Liston and Louis' friendship

Totally agree Glass. Louis was lucky to be surrounded by great guiding influences early in the piece. When Liston’s turn came for having some people show due interest and care in him - it made a big difference in his direction, even though he might’ve strayed from the path at times thereafter.

But even when the bulk of his misdoings lay in the past - they wouldn’t let him forget it and Cus D’Amato often brought Liston’s past back into focus to serve Cus’ own ulterior motives - to protect Floyd. My opinion of D’Amato has dropped somewhat over time, a very manipulative and self serving person.

The book, published just after Liston won the title I believe (circa ‘62), makes for a great piece meal component for ascertaining the bigger picture on Liston. I don’t know that any one book on Liston is definitive, he’s a must read, 4-5 book guy at least.

There are also some nice references to several of Sonny’s early AM fights. Interestingly, the book credits Liston as having 14” fists, not the later circulated 15 1/2”. Who needs numbers anyway? - Liston’s mitts were obviously huge - and his Mum mentioned that his hands were conspicuously large even when he was a baby. Lol.

PS - try your luck too with old mags, they have some Ring, Boxing Illustrated etc. free to read at your finger tips - and that includes several mags with feature stories on Liston.

 

Ahh, let me properly credit the member who brought the Liston book (Champ Nobody Wanted) into focus - @newurban99 - I couldn’t remember who highlighted it - then I saw your name pop up. CheerS for the heads up mate.

 

Good post. I think we saw the public side of Joe, which was real. The private side we saw almost none of. He was under constraints: The public's memory of Jack Johnson cavorting with white women loomed over him lest he, himself, should forget. He was heavyweight champion. All things would come to him. How would he be seen? As "a credit to his race," he was reminded often.

 

Thanks, Pug. I'm glad you read the book. I listened to the 1962 radio broadcast of Patterson-Liston 1 alone in my teenaged boy bedroom, having waited for it with anxiety because I was afraid for Floyd. And then it was over so quickly, the big scary mugger, leg breaker and stick-up man easily beating up and humiliating my hero. I felt deeply hurt and shocked.

 

My pleasure.

That’s an incredible memory to have. For those of us not around yet, we can only try to imagine the real time aura Liston held - best we can do is to analogise to someone we lived through, like say Tyson, but from what I’ve read, Sonny could generate an even more sinister air around him -which he really worked on to intimidate his opposition .

 

That aura of Liston's reached far beyond the rings where he fought or the boxing gyms where he trained. It was felt by parents of school kids like me who lived in white neighborhoods and who feared the still quiet rage mounting in black America.

 

Louis said in his autobiography that women introduced him to drugs.

 

I would assume both helped each other thru their demons however they could. Both could relate to being champ but coming from different sides. Liston as a pariah and Louis as the nation's darling. I would have to read up more on both to speak further but I already have books about Liston n Ali so that's a start.

 

Both Sonny Liston and Joe Louis were in the audience at the Ed Sullivan Show on Sunday Feb 16 1964 in Miami Beach, Florida for the second American showing of The Beatles, Liston and Louis were sitting together, the victor of the Clay (Ali) vs Liston bout were promised a visit with President Lyndon B. Johnson at the White House, this never happened of course.

 

How old are you?

 

I was born the year Louis knocked out Walcott and announced his retirement.

 

I absolutely love this. What a crack up. Just the thought of Joe and Sonny seeing the Beatles together makes me laugh. I bet they had a good time that evening. I imagine the show was taped in the afternoon.

 

Pug, have you ever read Norman Mailer's book "Presidential Papers"? There's a long, fascinating chapter about the whole atmosphere around Patterson-Liston1 including visits to training camps, interviews with the fighters, the fight itself (brief as it was) and Mailer's uncanny way of describing the psychic undercurrent beneath. And he clearly likes and is fascinated and amused by Liston. It's a fascinating piece and definitely up your alley. I recommend it to everyone interested in boxing from that era.