight champion of the world.
- His loss to Muhammad Ali in 1964, in which he was knocked out in the seventh round.
- His rematch with Ali in 1965, which was also won by Ali.
Liston's legacy is a complicated one. He was a great boxer, but he was also a flawed individual. He was feared and respected, but he was also controversial. His life story is a cautionary tale about the dangers of fame and fortune.
Here are some additional details about Sonny Liston's fighting style:
- Liston was a classic swarmer, who would crowd his opponents and overwhelm them with punches.
- He had a powerful jab, which he used to set up his right hook.
- Liston was also a good body puncher, and he would often wear down his opponents with shots to the stomach.
- He was a very aggressive fighter, and he was always looking to knock out his opponents.
Liston's fighting style was very effective, and he was one of the most feared boxers of his era. He was a true knockout artist, and his fights were always exciting
Liston vs Patterson 1
Patterson remained active for a further nine years, unsuccessfully challenging for the world title a number of times, but clocking up some impressive victories, including a four round stoppage of our very own Henry Cooper at Wembley and notable wins against George Chuvalo and Oscar Bonavena. His trainer, Cus D’Amato would go on to tutor one of the best heavyweights of all time by way of Michael Gerard Tyson. Imagine how a Liston versus Tyson fight would have panned out at their peaks?
Shortly after, a 22 year old who soon became known as ‘The Louisville Lip’ hounded Liston for a title shot. Cassius Clay had won Olympic gold as a light heavyweight at the 1960 Olympics in Rome, boasted 100-5 as an amateur and was 19-0 as a professional. However, he’d hit the canvas a few times, with his biggest scare happening in his previous fight against Henry Cooper, where his trainer Angelo Dundee saved him, by buying him time. More about that in next month’s BVB article… Either way, boxing’s biggest braggadocio created enough media smoke to land the fight and on 25 February 1964 at the Convention Centre, Miami the pair locked horns.
‘The Big Ugly Bear,’ as Clay had now christened him, weighed in at 218lbs, seven and a half pounds heavier than his challenger. Many believed young Cassius, an 8-1 underdog was in genuine danger of being killed by Liston and that the fight should not have even been sanctioned. However, Clay had other thoughts and said, ‘If you want to lose all your money, be a fool and bet on Sonny.’
Liston vs Clay
From the opening bell, Clay danced and hit Liston at will, as the champion struggled with his trademark elusive style, speed and accuracy. The second round saw Liston land a crunching left hook, hurting his younger adversary and earning him the round on two judges scorecards. Totally undeterred by Liston’s attacks, Clay started launching a barrage of combinations which culminated with a cut under Liston’s left eye. It’s worth noting this was the first time he’d ever suffered a laceration on his face in boxing. As Liston tried to retaliate, he was punching into thin air. By the end of the round he was bruised, battered and deflated.
Round four was shrouded in controversy. As the stanza unfolded Clay kept rubbing his eyes, demonstrating distress with his vision. It’s believed that Liston’s cornerman, Joe Polino had engaged in some skulduggery, rubbing a corrosive substance onto Liston’s gloves. Clay took some heavy blows during the round but managed to steer clear of any damaging shots. His trainer, Hall of Fame inductee Angelo Dundee assessed the situation, cleaned Clay’s eyes with a fresh towel and sent his charge out for round five, with one instruction. ‘Run!’
The younger fighter did well to survive the round, keeping Liston at bay whilst letting the substance in his eyes work its way out of his tear ducts. Come round six, Clay’s vision had cleared and he unleashed hell on the champion. Liston returned to his corner at the end of the round, but never came off his stool. He claimed he’d damaged his shoulder and Clay was declared the winner by TKO. ‘The Greatest,’ was officially born.
The initial date for the rematch was 13 November 1964, but Clay, (now known as Muhammad Ali after his conversion to Islam), three days before the fight reported a strangulated hernia, which delayed the bout until May the following year. The venue was initially agreed to be in Boston on 25 May 1965, but concerns arose that those involved with promoting the event had criminal ties to Massachusetts. Consequently, after a legal dispute, the rematch eventually took place at the Central Maine Civic Centre. However, the change of venue was only sorted out a couple of weeks before fight night and as a result, the show was only attended by 2,434 spectators.
The undercard included Jimmy Ellis and Ali’s younger brother, Rahman who was 2-0 at the time. The main event between Liston and Ali only lasted two minutes and twelve seconds and goes down in history as one of the most controversial endings in the square ring. A little over the halfway mark of the first round, Liston threw his orthodox jab which landed on Ali’s right shoulder. A microsecond later Ali countered with a right hand which looked like it barely landed and Liston hit the canvas for the full 10 count. The blow would be engrained in boxing folklore as ‘The Phantom Punch,’ as many believed Liston had taken a dive for the mob.
