Stumbled across this and as best I can recall, never knew it. The Charles Liston we all know as a heavyweight champion boxer was also a sometimes referee. He reffed one of the Cleveland Williams-Ernie Terrell fights and a couple of title fights. Anyone have any idea what kind of a ref he was? Was it just a ‘celebrity ref’ thing like Joe Walcott (mis)handling Ali-Liston II — bring in a ‘name’ ref as a sort of side attraction in hopes that for at least a few people, it might make the difference between buying a ticket and staying home? Or did he have a few friends in high places who got him some side work between fights? I’m interested in any observations or knowledge of this side of the mysterious Sonny.
Not certain how many fights he reffed or what they thought of him in that capacity but I always recall he reffed the inaugural jr. middleweight title fight between Denny Moyer and Joey Giambra.
The "mysterious Sonny"--holy smokes that is SPOT ON!! (The only way I might improve on that is saying the "darkly mysterious Sonny.")
I think he was very much brought in as a celebrity guest referee to boost ticket sales. The advertising for the Cokes-Olguin fight had a picture of Liston rather than either of the fighters. In return, Liston would make about $1500 for a night's work. But he was generally acknowledged to do a good job. After the Moyer-Giambra fight, the Oregon Daily Journal recorded that: Heavyweight champ Sonny Liston scooted around the ring as guest referee and made some Portland fans doing it. "He did a great job," one Portland Boxing Commission member declared. "I'll have to take back what I said. I was against letting them bring him in to work the fight." Liston, a jewelled ring on his left little finger dazzling under the ring lights, sat at ringside through the preliminaries hardly looking up as he inked pre-signed autographs to hand out later. But this was no sullen man of evil moods when he went into the ring to referee. He smiled and joked - and worked the fight to credit.
