Whatever happened to Sonny Liston?

Taking dives in championship fights on closed circuit theatre TV would tend to damage a man's career.

Also, he was a drinker and a gambler, not the most dedicated athlete at that stage, and he had a reputation for being troublesome outside the ring. Even at his height, as champion, he couldn't get licensed to fight in most states.

 

Yeah. As a promoter, why would you put an ounce of faith in a guy whose reputation was so stained. No one would have wanted to put their name on anything like that then. He was thought to be crooked. Whether or not he was isn't really the point. Everyone thought he was, so the boxing business as a whole stayed away in droves.

 

Liston was probably good enough to regain the title - after Ali had his license revoked in 1967 - but those who ran boxing at the time didn't want to give him the opportunity.

Liston's loss to Ali in their rematch was considered by most to be a fixed fight, so Sonny was basically ignored by the boxing establishment for a few years.

However, Liston did fight himself back into contention by 1968, after beating Amos Johnson and Henry Clark.

He was on the shortlist of opponents Jimmy Ellis was considering after Ellis decisioned Patterson (but Ellis never fought anyone on the list). Mac Foster was on the shortlist as well. He and Liston had agreed to fight a couple times in 1968/69, but Foster kept backing out every time it seemed like Ellis was going to pick an opponent.

Based on talent alone, Liston should've been invited to the WBA Heavyweight tournament, considering two former champs who weren't as good as him -- Floyd Patterson (who Liston had destroyed twice) and Ernie Terrell (who was Liston's sparring partner and was just as mob connected as Sonny was) -- were invited ... as was Jerry Quarry, who had lost to Eddie Machen (who Liston beat) and drew with Patterson (who Liston owned).

Remember, at the time the tournament began, the ONLY guys to beat Liston were Ali and Marty Marshall (and Liston stopped Marshall in a return).

But Liston wasn't invited.

When the tournament was over, Liston hung around waiting for a possible shot with Jimmy Ellis. He signed to fight Leotis Martin on ABC in December 1969. But also in December, Ellis and Frazier agreed to unify the title in February. So, that basically closed the door on Liston.

Then, after a strong start, Liston got knocked out by Leotis Martin.

And that was that.

 

There is a very good HBO documentary about Liston, in it it's stated how Liston harbored some hopes after beating Floyd patterson for the Title, that perhaps the powers that be, and general fans would give him a fair shake, and perhaps new bridges of understanding, in time, could be built, apparently when disembarking from the flight home to St Louis, after taking Patterson's title, Sonny Expected the obligatory Banners, Balloons and some fans with autograph books open for him to sign, and a few photog****rs to record the new champs welcome home.. Well sonny hit the steps to alight the plane and looked all around him... Nothing..Nada..Nomeone.. Apparently his huge shoulders sagged with the disappointment... and the knowledge that he was persona Non Grata in peoples hearts,

And he probably realised that he had no friends..Just Associates who could use him, I have often thought that when Clay started to Pound combinations off of him in the first fight... he thought to himself why should i take a severe pounding just for the sheer entertainment of these haters , they lied to me and told me this skinny kid would be afraid and Fold.. I'm taking the pain..and no one's rooting for me..

In the Scheduled rematch.. Liston had apparently flogged himself and that Older than belived Body into excellant shape, by all accounts, Clay/Ali got a Hernia and a postponement.. And Liston's Gym Efforts went to waste.. In the rematch Ali danced for almost the first Minute.. And Liston could not touch him.. Clay / Ali was bigger and faster the Boy Had becomie a man... unafraid.. hitting harder ..looking confidant.. and looking like he was going to make an exhibition of Liston, I think sonny genuinely went dont from a 'Didnt See Coming' Shot... It's when he gets back up onto one knee ...then falls back dowm... i have little doubt he could of got up.. But like Duran in the 2nd Leonard fight .. a thunderbolt of Deja'Vue hit him.. a realisation that he was Old, Unloved (except by Geraldine) unwanted.. and standing by him was a quicksilver ..and potentially Quick Slayer.. opponent who wanted him to get up so badly..so he could punish him.. and perhaps make a fool of him...

Liston who probably lived with the more Simplistic outlook in life of I'm bigger than you...I Glower at you... and you Quake.. was unnerved and was no psychologist, His mental warfare strategy was intimidation.. and when it was turned back on him.. he was defused... It took someone special to turn the trick of course..

As for Sonny not getting another shot, perhaps in the Ali in exile..Tournament, he probably had the Hoodoo over Floyd, Perhaps he could of dealt with Martin being a few years earlier, Mildenberger no Problem, Spencer Likewise, Perhaps his strengh and Jab would have kept Bonavena Muted ? It's the Finalists Quarry and Ellis where it gets 'If's and But's Hazy'

I think the boxing establishment did not want to Risk it.. Sattellite Technology was taking off.. a new Decade of hope optimism and opportunity was about to dawn, Could they really risk being dragged back into the deemed dark ages .. I think not...

On an earlier Trip to the United Kingdon, Liston enjoyed himself, their was crowds to welcome him.. he signed autographs.. people smiled genuine smiles of warmth at him... and the Children like him, and apparently when asked why he has this relaxed friendly manner with children.. His rely was " They Dont Lie ... Their Honest with me.."

They say you can only play the cards you are dealt, i think Sonny was dealt off the bottom on occassion,

 

I just don't know how serious Liston was after the Ali fights. Did he have any love for boxing at that point? Sonny had been embarrassed by Ali. Whilst Ali was champion there was little point in a serious contender taking on Alis one round victim. There just seemed to be too much mountain to climb in order to be taken seriously again. He took a year out and also lost a lot of ground with inactivity. One round of action between February 1964 and July 1966. Before that just 6 rounds of action since the end of 1960.

For two years Liston fought only in Sweden billed as an ex champion. I think he thought he was on tour or something.

When he came back to America in 1968 under D1ck Sadler Sonny fought seven times in 1968 and was obviously serious about his career again. At this point he was a genuine full time boxer for the first time since about 1960. However, he was taking things slowly and starting over again from scratch.

The problem is even though Sonny is landing decent build up fights and starting over like a genuine threat to the title he fights Leotis Martin in a 1969 step up fight and loses a legitimately hard fight against a contender who had already been found out at World level.

 

The problem here is that Liston was unranked and had been fighting only sporadically in Sweden over the 2 years preceding the tournament. He didn't begin his comeback in earnest until a year later, when he reentered the top 10 by beating Henry Clark.

 

Exactly. Sonny Liston did not relaunch his career seriously until 1968 ...when Ali was safely out of the way.

 

Yep. Box office poison. It doesn't matter what the guy does after, big payday's are gone and it's back to the coalmines time.

Same thing happened--to a lesser degree--to Bruce Seldon after that Tyson fight. Would you part with your money to hand the guy another 7 figure payday?

 

Everything pointed to a disaster going into the second Ali bout, Liston's training camp after the postponement had a suddenly very old and inept Liston stumbling through everything from jump roping to sparring. Those whom he previously battered in training were now told to hold back so Sonny wouldn't be hurt, he simply didn't physically belong in the ring at that point. Later he regrouped to a degree and some form but was never discussed for real serious bouts again.

 

Had Liston beaten Martin, he's getting a big fight. But Martin who over came being floored earlier landed a right hand that put Liston unconscious for 60 seconds.

 

He was damned both ways.

On the one hand, he left it pretty questionable whether he deserved another chance.

On the other, managers and trainers knew exactly how dangerous he was.

Not exactly a winning formula.

 

I think it speaks to Liston's staying power that he's a finalist for Deontay Wilder's next defense.