Very few fighters, if any, in the history
of the sport have experienced as turbulent a life as did former Heavyweight
champion Charles “Sonny” Liston. Adding to his already complex life, the
circumstances surrounding his mysterious and unexplained death further fuels our
allure to the complexity of the man.
From his questionable date of birth, his
troubled early years as an armed robber and subsequent incarceration, his
purported association with underworld characters, and his two suspicious and
questionable losses to Cassius Clay (“Muhammad Ali”), Liston’s death left many
questions unanswered.
Troubled Youth and Incarceration
The only certainty about Charles “Sonny”
Liston was that he was one of eleven children born on an Arkansas cotton
plantation to Helen and Tobe Liston, who were farm workers on the plantation.
His exact date of birth remains uncertain, as Helen Liston claimed her son was
born January 8, 1932 while “Sonny” later listed the date as May 8, 1932.
However, it was often speculated in boxing circles that he may have been born
several years earlier and was indeed older than he claimed.
At a very early age, Liston joined his
many brothers working on the plantation, and had very little, if any,
education. Surrounded by poverty, hunger and little parental guidance, trouble
always managed to find the young man, and as a result he was subjected to
terrible beatings from his father. When the father died, the 13-year old Liston
joined his mother in Saint Louis, Missouri where she now worked.
A young Liston tried his hand at menial
work and may have attempted some schooling, with little success. However, just
like his early years in Arkansas, he was involved in petty crimes, and
eventually joined a local gang. The troubled youth soon graduated to the more
serious crimes of robbing stores or gas stations. In January 1960, at 18 years
of age, he was convicted of armed robbery and sentenced to a stint at the State
Penitentiary in Jefferson City, Missouri.
Prison Life and Boxing
With the encouragement of a Catholic
priest at the prison, Liston soon took an interest in the facility’s boxing
program. As the physically imposing Liston achieved rapid success in the ring,
his menacing appearance and growing legend at the prison drew the attention of
some local boxing people. Due to his behavior while imprisoned, and a campaign
to gain him an early release by individuals outside the prison walls, Liston
was finally released in the latter part of 1952 at 20 years of age.
In the next several
months, Liston achieved success as an amateur boxer, winning several local,
national and international Golden Gloves championships. After a very brief
amateur career, the professional ranks was the next natural progression for the
unskilled and unfortunately illiterate Liston.
Professional Career
“Sonny” Liston began his
professional career in November 1953 by winning twelve of his first thirteen
fights, his only setback coming via a decision loss at the hands of the more
experienced Marty Marshall, who in the process broke Liston’s jaw. Included in
the twelve victories were two wins against his conqueror Marshall.
However, Liston’s
penchant for trouble continued to haunt him, with his heavy drinking and fast,
reckless driving being major contributors. His menacing demeanor and
uncooperative behavior towards law enforcement further alienated Liston to local
police. He was arrested numerous times, and quickly became an unwelcome
individual with police officers in Saint Louis. After a particularly serious
altercation resulting in Liston being charged with assault on a police officer,
he once again found himself imprisoned in 1956, with his boxing career
temporarily placed on hold.
Resuming boxing in 1958
upon his release, he won his next 19 fights, scoring 16 KO victories. He
gained general acclaim as the best Heavyweight in the world with victories
against highly ranked contenders Mike De John, Cuba’s Nino Valdes, Roy “Cut ‘N
Shoot” Harris, Zora Folley, Eddie Machen, Willie Besmanoff, twice knocking
out the hard punching Cleveland “Big Cat” Williams, and a first round KO of
Germany’s Albert Wetsphal. The win over Westphal earned Liston the top
contender spot for the title held by then world Heavyweight champion Floyd
Patterson.
At almost 6 foot 1 inch
tall and a solid 215 pounds, the hard punching Liston was a formidable figure
in the ring. His outstanding left jab and knock out power were one of the best
in the history of the division, and together with his icy stare and menacing
persona combined to create an aura of invincibility.
World Heavyweight
Champion
During this time, Liston
had come under suspicion of dealing with “certain bad elements,” and the
perception was further enhanced when he signed a contract to be managed by a
Chicago individual considered an “undesirable” by people in law enforcement.
Liston came under further scrutiny by the boxing community and the country’s law
enforcement officials when he apparently became involved with two noted
organized crime individuals that were associated with his new “manager.” There
was also speculation that Liston had been an enforcer for organized crime and
was now the syndicate’s fighter.
Boxing had hoped to rid
themselves of these “undesirables” that had infiltrated the sport and had cast
a “veil of suspicion” on boxing. Due to his criminal past, Liston had already
received public backlash and a lack of acceptance to his perceived rise as the
best fighter in boxing’s elite Heavyweight division. He further alienated
himself by associating with known members of organized crime. As a result,
several boxing commissions around the country suspended his license and would
not allow him to fight in their states until he severed his ties with those
individuals. Additionally, Liston himself was asked to testify before a
Congressional committee investigating corruption in boxing.
In spite of all the
turmoil and the cloud of suspicion surrounding Liston, he finally signed to
challenge for the heavyweight title against champion Floyd Patterson. Although
Patterson’s manager, Cus D’Amato, was opposed to the fight, enough public
pressure was placed on the champion to defend against the top ranked Liston, the
logical challenger.
On September 25, 1962,
in Chicago’s Comiskey Park, a much bigger and stronger “Sonny” Liston proved to
be an insurmountable force as he became the new Heavyweight champion of the
world by knocking out Patterson in the very first round. An overwhelmed
Patterson did not rise before the referee’s ten count after absorbing a powerful
combination delivered by the new champion. Whether or not the boxing community
condemned him for his criminal past and his “underworld connections,” the
sport’s most prestigious prize, the Heavyweight championship, was now in the
possession of Charles “Sonny” Liston.
In a rematch with Floyd
Patterson ten months later in Las Vegas, Nevada, Liston once again scored a
first round knockout, this time knocking down the former champion three times
before he was counted out. Although it was believed that Liston’s punching
power and relentless attack would allow him to remain champion for a long time,
this victory over Patterson would be the first and only successful defense of
his title.
“The Greatest”
Shook Up The World (and Liston too!!)
The emergence of a
talented and brash 21-year old Heavyweight from Louisville, Kentucky had burst
onto the boxing scene two years earlier with a flair and outspokenness never
before seen in boxing. A 1960 Olympic Gold Medal winner, Cassius Marcellus
Clay, had risen to the top of the Heavyweight division with an unbeaten record
of 19 wins with 15 KOs.
His extremely quick hands
and feet, and tremendous boxing ability, carried him to impressive victories
against highly ranked fighters such as Alex Miteff, Alejandro Lavorante, Doug
Jones, Britain’s Henry Cooper, the undefeated Billy Daniels and the legendary
Archie Moore.
In order to induce the
new champion, “Sonny” Liston, to defend his title against him, Clay began a
campaign of insults directed towards Liston. His outrageous antics included
calling Liston “The Big Ugly Bear,” making uninvited appearances at Liston’s
home and training facility and publicly ranting that the champion was afraid of
him.
The brash and talkative
Clay succeeded in luring Liston into defending the title against him, and on
February 15, 1964 the fighters met in Miami Beach, Florida. Liston was an
overwhelmingly heavy favorite at 8-1 odds to defeat the talkative Clay, and the
public consensus also favored a quick victory for the hard punching champion.
Although both fighters
had their good moments in the early rounds of the exciting fight, latter named
“Fight of The Year” by Ring Magazine, Clay’s superior speed appeared to sway the
fight in his favor. The only visible mark on either fighter was a bruise under
one of Liston’s eyes. Strangely, Liston was unable to continue for the start
of the seventh round, citing an injured shoulder, and simply lost his title
while sitting on his stool.
A hysterical Clay
celebrated with repeated shouts of “I Shook Up the World!,”
while
screaming and pointing at the ringside reporters. Bedlam had erupted in the
ring, while the stunned crowd in attendance looked on in disbelief. The
invincible and indestructible champion had vacated his throne and the young,
brash fighter from Louisville had achieved what he predicted. In perpetrating
one of the biggest upsets in boxing history, Clay had become the Heavyweight
champion of the world!
Once again, a cloud of
mystery surrounded Liston with his improbable and unthinkable loss to Clay. An
investigation into Liston’s injury was conducted, and reports by examining
doctors concluded that an injury to Liston’s shoulder had indeed taken place.
The extent of the injury, and Liston’s inability to continue fighting, would
only be known to Liston himself. Another
questionable chapter was added to Liston’s life story.
The Lewiston, Maine
Fiasco
Fifteen months after
their initial encounter, Clay and Liston met again in an unusually small venue
in Lewiston, Maine. By this time, Clay had embraced the Nation of Islam and had
taken the Muslim name of Muhammad Ali. Although he had lost his title to “Ali”
in their first encounter, Liston was nevertheless a slight favorite to win back
his title.
On May 25, 1965, in one
of the most controversial fights in boxing history, Liston appeared to get hit
on the jaw by a glancing right hand punch from the champion and was knocked down
early in the opening round. Although the punch was hardly visible to most
ringsiders, Liston attempted to get up but instead rolled over on his back.
With the bewildered referee, Jersey Joe Walcott, attempting to direct Ali to a
neutral corner, a seemingly hurt Liston laid on the canvas for an unusually
long time. When the fallen Liston finally made it to his feet, Walcott was
unable to determine the timekeeper’s count and both fighters continued to fight.
Ringside personnel then
advised the referee, Walcott, that Liston had not risen before the count of ten
and was therefore the loser by a knockout. Confusion once again ruled the
evening, followed by the prevalent thought that a “fix” had taken place. The
bout would be forever known as the infamous “Phantom Punch” fight.
In the next few days,
speculation was rampant that Liston had thrown the fight. It was suggested that
the Nation of Islam may have threaten Liston days before the fight, or that
“underworld” figures had instructed Liston to lose. The truth would never
surface, only another mysterious chapter was added to Liston’s already complex
life.
Mysterious and
Unexplained Death
Resuming his career after
the infamous “Phantom Punch” loss to Ali, Liston was victorious in his next 14
fights over the next four years, winning all but one by knock out. However, in
December 1969, Liston was surprisingly knocked out cold by a solid right hand
from Leotis Martin in Las Vegas, Nevada. A victory over Chuck Wepner six months
later would prove to be the last fight of Liston’s career, as he finished with a
record of 50 victories, with 39 KOs and only 4 losses.
On January 5, 1970,
Liston’s wife Geraldine returned from a trip to find Liston lying dead in their
Las Vegas home. The cause of Liston’s death was declared as an apparent heroin
overdose, which was disputed by his wife Geraldine, and by those who knew
“Sonny” well. Liston was known to have a phobia of needles, often refusing a
doctor’s care for fear on injections. Once again, his life was clouded with
speculation, this time as to the cause of death.
Was his death a suicide,
was it an accidental overdose, or was he murdered by his “underworld”
connections, as has been suggested?
Whatever the real
reason, what is certain is that any questions regarding his actual age at time
of death, his reported association with the underworld, and his two suspicious
and questionable losses to Cassius Clay (“Muhammad Ali”), will never be
answered.
The answers died
mysteriously with “Sonny” Liston, former Heavyweight champion of the world, on
that fateful day in his Las Vegas home.
Charles “Sonny” Liston,
forever to be remembered as one of the hardest punchers in Heavyweight history,
was posthumously inducted in 1991 into the “International Boxing Hall of Fame”
in Canastota, New York, the highest honor bestowed on any boxer.
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