Trojan Horse
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I won't be in Sydney for this, but those of you who are should try and find the opportunity to see this documentary Monday week on SBS (borrowed from UK-BBC Sports).
He, Sonny Liston, is one fighter that's always intrigued me.
Documentary: SONNY LISTON: THE CHAMP NOBODY WANTED
Monday 30 June @ 7.30 pm on SBS
Charles Sonny Liston World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, intimidating, illiterate and one of the hardest hitters who ever lived attracted more controversy and hostility in his time than any other fighter.
His decomposing body was found in his home in Las Vegas on January 5, 1971. To this day, his death is shrouded in mystery. Was he the victim of a Mob murder? Was it a drug overdose? Or did he die of natural causes? This documentary, SONNY LISTON: THE CHAMP NOBODY WANTED, screening on SBS on Monday, June 30 @ 7.30 pm chronicles his intriguing life.
Born to a family of sharecroppers in deepest Arkansas, Sonny was the 24th of 25 children. He was told from a young age by his father, If youre big enough to come to the table, youre big enough to work in the fields. He quickly learnt that the white man would always take half and he lived in one of the most caustic periods of race relations in Americas history.
Sonnys entry into the boxing world was far from typical. Arrested and imprisoned for armed robbery at the age of 18, he was paroled into the care of boxing handlers. Instead of leading him down the righteous path (as the parole board predicted) it led him straight into the world of organised crime.
The Mob pretty much owned and ran boxing at the time, so, when Sonny wasnt throwing punches in the ring, he was throwing them as muscle for the Mob.
Even when he had won the title of Heavyweight Champion, he was not granted the public acceptance he so badly wanted. He lost the title just two years later to Cassius Clay (Muhammed Ali) with the fight concluding when Sonny mysteriously quit after round six.
His attempt a year later to win the title back became one of the most infamous and controversial title fights in the history of boxing. It ended in cries of Fix! Fix and the ensuing investigations left boxing and Sonny in tatters. In the end, boxing survived. But for Sonny Liston one of the most feared and loathed Heavyweight Champions ever it definitely was the end.
SONNY LISTON: THE CHAMP NOBODY WANTED talks to his friends and family and those closest to him in the end. In this moving and insightful portrayal it is clear that Sonny was much more than just a hoodlum. He was one of boxings greatest victims no matter what happened in the ring, Sonny just couldnt win.
UK - BBC Sports Page: Gone but not quite forgotten - Sonny Liston
And HERE is the SBS TV listings for that date for confirmation.
He, Sonny Liston, is one fighter that's always intrigued me.
Documentary: SONNY LISTON: THE CHAMP NOBODY WANTED
Monday 30 June @ 7.30 pm on SBS
Charles Sonny Liston World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, intimidating, illiterate and one of the hardest hitters who ever lived attracted more controversy and hostility in his time than any other fighter.
His decomposing body was found in his home in Las Vegas on January 5, 1971. To this day, his death is shrouded in mystery. Was he the victim of a Mob murder? Was it a drug overdose? Or did he die of natural causes? This documentary, SONNY LISTON: THE CHAMP NOBODY WANTED, screening on SBS on Monday, June 30 @ 7.30 pm chronicles his intriguing life.
Born to a family of sharecroppers in deepest Arkansas, Sonny was the 24th of 25 children. He was told from a young age by his father, If youre big enough to come to the table, youre big enough to work in the fields. He quickly learnt that the white man would always take half and he lived in one of the most caustic periods of race relations in Americas history.
Sonnys entry into the boxing world was far from typical. Arrested and imprisoned for armed robbery at the age of 18, he was paroled into the care of boxing handlers. Instead of leading him down the righteous path (as the parole board predicted) it led him straight into the world of organised crime.
The Mob pretty much owned and ran boxing at the time, so, when Sonny wasnt throwing punches in the ring, he was throwing them as muscle for the Mob.
Even when he had won the title of Heavyweight Champion, he was not granted the public acceptance he so badly wanted. He lost the title just two years later to Cassius Clay (Muhammed Ali) with the fight concluding when Sonny mysteriously quit after round six.
His attempt a year later to win the title back became one of the most infamous and controversial title fights in the history of boxing. It ended in cries of Fix! Fix and the ensuing investigations left boxing and Sonny in tatters. In the end, boxing survived. But for Sonny Liston one of the most feared and loathed Heavyweight Champions ever it definitely was the end.
SONNY LISTON: THE CHAMP NOBODY WANTED talks to his friends and family and those closest to him in the end. In this moving and insightful portrayal it is clear that Sonny was much more than just a hoodlum. He was one of boxings greatest victims no matter what happened in the ring, Sonny just couldnt win.
UK - BBC Sports Page: Gone but not quite forgotten - Sonny Liston
And HERE is the SBS TV listings for that date for confirmation.
