"Lazzari's Sports Roundup" -- 03-12-05

He became known to fans of the "sweet science" as "The Big Bear"; in the boxing ring, he administered brutality in much the same way as his father had done to him when the defenseless youngster was growing up in Arkansas. It's now been almost 40 years since the night a "phantom punch" in Lewiston, Maine, would define the career and the life of a man who could truly never escape his troubled past.

Charles "Sonny" Liston chose to live a street-thug existence after moving to St. Louis in the 1940s; he'd end up in the Missouri State Penitentiary in 1950 facing a jail sentence longer than the muscular arms he'd often use to beat up people. Boxing saved him while in prison—directing his focus/energy onto learning the brutal craft while camouflaging his illiteracy. Paroled in just a couple of years, Sonny--handled by people with underworld ties--would turn pro and win his first seven fights before losing to Marty Marshall in 1954 while clowning around. Known as a devastating puncher with BOTH hands, Liston decided NEVER again to take things lightly in the ring--and proceeded to become boxing's most feared opponent for the remainder of the decade. He had also come under the "management" of mobster Frankie Carbo; coupling that with his own criminal past, Sonny Liston became the most despised man in boxing--crippling his ability to gain a title shot. He'd be arrested several times during the ‘50s (19 times total during his checkered life), but had his suspended boxing license reinstated in late 1961. Finally, in 1962, Liston was signed to meet heavyweight champ Floyd Patterson in Chicago despite protests from the NAACP--who deemed Liston nothing more than a common criminal who could only deter the efforts of the civil rights movement at the time. In spite of all the chaos, the fight DID happen--and it took the powerful Sonny Liston exactly two minutes and six seconds to become heavyweight champion of the world; a rematch a year later produced the same result in two minutes, ten seconds. The most hated fighter since Jack Johnson now held the greatest prize in sports--and was on top of the world, right?

A brash kid named Cassius Clay loomed for Liston; Sonny considered him no threat whatsoever--Liston was a 7-1 favorite. The night of February 25, 1964, proved embarrassing, however, to Liston; he quit in the seventh round after the young Clay had peppered his face with jabs throughout the evening. In spite of Clay's impressive performance, many thought Liston threw the fight--feeling pressure from betting mobsters who were said to have collected bundles of cash when Liston was dethroned. An awaited rematch in May of '65 was scheduled in Lewiston, Maine; Liston was now a challenger to a man named Muhammad Ali. In what became the most bizarre happening in ring history, Liston went down in the first round from a punch that legendary writer Jimmy Cannon said "couldn't have crushed a grape." Some say Liston took a dive as a way of paying back a debt to gamblers; others believed Sonny felt intimidated by Ali’s Black Muslim backing at the time and feared for his future well-being. Still others believed that Liston simply knew he was overmatched and badly out of shape (he had only fought a handful of rounds in the previous five years)--and decided to quit while on the canvas to avoid further embarrassment. Whatever the answer, it was the end of Liston as a bona fide champion--but not the end of his troubled days.

Sonny Liston kept fighting into his late 30's--absorbing one more LEGITIMATE loss along the way to Leotis Martin in 1969. Perhaps being on the verge of another comeback/championship quest after beating Chuck Wepner in 1970, his mysterious life would consist of one more chapter--one that would have him being found dead in his Las Vegas apartment around New Year's Day in 1971; police declared it a drug overdose as needle marks were found on his arm. One problem: Liston was deathly afraid of needles and had never even injected his wrists like other boxers often would before fights. In addition, he "conveniently" died while his wife was away visiting relatives; also, many believe he was part of a loan shark operation and was asking for a bigger slice of the pie--leading to his murder by angry mobsters. Bottom line? We'll never know for sure; we DO know that one Sonny Liston's criminal past never fully left him--and perhaps knocked him out cold in the end.

In 2003, Ring Magazine named Sonny Liston #15 all-time among boxing's best punchers. No, he wasn't universally liked--hardly. His adopted hometown of Philadelphia refused to acknowledge/adore Liston even after his two destructions of Patterson due to his shady past and criminal reputation. However, many still consider him one of the most feared/talented heavyweights of all-time; Joe Louis once said that Liston could be champion for as long as he wanted, while the great Rocky Marciano added that even HE would fear being in the same ring with Sonny. Finally, Connecticut boxing aficionado/businessman Tony DeAngelo--who followed Liston closely in the ‘60s--had the following words to say about the former heavyweight: "Some people actually thought he really wasn't a bad guy; he was on his way to an acting career when he died and actually was decent in a few movies. But as far as boxing is concerned, I know this: When he was on, he was impossible to beat. Also, think of all the people who ducked him--Jerry Quarry, Joe Frazier, Jimmy Ellis, Ernie Terrell. That tells you something."

Yes, it’s been almost 40 years since the night of the "phantom punch"--one that still leaves many boxing fans to view Ali-Liston II as the Kennedy assassination of the "sweet science." It's the opinion here that, due to Sonny Liston's affiliation with the underworld and/or forces beyond his own control, we really never acknowledged HOW good he was--nor were we allowed to see how great a champion he could have been. In any case, his tainted yet fascinating story remains today as further evidence of our universal fascination with the unknown, for Liston’s life was truly the stuff of which mysteries are made.

Bob Lazzari

Reprinted by permission of the Valley Times.