The Trouble with Sonny Liston

Sonny Liston was supposedly born on May 8, 1932. Although there is very little in the life of Sonny Liston that is mysterious, much of it was lived in shadowy or dark circumstances, so it is somehow appropriate that even the man's birthday and age were a murky issue. He was the son of an Arkansas sharecropper. At age 13 he ran away from his Father to join his Mother in St. Louis, Missouri. As a teenager he helped rob a gas station, which landed him in prison. It was there he was noticed by a Catholic priest who was into boxing. It was boxing that got him out of jail early, and he was ironically paroled on Halloween night, 1952. Liston had only a brief amateur career, lasting less than a year, but during that time he captured the Golden Gloves.

Thug on the Rise

Establishing the career pattern later followed by Mike Tyson and George Foreman, Liston rose through the heavyweight ranks principally by fighting journeymen and tomato cans. Although he suffered a loss in 1954, over 5 1/2 years he racked up a spectacular record over a pile of nobodies: 23-1, mostly by knockout. It was only in 1959 that Liston got his first stern test in the form of puncher Cleveland "Big Cat" Williams. This was the prime Williams, not the shell that was later demolished by a young Muhammad Ali in what many consider to be that fighter's career best performance. This version of Cleveland Williams still had both his kidneys (he later lost one when shot by a policeman), stood 6'3", and at 43-2 was regarded as the most formidible puncher in the division. Williams smashed Liston's nose; Liston knocked Williams out in the 3rd.

Liston was a big guy. He was only a little over 6 feet tall, but had a phenominal reach of 84" (typically the reach of a six and a half foot man). His 15" fists were the largest in the history of championship boxing, until the appearance of the 7 foot Russian Nikolai Valuev. He wielded what is arguably the hardest jab in the history of heavyweight boxing. His jab was such a crushing piledriver, in fact, that it could knock opponents out! This led to much speculation that Liston was actually a leftie who fought from the orthodox stance, but that has never been proven. It is more probable that the man was just an ox. He was incredibly strong, and wielded awesome power in both hands.

Following up his spectacular knockout victory over Williams, the 28 year old (??) Liston took on the cream of the heavyweight division through 1960. First he met Williams in a rematch, and improved on his performance by stopping him in the 2nd Round. Then he knocked out Roy Harris in the 1st, Zora Folley in the 3rd, and won a unanimous decision over Eddie Machen despite losing 3 points for low blows.

A Shot at Patterson

Heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson's people knew that a fight with a wrecking ball like Sonny Liston was all wrong for them. Patterson had a weak chin, and had been kayoed in his first bout with the limited puncher Ingomar Johansson. They were probably relieved when Liston crushed Cleveland Williams, but then Liston shortly came on to take his place. Patterson's camp tried to dodge a fight with Liston by saying they wouldn't fight anyone with Liston's mob connections, but that soon wore thing as Liston piled on the victories and punched a clean hole through the division. By 1962, Patterson tired of the accusations and agreed to meet Liston in the ring.

The fight had to be moved from New York to Chicago, because the New York State Athletic Commission would not grant Liston a boxing license due to his criminal record. Liston barely broke a sweat, demolishing Patterson in a single round. Patterson valliantly sought a rematch a year later, but was again destroyed in a single round. "Night Train" Sonny Liston unquestionably had Patterson's number.

The Louisville Lip and the Big Ugly Bear

One of the things that is often forgotten about Sonny Liston is that he was not a popular champion. He was a baleful, scowling figure who had gone to prison, had ties to known mobsters, and had beaten up a policeman. So when young, flashy, charismatic Cassius Clay (later Muhammad Ali) came onto the scene, many were rooting for him. Few gave him a real chance (betting had him at 8-1, odds better suited for a man in a wheelchair than any heavyweight contender), but most hoped he could pull off the miracle win. In Miami, Florida he did exactly that.

A lot has been written about the psychological warfare waged by Clay against Liston, taunting him as the "Big Ugly Bear" and making him fear Clay as a madman. That is pure poppycock, although it did much to build up Clay's psyche for the engagement with the menacing bully Liston. The truth is that Liston was 32 according to him, but 34 according to his Mother and perhaps even older. Clay was younger, and so much faster than Liston could not put a glove on him. The crisis of the fight came when Clay got some linament in his eyes, likely put on Liston's gloves deliberately by his corner. The substance burned Clay's eyes, leaving him to fight blind for a full round. Clay went on the defensive and survived Liston's furious assault. Liston, realizing he was behind and couldn't stop this fast young kid even when he couldn't see, quit on his stool in the 8th. The shocking upset was declared The Ring's Fight of the Year for 1964.

Rumors immediately began circulating that the match was fixed, so that Liston's mafia cronies could clean up on the betting. A rematch was scheduled for May 1965. Postponed due to Clay having a hernia, it was moved from Bostn to Lewiston, Maine. A tiny place, hardly anyone but sportswriters, hardcore fight fans, camp followers, and the locals were there. Under 2,500 people saw the fight live, and that led to much of the controversy that followed. In the rematch, the now Muhammad Ali hit Liston with a right that was so fast few actually saw it (the "phantom punch" is very clear on the slow motion replay). It is often said that speed kills, and the punch you don't see is the one that hurts. So it was with Liston, and this one knocked him out. Sonny Liston, the most feared man on the planet, was on his back in the 1st Round, with Ali looming above him screaming "get up you sucka!"

The End

Liston's career was effectively over, although it might not have seen so at the time. He continued to fight and win between 1966 and 1970, but the only notable names on his resume were perennial punching bags George "Scrap Iron" Johnson and Chuck Wepner. He also beat Amos Johnson and Henry Clark, both of whom were thought to be prospects, but who went on to do very little after Liston got through with them. No other contender wanted any part of such a dangerous, disreputable man for quite a while.

Things were looking up for Liston when Canadian tough guy George Chuvalo wanted a piece of him in 1971. However, on January 5, 1971, he was mysteriously found dead by his wife. The police declared his death a heroin overdose, although Liston was known to have a phobia regarding needles. He balked over going to fight in Europe when he was told of the required vaccinations, and although a borderline alcoholic, he was never an illegal drug abuser. This has led to continued speculation that Liston was murdered.

Legacy

Sonny Liston enjoyed only a short reign as heavyweight champion, making only a sole successful defense: his rematch with Patterson. Despite that, he remains a towering figure in heavyweight boxing. He regularly appears on lists of the hardest hitters in heavyweight history, and arguably had the hardest jab ever wielded by a human being. He was also the most intimidating man to ever wear the title, scarier than Mike Tyson could ever have dared hope to become. Liston's legacy in many ways continued to haunt the heavyweight division in the form of George Foreman, who was a Liston sparring partner for some time, and certainly learned something about fighting and an intimidating scowl from the man. Some maintain to this day that both his losses to Muhammad Ali were fixed fights, and his criminal past and mafia ties give him a dark allure. Liston remains a compelling figure to this day.