On the ROPES
The life and career of vilified boxing champion SONNY LISTON
SONNY LISTON ROSE from dirt-poor origins to world heavyweight boxing champion, knocking out Floyd Patterson in 1962.
But despite his talent, Liston, who was found dead of a supposed heroin overdose eight years later at the age of 40, was unloved by the American public, with his reputation tainted by Mob connections.
Pariah:
The Lives and Death of Sonny Liston charts his rise and fall, examines allegations that he deliberately lost two fights to Muhammad Ali, and questions whether his death was linked to organised crime.
STRUGGLES
Raised by an abusive father,
Liston turned to crime and ended up in prison. Within 10 years of his release, he had won the world title, but not the public’s respect.
‘He may be one of the great heavyweights,’ says director Simon George. ‘But the press were vitriolic, bringing up his Mob ties and the fact that he was illiterate.’
The lukewarm public reaction to Liston’s victory over Patterson was a turning point. ‘He gave up after that,’ says George. ‘What was the point of being champion if it made people hate you more?’
Liston’s reputation took a further battering when he lost twice to Ali, with the second bout lasting just two minutes.
CONTROVERSY
‘The second fight was a fix, but I would argue that it was Sonny maybe taking control of his life for the first time,’ suggests author Shaun Assael, on whose book
Pariah is loosely based. ‘He thought of it as a way of making himself a retirement fund.’ Controversy also surrounded Liston’s death, notably because he had a fear of needles.
‘The preponderance of evidence suggests it is more than likely he was killed,’ says Assael.
Whatever the truth, Liston will be remembered as someone who never got the right recognition.
‘Sonny Liston was one of the greatest yet most misunderstood and vilified sports figures of all time,’ says George. ‘This is a film about how America chooses its heroes, and never lets anyone forget their past.’