Posted on 10/15/2016 5:29:37 PM PDT by Brad from Tennessee
Sonny Liston was a ferocious fighter, the heavyweight champion of the world and the man Cassius Clay beat to win the title for the first time, igniting his own legend. And yet, outside of boxing, Liston was a haunted man, initiated early into a life of crime and decimated by drugs when his boxing career faltered.
His untimely end was long thought to be accidental and self-inflicted, courtesy of a heroin-filled needle in his arm. Now the book “The Murder of Sonny Liston” by Shaun Assael wonders if another might have pushed the fatal plunger. . .
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
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Liston bought a house in an elite neighborhood in Denver. Soon after, the whole neighborhood was black and the houses worth a fraction.
Liston’s grandson has a website that has a treasure trove of facts. From the Liston/Clay fights to his death with scanned autopsy reports with doctor comments.
Did he know Hillary?
I always found the career of Red Rodney fascinating, but until reading this I did not know what a scumbag he was.
Liston was the first boxer to cut Chuck Wepner-72 stiches worth.
Even the great Howard Cosell took a dive, in the end.
"That's pride f'ing with you..."
I read an article by Charles Farrell, a former boxing manager, who believes Listin to be the greatest heavyweight in history. But he was so mob connected and threw so many fights (including both Ali fights) that we’ll never know how good he really was.
If you look at Cosell's critique of the fight where Liston could have thrown a punch but didn't he couldn't believe it. Neither could I.
Liston's biggest problem, he wasn't as pretty as Cassius.
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