Sonny Liston | Boxing's Most Intimidating and Unwanted Champion
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- Опубликовано: 24 июн 2021
- Join Rainy Day Boxing for an in depth career tribute to arguably the most intimidating man of all time, the ‘Night Train’, Sonny Liston.
Narrated by Eli Harris
iameliharris.com/
/ eli.harris2
Rainy Day Boxing Patreon
/ rainydayboxing 
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Didn't plan on the video being this long, but Sonny's life was so complex, there was just too much that had to be included. I know some of my long time subscribers are big Liston fans, so this one is for you. Thank you all for your patience, Enjoy!
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“Newspapermen ask dumb questions. They look up at the sun and ask if it is shining.”
- Sonny Liston
Thank you Rainy Day Boxing!! Its raining in Detroit right now today and I rather watch this than be apart of this worlds madness.
Powerful video. Broke my heart. One of the stories you know the ending to, but still hope it will end different. This story is an important cultural narrative and priceless spotlight of a transitioning time. Content like this is desperately needed throughout America right now - our sons and daughters need this perspective.
You absolutely killed this. I really like documentaries. I've watched way too many.
This is very well done. Better than most documentaries. The pacing is great. The length is great. The interview clips are great. The footage is great.
This narrator is much stronger than the guy on some of the older Rainy Day Boxing videos (not hating, this narration is just really good)
Great documentary but Sonny Liston didn't introduce big heavyweights. Jess Willard was 6ft6-6ft7 weighed 250lbs and held the heavyweight title. Jim J Jefferies was 6ft2 and weighed around 220lbs. Joe Louis in his prime would weigh around 204lbs-207lbs and 6ft1-6ft2. Primo Carnera was 6ft6 and was 260lbs-270lbs. Liston was a big guy but all these guys before him was around his size or bigger. Liston and everyone else I mentioned would cut down in weight to have a trim body, Liston being 215lbs would means he could easily carry more weight if he wanted to, same with the other heavyweight champions I mentioned.
“The child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth”- African proverb
That is powerful
Deep…
@joel joel meaningless...
@African atheist .. Did you watch the video ❓❓
Your brain has been poisoned by communism.
@bimmjim - What does an African proverb have to do with communism? “Tribalism” is the oldest form of government and that’s what he’s referring to. Communism is a 19th century invention and a failed 20th century experiment. I’m quite sure this proverb far predates communism.
"born at an unknown date" this alone tells you how shitty his childhood must have been
"Scars from his father's whip", poor guy. Sonny would've been a legend in our time but sadly he was born in wrong era
Not too mention “Arkansas did not make birth certificates mandatory until 1965.”
@@BetterYouNow he would’ve been treated differently by the public if he had different parents
@@BetterYouNow its Sonny Listons hard life that made him the Man he was. A legend in boxing. His dad's beatins and his hardships in life were a blessing.
@@kennymichaelalanya7134 What
Sonny liston never saw kindness in his life, yet he still try to be kind
He didn’t. Was Sonny Liston catholic? If not what religion was he ?
@@grey0966 what role should that play? I mean who will show him the way to God? His father? I think that god is love, so he try to reach him in some level
@@yonislav_9821 amen, God is Love ✝️. I heard he was catholic. We al need Jesus and His Blood 🩸. May the Lord bless you 🙏
@@grey0966if he believe there is only one god so, he dont need to have any religions. Here is the answer for question
@@mohddalibinzali1165 we all must be covered by the Blood 🩸 of Jesus. For He is God and Savior ✝️
This is the most humane documentary I've seen on Liston. Thank you for giving a fair and comprehensive view of the champ and his tragic life.
Thank you very much for the kind words! Glad you enjoyed my take on Sonny's story.
...this paints him to be a victim. Okay. He's a victim. Lol. Nothing but a victim.
This man appeared to be cursed from birth.He made mistakes,payed for them but not shown any decency,respect or kindness! A man whom children loved must have a lot of good in him...children sense it,unvarnished!
@@Hosh_Jiggles All his " victims" were benevolent angels...okay...lol...
@@Hosh_Jiggles he was a victim of a lot of things. That doesn't mean he didn't do anything bad
" I'm a man of few words, and I've already said most of them,"
Sonny Liston
😳
Awesome quote
That's a cold line, but he has a warm heart.
@@FooeyMcgooey I'm sure you knew him personally
@@m0skit0 Man shut the fuck up.
You can still be kind and have a killer instinct in the world of boxing.
Man, when he became champ and he went back home to Philly and no one was there to welcome him.
That shi was sad...
I wanted to be there to shake his giant hand..
Well, his reputation made him a villain at that point and unpopular. Like the bully who really wanted to be loved.
He shouldnt have been allowed to live after his armed robbery and assaults, the fact that he wasnt dead should have been good enough for him. Its a sad story that he gets to be remembered and good peoples stories will be forgotten
SHOULD’VE CAME BACK ST LOUIS. WE WOULDA NEVER TREATED HIM THAT WAY
If that’s your opinion, you are a psychopath as well. Why would normal, law abiding people greet a menace to society and a career criminal only because he is AMAZINGLY good at professionally hurting people?
“Sonny Liston made me look like a boy scout” - Tyson . “He hit your elbow and it broke your arm” - Ali . What more need to be said?
Ali beat him while his face was covered in listons acid. Ali beat him while blind and in pain. Then beat him with one punch in their 2nd fight
@@kevlark3184liston threw on purpose for the Mobs
@@RaphaelDeppe-ey5fr excuses. He wouldn't have won anyways
of course you know that...idiot@kevlark3184
That story hurts me, really well made: you gave him the tribute he deserved. Thank you for this video
Thank you for the kind words. Happy to hear I did Sonny's story justice
guy was a fuckin fraud, he become champ thanks to rigged fights and then took dives for cash. Liston's buddies in the Mafia got to Floyd, why do you think the fights only lasted two minutes.
@@RainyDayBoxing Please help what is the song at the end?
@@RainyDayBoxing bu vıdeonun turkcesını ızlememın bir yolu varmı
Agreed this was a beautiful work of art
I never thought sonny looked intimidating from photos. He always just looked kinda broken and numb.
Now i know why.
same
That’s what makes him dangerous if he’s numb he doesn’t feel pain or fear
@@luisestrada2732 he doesn’t mean numb as in scary I think he meant numb as in sad like he just always look so sad and disappointed with the world he’s just numb to everyone and everything
@@PerkaholicFB Ik that’s the sabe numb I meant too
The first time I saw his face, which was right before he pulled the gun on Ali, only thing I saw was sadness and misery.
This man deserves a major movie biopic. He is owed an enormous apology by the entire world.
Three historic biopics I would love to see in my lifetime: (1) Sam Cooke (2) Sonny Liston (3) The Haitian uprising of 1804 🙂
There is a movie about him.
I agree 100%
@@f554uv1 lol I bet you’re in denial to racism if that’s what you come up with
Yeah good luck with that. 👍
this is a masterpiece ive watched it 3 times
Thank you for saying that, I really appreciate it! Glad you enjoyed it enough to watch it more than once!
Me too 3 times
Rest in peace to a legend. Sometimes good men do bad things to survive. His life was a struggle but I’m sure he had a good heart, just a giant who was worked to be nothing more than a giant.
Was Sonny Liston a catholic ? If not what religion was he ?
His story is one of the saddest ever... He was a man who was just looking for approval and love. His story is raw and very human.
a hard life
The story of 99% of all humanity that has ever existed
Very human...
Well, it's hard to get approval after hurting and stealing from many people.
@@DerAltruist Very true. Im sure he was penitent of the bad he did and he looked to boxing to get out of the struggle he endured. The sad part is that the money and the notoriety made things worse on him and he was no longer seen as a person but an item to the mob in which there's no escape...
finally, someone is shining some light on the underrated Sonny Liston
He aint underrated at all its just that he got the greatest defeat of all boxing history so when they talk abt him ppl mostly talk abt ali vs liston 2 but liston was a monster
He is not underrated at all by true boxing fan.
@@paulis4278 yea
Liston and Frazier are really underrated. If you ask people do you know who Frazier or Liston is, they’ll say no. But if you ask them do you know who mike Tyson or Cassius Clay is, they’ll say yes. In my opinion, I think Sonny and Frazier were better than Ali. Sonny was just thrown off his game, you can tell because he demolished Robinson, so I bet he could do that to Ali as well. And Frazier beat Ali, was robbed of the rematch, and his coaches forced him to quit when Ali said he wanted to quit.
The light shines on it's own, people just didn't care to notice, my favourite of all time!
This video has been seen by over 5 million people all over the world, even though Sonny is long gone from this world you’ve done more then enough to preserve his legacy and finally give him the recognition he rightfully deserved in death that he never got in life.
Well said
Liston is the most underrated boxer ever..hard childhood, racism, mafia's interests on him, probably older than we would know, and still one of the best heavyweights
Who did he beat?
Floyd patterson twice for starters... the mike tyson before Mike tyson.
@@JackBilly-lz5xe
@JackBilly-lz5xe people say Cleveland Williams but he didn't achieve much don't mean to say he wasn't a good win
@@21Morgan12 Williams looked great , hit like a tank but didn't have a great chin. even before he got shot he wasn't all that durable.
@@JackBilly-lz5xe yeah this is true
I wish Liston had known how respected of a boxer he would be 50 years after his death, and that we still remember how great he was.
SportsCenter ranked him as the 6th greatest boxer of all time. Ring Magazine ranked him as the 10th Greatest Heavyweight of all time, most ring and boxing pundits in the early 80's throughout the late 00's ranked him anywhere from the 2nd greatest boxer of all time to the 5th greatest boxer of all time.
I read that one of Sonny's sister's said that he was born in 1919, wich means that he died at age 51 in 1964 he was believed, to be 33 or 34 but he looked older, sure the alcohol and heroin affected his looks, and Sonny didn't know when he was born he claimed 1930.
The Media does this to athletes till today! Ostracized a World Champion
it's disgusting that he tried to be good and still wasn't accepted because of a pretentious NAACP and a President who was put in office by the Mafia itself! Sonny Liston will always be a phenomenal fighter and World Champion 🏆! No one can take that away from him.
Fck the mainstream media!
Was Sonny Liston Catholic ? If not what religion was he ?
@@grey0966 he was catholic
"As kids we loved heroes.
As adults we understand villains."
"Copium."
Just because someone understands a villain does not mean that a person should become one in their lives...always be the hero, no matter what the world says about you, for what YAHWEH EL ELOHIM Himself in His Holy Word is the path of a true hero and anything else is just a false and Satanic imitation that will ultimately make you a villain in the end.
True so true.
Deep and true af
@@paxhumana2015 bro you don't understand
When he smiled.. It was the purest, sweetest thing. A strong handsome Panther. We appreciate your strength champ❤
We tore down a good man. Watched him flail in the dark only to shine through with light.
A real human man. With flaws. A man that wanted and I believe tried, to be a better man and reached some of his goals.
Rest in Peace Champ.
“Good man?”
@@vgr112261how would you be with a brute father and crooked white cops everywhere?
@@vgr112261 Yes, only idiots like you don't see past the surface of such tragic figures and their hardships they went through to find peace.
Did you not watch the damn video@@vgr112261
“We”??
Wish we had a time machine so we could go back and tell Sonny that in the future, he is a respected legend of boxing and respected as a human being, not seen as a criminal or unwanted champ. One of the greatest.
Hell yes!
For real tho
I mean he did crime my guy 🤫 nothing. Wrong with doing dirt, you can do bad things while still be a honorable man and stand up guy
Agreed. Hopefully he knows tho my man 🙏
100%
That part where he flew back and no one was there to welcome him - can’t imagine how deeply upsetting that would have been.
Tyson Fury went through the same thing after he beat Klitschko. There was no press, nothing, just his family. According to his Dad it was one of the things that threw him into a big depression.
That's life! People need drama. They don't wanna accept truth
Big up South London (Norbury sides to Brixton all the way to Lewisham and around it )
Agree ..its deeply upsetting
Sad and depressing .
@@kurty85 lol...
Nobody gives a $hit
The media paint the picture for the people to believe.
As a society, we can not undo the unfairness that was done to the great Sunny Liston, but we can honor and remember his legacy and triumph after his passing
That is to say.......Sonny.
As an individual trying to advocate for "society" to honor this man, you could at the very least spell his name right. :/
Undo the fairness to a known criminal with ties the crime families?
God forbid.
All I see was a guy that went through so much pain he relied on his gift (strength and intimidation) to make a way for a comfortable living and be accepted. Sad he didn’t get the love he deserved. Rest in peace to the legend Sonny Liston.
He looks like he's more of a gentleman than today's loud mouth boxers.
😂
except hes killed people
@@CesarZumarraga that he did
Yes sir
Why always compare to "today", are you going to say mohammed ali was a gentleman too ?
RIP Charles "Sonny" Liston...you deserved more than mankind gave you.
Beaten by his dad and called the New Mule. What a sad life for a child.
@fvckyutube So would it have been better if he worked with the black mob?
Womenkind XD
BISMILLAH
Must Read You Will Know Best Thing Here
Before Your Death know your creator and follow the order of your creator .
Allah - Arabic Word ] Creator
Iswar - Sanskrit Word ] Name
God - English Word ] Diff Language
you cant make creator but he created you
Signs Of Allah/god
1.) See Egg of hen it is dead but allah create and make leg ,eye , ear , heart etc and convert it in to a living creature , and that creature know how to eat ,speak, drink , walk. this is the sign of that allah the CREATOR of everything.
2.) He Made ant , how small it is and it have mind to think , small eyes to see who fit eye lens in it , ALLAH made more smaller things than ant , spider etc etc etc these are signs of Allah ,
3.) Allah made you from dirty drop of water from your (dad,mom) . how this water Turns into bones regular pumping heart eye ear toungue & it takes shape . and give identity to you example your face is different from whole world people, and give you eyes which sees and give you different fingerprint every finger have different fingerprint from your every finger and every finger have different fingerprint from whole world people fingerprints . Think about creator how he made you , is it a joke no no , I don't want anything from you and you will not give me anything , try to understand .
plz read BCZ your whole life depend on what you choose bcz ALLAH the creator will ask you about this life after this life . plz check my playlist i added some imp links
don't think this is a message only . take it serious .
1) Your heart is running can you stop it now ? NO
can you live without oxygen ? NO
can you live without food and water ? NO
( bcz you are not controlling your self because it is controls by your creator )
2) You need to sleep to recover your self
if you can control your self then stop this process you cant do it .
THINK ABOUT
other created god by some human
i) they make pictures , sculpture etc and pray to that pictures
can you make god ? no
you cant see god in this world , you can see god after this world if you obey GOD / ALLAH
is god a human being ? no
About Some created God By Humans
some fake god require to eat food some worship stone and some worship real god but not follow his order .
If God eat food then have call of nature means need toilet . it is not the quality of god so remove these fake gods now .
Adam , Jesus , Moses Abraham Were messengers of allah before muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam And Adam Was first man and prophet so it shows that islam is from beginning.
Allah is only one God and prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam allah's last messenger .
messenger means which get message from God .
jesus is neither a god nor a son of god , he was a messenger of god
1) ACCORDING TO CHRISTIANITY
when people tryied to torture JESUS
and want to beat him and kill him even they were thinking to hang on neils etc etc etc
and after that they started to worship him as a god and also as a son of god they are fool and they fooled you you are also following their fake path
is it a quality of god that any one can beat him and to nail jail and hang him torture him think it NOW
2) Jesus Eat Food When He Was Hungry
is it a quality of god ? ( Hungry God ) if he eat food then also do toilet
at that time no toilet seat was there so they used to do that in hidden in grass and back of some trees and stones etc
is it a quality of God ? No
First Order Of Creator Is .
1) Allah / Iswar / God is only one god and prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam allah's Last messenger
2) namaz / salah / prayer according to prophet muhammad sallallahu alehi vasallam
we cant worship muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam . we worship only creator ALLAH .
if we worship muhammad then we will be in hell .
Keep in mind that Muhammad Sallallahu Alehi Wasallam cannot make a single fly . before prophet muhammad ; adam , jesus , noah , moses had came but we cant pray to any prophet .
if some one make cartoon of any prophet even jesus , moses , noah , adam etc then we muslim will fight to them like in france a case happened ,
DONT JUDGE MUSLIM to see islam ,
to see islam you should read QURAN and sunnah of prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam .
in islam worship only creator one allah in the way that he tells to his messenger to do .
what will happen after death with you ? if you obey allah's order or disobey.
and you can check my playlist full quran and more links about what is islam and who is ALLAH
read full must instead of wasting time and songs and movies .
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read Quran it is a word of god , you will know what is written inside in it .
read full quran english translation from youtube and books .
and you can check my playlist full quran ..,...,.,.,.,
Very well put for clearly a complicated man. Rest in power Sonny.
You are remembered, you were always worthy. RIP Mr. Liston
Strongest boxer EVER. Even stronger than Foreman. No fighter in HISTORY was more feared. He was so hated and misunderstood. He was a brilliant, brilliant fighter. RIP King.
Dude had such a sad, tragic life. He was like a guy who was totally out of place for his time, in almost every aspect.
humanity never fails to give .... sincerely sorry Sonny.
@@sorz6621 You really think Sonny doesn't have a better life than most? He was tested twice on the happiness scale and he was pretty happy.
@@oppothumbs1 no i dont
@@oppothumbs1 in wealth he had it better then most but that means nothing when you are always see as irredeemable despite trying to change but never give the chance. Being made to feel alone is one the worst feeling in the world.
@@oppothumbs1 He was hated because of his public image, and never celebrated for his prowess as a boxer.
“Born on an unknown date and was the 24th child out of 25 children” sounds like a mythologized biography but it’s all real.
Insane!!
Yes. Horrible
@@karlbuchanan1363 Horrible? my mother was one of 17. raised in a tiny 2 bedroom house ,none of them turned to crime although poor. my grandfather was the only bread winner until various uncles and Aunts started work.
Mercmad well your grandad was a clown and so was your grandma. Selfish bringing that many children into a home with no money
@@jsmith7888 LOL!
That’s crazy how huge families used to be back in those times. Even my dad had 13 siblings it just goes to show how far the birth rates dropped over the years typically families have 1-2 kids tops these days. I’m speaking of statistics of course there is families with lots of kids but typically only 1 kid is the usual now.
Idk where the hate came from. You can see a real deep soul in his eyes. I never knew any of this about him. It's a crying shame how things went for him. I hope he found at least some kind of peace while he was here.
Wow! Brilliant documentary. The only thing I ever knew about Liston, was that he lost the heavyweight championship to Ali. What a fascinating story of his life, and so well told. Thank you.
Thank you for the kind words! Glad you enjoyed my take on Sonny's story.
Never knew that much about Liston until I watched this. His life reads like a Greek tragedy. RIP Champ.
Sad story.
Like the death of Achilles or something.
Seeing how Patterson was popular even with white America and Ali became the king of boxing and one of Black America's most beloved leaders almost on par with Malcom X it's sad how Liston is forgotten by most people across the world, even among many boxing enthusiasts. Ali, Foreman, and Tyson are legends but Liston is a footnote and mostly remembered as Alis stepping stone to super stardom
@@arthas640 Sonny Liston & George Foreman where Ali’s best opponents. Liston was paid to take a dive because of his “friends” in the 2nd fight.
It’s all about money 💰
They tried to look after him in Los Vegas but he was a to silly, he had already sold his soul.
You've posted this comment twice on different videos, Joe Vincent and now Rainy day boxing 🙂
Sonny’s story breaks my heart. life treated him like shit and his response to it all was absolutely understandable. so so sad
Lb
understandable? Maybe. Acceptable? Nah.
@@Soulrollsdeep that’s quite right….life is what you make it, though it’s gonna be in societies rule…. otherwise you’ll waste it
We've all got a sob story or three. Nobody cares, nobody wants to put up with your shit because of it.
It breaks my heart too. I feel so sad. The world is a cruel selfish place.
i've watched this documentary multiple times at this point. the first time i saw it i was shocked and heartbroken, and every time i've seen it since i've felt the same way. he wasn't innocent or perfect by any means, but he went through so much and pretty much got forced into a life of crime by an unfair world that wanted nothing to do with him, and that world refused to give him a second chance no matter how hard he tried. im just glad there were some bright moments for him, and that he gets the recognition he deserves today.
Thank you for portraying Sonny Liston the man and not the so-called monster.
"He was the most intimidating boxer ever, he was even more intimidating than me"
~Mike Tyson
Iron Mike oughta know, Cus was Patterson's manager and it was Cus who trained Mike to be as fearsome as Liston.
@@fredball8240
It was Cus who advised Patterson NOT to fight Liston.
Okay Mike ✌️🏆💯
@@williamjones7247 yup, Patterson was a great boxer but extremely undersized for a heavyweight especially against a guy like Liston.
@@ourtime-downhere6931
Yes he was.
I never really saw that “cold” and “soulless” look in his eyes. He always just looked like a sad misunderstood man to me. Truly a sad story. Genuinely broke my heart to hear about the things this man went through.
I agree, Deuce. I didn't see soullessness or anything baleful in his gaze. If he was cold it was out of necessity, he lived and thrived in a brutal, pitiless world. The man was a scorned champion and his career and reputation was undoubtedly controlled and tainted by the mob. Imagine what he could have achieved if he would have had the support and adoration Floyd Patterson had, and a trainer like Cus D'Amato...
@@AzureKnightmare32 So true
@@AzureKnightmare32 greatest heavyweight of all time possibly...
@@eyeofthetiger666satan Ali beat him twice. Once by rtd and knockout in the second fight.
@@wizardrhyme9597 I already knew that... what's your point?
The last few minutes of the video made me smile. Seeing Sonny interact with fans and children, sharing a kiss with his wife, smiling. The testemonies from people who knew him. He looked like a friendly giant. He looked like he had at those moneys what he longed for.
An egg is only hard until you break the shell.
This made me cry snot &all the part when he came home off the plane 🥺🤧💔
I about teared up when that kid kissed his cheek and he just started grinning. A kind man who tried to move the world and shake the foundation to give him a chance, and even when he finally pulled it off and climbed the mountain to get to the top against all odds, his chance was never given.
It tells you that press itself was a villain during that time and the public alongside journalists supported that narrative.
@@ignatiolu863 yup, and they still have an agenda today. They spin and twist stories they "report" on to fit that agenda and their the agenda of their puppet masters. Institutions of man change very little at their core and all desire the same things.
Those hipocrite ppl killed him.
Goes to show do what you want because YOU want to do it. Because the general public is far too pathetic and jealous to give credit where it's due
@TurnedLeftAtTheRockyMountains I disagree with Your rankings. Luis was better and should be the highest ranked fighter of all times with Sonny Liston second. And to tell the truth I’m not entirely sure the Bown Bomber could have beat Sonny. Liston was Boxing’s greatest strong Man second to none. Sonny Liston was the One Punch Man of Boxing.
Liston was a man who made it off the strength of his back and the sweat of his brow. That's honorable no matter what the circumstances of his life were. Even his gravestone has a powerful and simple message, "A Man".
Great comment
i can feel that the words on his gravestone are very deep but can’t figure out why. could you explain it to me ?
@@lilraykivert8176 he was true to himself, despite everything that happened to him, he pushed through it all to be the best version of himself
my interpretation
@@lilraykivert8176 I think @Bread got it right. Sonny never stood down when in the face of adversity. He became champion when everyone at the time said he couldn't. Men like Liston only come around every few hundred years.
You can take everything from someone, run their name through the mud, but at the dawn of a new day it's up to them to determine if they're still man enough to see the next day through.
Even if they take your life, only you can take your will to rise.
Rest in Power Sonny Liston
I never heard this story before. GOD BLESS SONNY. He got a raw deal.
When the little kid he was holding kissed him on the cheek, he let go a smile that said a lot. I never knew anything about this man other than the Ali story. I'm glad I found this and now have a much different view of him. Thank you
Please elaborate this needs more contest thanks bro
@@D.I.Y.M75 This man was absolutely feared for many reasons, one of which was his intimidating presence. A small child gave him a kiss on the cheek and he lit up like it was the greatest thing in the history of everything. That smile didn't scare anyone. It didn't intimidate anyone. Someone he didn't know just for a moment let him feel what he had been wanting for damn near his whole life. Putting his guard down and feeling joy.. And that is what I saw in that smile.
@@shonanbloodline what time was this I missed it
@@kevonceasar1611 25:25, brethren.
Ditto
"Sonny Liston stood up to me and actually made me give ground. No one has ever done that to me before or since."
Quoted by George Foreman
I feel fucking horrible for him to this day. Such a brutal life, and no one gave a shit back then. No one cared that his dad left whip scars on his back and beat him to a pulp. No one cared that he was used, hungry and beaten down from the day he was born. He clawed his way out, through his indomitable resolve. He not only became the best, but showed true compassion for others... He still had faith in humanity, and he demonstrated that through his altruism... but the world didn't care. Even if he had a nice life of luxury as a boxer (which he definitely didn't), he still needed help. That suffering doesn't go away. It will always be there. Trauma stays in your mind and body, manifesting itself in so many ways. The world failed this man. It makes me sick to my stomach. The newspaper at 10:05 says it all. "He shouldn't be fought, he should be hunted."
Love your brothers and sisters. Love everyone.
Never knew Liston was such a beast in the ring. What a crazy life, from rock bottom to baddest man on the planet. Brilliant Video
Man this is one of the saddest stories I've ever heard. Liston just wanted to be a normal part of society, a good person, and the people's champion.
@Plandemic XlX sonny knew no better, he raised himself and in a harsh environment without structure and discipline, he had to survive the best he knew, he was taken advantage of, forced to take a dive when the mob lost their money on the first ali fight, give the man a break, lifes not always peaches and cream.
Sonny's life was tragic. He never got the second chance he yearned for with the public; to be their Champ and to enjoy the respect and adulation of his Heavyweight Champion predecessors - to be the People's Champion.
Sonny Liston: No man ever overcame such terrible obstacles in his life only to be shunned by the public at large when he finally succeeded. I've always felt so sorry for him.
@Plandemic XlX he was given nothing he fought for so he took it, i respect that. the line describes him perfectly 'for someone so powerfull he had very little power over his own life', no doubt he did bad things for the mob but his life was forced that way, not by choice.
Unfortunately, his time in the limelight and the real appreciation for his talent and his desire to be a different, better person came far after his life was over. He didn't live a useless life though, so few in this world will ever be spoken of with such admiration and respect so long after we are gone, if we're spoken of at all.
My dad used to tell me when I was a little kid, how Sonny was one of the greatest of all time (he was a big boxing fan) and the more I learned about him (Sonny) the more I had a huge amount of admiration for him overcoming a life that was as bottom as it got, and built up to a point he was the greatest. Especially with all the adversity and disrespect he endured. The real tragedy here is he will never know the earthly love and respect so many hold for him as his story is told and retold again.
hell yeah it's sad . may the guy be resting in peace
His eyes looked empty, but his smile man... you can see he just wanted to be loved...
Thanks for the video, I never knew his story! Rest in Piece Legend!
Looks like he had a woman
I've gobbled up as many Sonny Liston videos as I could here. As fantastic as this may sound, I really don't think he was the guy people thought. People are made by their circumstances. I don't remember where I saw it, but there's this stunning picture of smiling Sonny with an adorable little girl sitting on his lap. One look at that picture shows it all . .
@@henrybrowne7248 Damn
OMFG are you serious??
Yeah....George Floyd wanted to be loved too.......
you fucking people celebrating criminals......absolutely pathetic
Which is what sociopaths suffer from the most, the yearning for genuine love. They were never shown love nor cared for and possibly abused which thus causes their severe apathetic attitude. That part of their brain just never formed.
I regularly watch this video and crazy as it sounds I still hope it has a happy ending but alas this was never his fate.
It's heartbreaking really. But thank you for making this beautiful, respectful yet sad biography for this champion.
Glad you enjoyed my take on Sonny's story enough to watch it more than once!
Not that my comment matters this late, but this is an amazing bit of documentation. I'm not a boxing fanatic, but I routinely watch old footage of the sport. As someone who is no expert, but is fascinated with old eras of the sport, this is beautiful. Exceptionally so. Thank you for your time.
This could have easily aired on television 📺 as a special. Well done!
I would agree, 15 years ago or more. Does cable TV even exist anymore?
@That Regular Dude I don’t live under a rock anymore. I live in an apartment now, but I am thinking about going back
This should get aired out of respect for Listen people really don’t know just how good and feared he was. Listen is in my top 5 all time
Dude took a dive against Ali period mob was involved so obvious
They did do a great job !
One of the best heavyweights in history. The amount of disrespect this man receives is disgusting.
Edit: It seems that this comment blew up quickly, and many people are replying by saying that Liston deserved no respect. I’ll respond to that with this: Liston did some terrible things. He was a leg-breaker. He beat people up. He tried to change, though. He visited schools and children hospitals, he went out of his way to do random acts of kindness, and he sought acceptance from the public. He tried his best, and with his background, I believe he did a good job trying to change. One big question that many of you should ask yourselves is that could Liston have said no to the mafia?
It’s sad . Wish more people would give him his respect . May he Rest In Peace
Respect for what? He was a criminal. What is respectable about that?
@@outlaw49x10 same people who put Sir George Punch Pregnant Women in Stomach Floyd on a pedestal
@@outlaw49x10 He was heavyweight champ too. Respect that at least. Respect where it is due. You talk like he is totally worthless. You perfect? You ever hurt anyone?
@@daithiocinnsealach3173 liston is not due my respect. Don't get upset there buddy. If you want to worship and glorify thug criminals that's your business...i choose not to
I didnt think the ending of this documentary would be so touching. I actually felt a loss of someone i cares deeply for and never met beautifully done. Honestly didnt think you could makeit to fit i. Tbe short span but you really gave us a very deep sense of his life....great work!!
Thanks for not letting this boxing giant be forgotten.
A heartbreaking story of a man that wanted to rise above a lot of sadness and mistreatment. You could see he loved children and had a kind heart. So sad. he had a lot to give but was denied that in this life.
made me tear up. he wasn't a hoodlum, just misunderstood
Yep
I met a guy who sparred Liston once and he said when Liston punched him *on the chin* for the first time, his glove was so big it covered both his eyes. He said people were afraid to spar HIM afterwards because he went 30 seconds with Sonny Liston.
I always imagined that if his hands were as big as they say, either 8-ounce gloves would be too thin for him or he would have had to fight in at least 12-ounce gloves otherwise suited for bag work.
Brother, that guy was bullshitting you.
@@GreatMewtwo He was forced to wear 22 oz gloves in sparring and his partners wore chest protectors because he was known for breaking ribs in the gym. Liston was 1 of 1.
@@JCG-lb9gr interesting
@@GreatMewtwo plenty of pics and videos out there of his ginormous hands. He was given custom gloves, I believe by Everlast, for fights. And they made him a special pair, 22 ozs!!!!, for sparring.
Love that Ali said "trying to win the title? He will win it". Sad story for an amazing fighter. Hope he's at peace now
Seeing Liston crying at 21:26 absolutely broke my heart. He deserved so much better...
That’s water from his head
Could be either. My point is still valid regardless. Sonny deserved so much better. @@cloudgary7596
25:25 that smile is genuine. There isn't a lot of footage of liston genuinely smiling and looking happy. The poor guy deserved better
My favorite part of the video. You can't fake that natural reaction. It's instinctual to anybody who has a heart which he clearly did.
What he dealt with as a child is comparable to a lifetime of suffering for other people. There was something inside this man that fought for meaning and purpose with a tenacity rarely seen in individuals.
@@thegraymouser12 great comment.
@Dino Sauro and no liston was not simply better, he would only land when ali had that shit in his eyes, Ali was always outclassing him
What he went through, he did deserve better. 🥺
@Dino Sauro You can have all the talent in the world, if its not in the right places to win against other talents it doesn't mean jack.
Such a sad story. It broke my heart to bits when he said he wanted to be a good champion over and over.
I was broken when this documentary showed him going back home after he won the world title and NOBODY was there to greet him and celebrate???
If the internet existed back then, he would have had MANY, MANY people showing their support.
@@jadenkrosis3087 I blame the SWAMP MEDIA! .. They are the enemy of mankind .. They've always worked for the devil! 👺💩
@@jadenkrosis3087 no. Obviously would me more devastating for him if internet was invented back then.
I agree, felt the same way.
This is a truly heartbreaking story
Man I eat these classic fighters origin videos up. Fascinating lives. You really have to be a special kind of person to want to take the path of a fighter in life. I didn't have it, but I fantasized about it a lot as a kid.
rest in peace sonny🥊🕊️❤️
"For such a powerful man,
He had very little power of his own life "
- narrator
Feels
,
And he knew it. Damn.
The last part with him and those children. It'd be an understatement to say I have tears in my eyes. Poor man, he just wanted to be appreciated and treated fairly. Obviously none of us knew Sonny Liston, but judge a man how he is around children and the elderly, and you'll know what kind of man he truly is. Rest in peace Champ 🙏🏾
I hear that Ray, I just finished watching it and the tears just flowed at the end. God bless Sonny Liston, RIEP Champ. 🙏🏼😪❤️
But what was he like when no one was looking? He was a THUG! Get real.
@@Heart2HeartBooks How do you know when you yourself said when no one was looking.
I felt the same
@T S But he was a thug, that tried to get out of being poor and make a good example out of his life. He's duplicitous in terms of his representation, on the one hand the public views him as a thug, on the other hand the public viewed him as a saint, He was just a man.
Sonny liston was the most intimidanting boxer off all time
"A MAN"
Mister Liston was dealt a bad hand, physically unstoppable but he had a spirit and heart that needed love but felt more control and power striking others. It’s all he was ever shown from his dad. So sad to see everyone treat him second class for not being their poster child.
So sad how from birth to death, He wasn't respected until years later after knowing what he's been through . R I P my brother 🙏🏽 , Excellent video .
Poor guy. He was not a monster.
Have no fear😉He was respected by people who see the light
No need to worrie about those who can't see it yet👌It won't be long.😱
Sonny's life was tragic. He never got the second chance he yearned for with the public; to be their Champ and to enjoy the respect and adulation of his Heavyweight Champion predecessors - to be the People's Champion.
Sonny Liston: No man ever overcame such terrible obstacles in his life only to be shunned by the public at large when he finally succeeded. I've always felt so sorry for him.
Well said.
we can only imagine the man he’d have been if he was given the support he desperately needed from a young age
He was never given the chance to change and leave the bad behind him, he was denied, he was judged.
@@auguste573 support starts early and trauma is never an excuse to perpetuate harm on others i personally don’t believe in redemption arcs if you hurt people you deserve to be judged and punished
@@auguste573 no one should be allowed to just “leave bad behind them” if they perpetuate the bad if you commit murder you shouldn’t be able to just walk away from it and the same goes for other traumas but that’s just me ig i’ve never been a terrible person despite my traumatic childhood and i think that my abusers and especially my rapist should live tortured and rot in hell
@@princess4509 to me it depends on what you do, if you fight alot and steal perhaps or do low leveled things I feel you should be able to walk away. Things like unprovoked murders and of course rapes shouldn't be forgave imo because those are the worst things you can do to another human being
@@ghost_strucid6579 it really depends on the reasons why you fight or steal and who with if you’re fighting in self defense that’s understandable if you purposely go out of your way to provoke people that’s a problem if you steal out of desperation or poverty that’s one thing but if you steal because you’re greedy or want to satiate a desire for unnecessary commodities that’s cruel at the end of the day all actions eventually affect something or someone else at some point. it’s less about what explicitly is a crime and more about who gets hurt and the entitlement of those who hurt others the amount of self absorption to not consider how their actions affect others. abandoning one’s children isn’t really a crime nor is it always enforced that a parent raise their child but either way that child will grow up traumatized and confused about why their parent didn’t want them and that emotional pain that could’ve been avoided goes unpunished and unchecked. there’s always gonna be selfish people and people make mistakes in an ideal world karma would play out and things would be equal besides punishment being equal to injustice would teach people a lesson about empathy.
"The exact date of his birth is unknown, and fittingly we're not sure the date he died."
What a tragic life.....
I read that one of Sonny's sister's said that he was born in 1919, wich means that he died at age 51 in 1964 he was believed, to be 33 or 34 but he looked older, sure the alcohol and heroin affected his looks, and Sonny didn't know when he was born he claimed 1930.
Bro can we get more short documentaries like this from you, I actually really loved this like no joke
Same here bro
Definitely more to come, stay tuned!
@@RainyDayBoxing Can't wait! I really love these docs u make the jack Johnson jack Dempsey and sonny liston I loved them all great work! Keep it up I really love these docs love the work your doing my fav boxing chanel on yt!!
@@RainyDayBoxing this was well put together
@@RainyDayBoxing can you tell me the music at 19:28
A man trying to do his best with the cards he's dealt in a world rigged against him by cheaters. I never knew, thanks for the great video.
They should call u thief, cause u got a way with words
Trying his best? He just made certain decisions you wouldn't make yourself. We all make decisions. Personal morals dictate whether his decisions were or wrong. He himself called himself a "bad guy" indicating he admits prior wrong doing.
My dad took me to the second Clay/Liston fight at a closed circuit theater in Reno., when I was 16. We arrived late, just as Liston hit the mat from the phantom punch. Two years later I was a cub reporter for the university newspaper, and Liston was staying at the Mapes hotel, training for a fight. On a whim I drove down to the Mapes one afternoon, and found him leaning against a pillar in the lobby, with his arms folded across his chest. I whipped out a notebook and said I'd like an interview, but he gave me a look that said, 'uh uh, sorry kid,' and I scurried off. But what a presence! The most intimidating man I ever met. RIP Sonny
@@maurice2014 dude you’re a hater
Nah, man... can't say that. - He beat the odds but couldn't beat the demons. Still, one of the all-time greats.
Very good documentary. Thank you very much for shining a light on this man's life.
Thank you very much, glad you enjoyed my take on Sonny's story!
Sonny Liston was just unpolished raw talent…. Not to mention, his up bringing and harsh life, he made it that far to be one of the greatest boxers ever.
How can you say his life was a tragedy? A flawed character who met a sad end yes, but he rose from the cotton field to heavyweight champion of the world, against all odds and with the weight of public opinion against him. That is triumph in itself. Great video of a boxing legend.
The only real tragedy is a living a life feeling greatly misunderstood despite doing incredible things
He died at 38
A real life.. a success story..I would doff my hat to him..
and he never felt like a champion - that's the tragedy.
Idk how this isn't obviously tragic 🤷♂️
His face when That little baby kissed his cheek.
That tells me all I need to know.
Anyone know what timestamp in the video this is? Edit: 25:24
@@solank7620 thank you
He clearly lacked of love during his tough childhood with a dad who could only beat him
He just wanted to be loved coz he never felt it
Indeed! It was heartbreaking 💔
That man was a champion and deserved better
15:18 that smile is incredible. He was vilified by most of the world, because it’s easy to do that to people we don’t know, to put a label on them. It feels safe having everyone agree on who the Bad Guy is, getting to shout him down and point fingers. But I wonder who could’ve had his start in life and done differently. He did bad things, but he wasn’t a bad man.
@@philsymes Well just place racism in that regard because white people too have been hypocrites on this very same issue. Frank Sinatra was mobster with close ties to the very same Lucchesse Crime Syndicate and had extremely strong ties to the Italian Crime Family was an affiliate of a Las Vegas crime family as well, yet the guy is practically a beloved figure, meanwhile you hear all of his songs playing every new year, in every Olive Garden, in every fancy restaurant, in every old style party, yet nobody brings it up.
Poor bloke, I see a good dude when he’s happy and shown a little forgiveness and respect. Bit late now. Sad story.
Well said.
I can’t describe how am presently feeling after watching this documentary. A man trying to live a normal but the world never gave him a chance. RIP Sonny Liston
As Sonny himself said "Ever I came to this world... I've been fighting to stay alive... and live a reasonably normal life. I've never been able to do it."
“Trying to live a normal life”. Even after he became a professional boxer he was still an enforcer for the mob lmao
Feels bad, man. A good PR team could have easily fixed the blemished reputation, I'm sure. Liston's true heart and actions would have taken care of the rest.
It appears at least Cosell treated him with respect.
@@TheRambunctious can't just leave the mob 😂 you think the mob boss really gave him the opportunity to box and get out of prison early for free? You're nice bro, and that's a good thing, but not everyone has a good heart like you. All those scary neighborhoods that you avoid aren't filled with nothing but killers and hoodlums, some people there are innocent like you too, just corrupted by the publicity they are exposed to, ironically you "nice" people are actually worse than the bad guys, at least "bad guys" can understand that it's not all black and white.
This is one of the greatest boxing stories. The guy had to run away from his father at 13(!) and people still wouldn’t give him any respect after he climbed his way to the top and won everything.
Embarrassing performances by Patterson and people loved the guy.
Nice job with this video.
What a story, he’s like a character out of fiction.
Tragic end for such a great man.
I don't know why, but this short view into His life, really broke My heart. Brought Me to tears. What a tragic life he went through.
Real talk. Liston took a dive, twice in the Ali fights as well.
@@koollee seeing the trouble that Foreman gave Ali when Ali was more experienced, even though Liston intimidated Foreman is a serious red flag. Foreman said that Liston "was the scariest human being I ever met in the ring" and that Liston "was the only man to ever make me back up". Liston getting downed so easily despite having one of the toughest chins in boxing history is at best a sign he somehow drugged and at worst a sign he took a dive. Even Foreman and Frazier had to be worn down and Foreman was sapped by the weather.
Yes it was said the public never respected him because of his past, when he beat Floyd Patterson for the heavyweight title all the press went to Floyd's locker room to interview him rather than Sonny's and he had just became the champ, it is also said because he knew he would never be accepted as a respected champ he sold himself to the Muslims who offered him a lot of money for Ali to beat him the first fight, the second time him and Ali fought he obviously took a dive and did a horrible job of acting.
He supposedly told George foreman before the first Ali fight that he didn't give a damn about the championship belt all he wanted was the money, and that Ali could have the belt.
@@gregoryingram7561 I remember hearing that somewhere as well, do you know where I can find where George said that?
This is legitimately better than the showtime Liston doc that came out a couple years ago. A big network should hire you.
You flatter me, thank you brother! 🙏
Hire him? no! make your own media company bruh! don't let them control you. you sign your own cheques.
A big network would ruin this almost instantly
It’s better when a person does it for enjoyment than a paycheck
@@AramGoat you can’t eat enjoyment
One of the best vids I've seen in a while on any topic, not just boxing. The story you share made me move Liston up to one of my favs. Tyson talks of Liston and Dempsey. But your video opened my eyes. Fitting and moving music, great editing, but most of all, great telling of an all too human story. May your contribution add to an honor and respect that, although uncaptured during life, might be captured after.
Thank you for your kind and very complimentary words, I really appreciate it! I'm glad you enjoyed my take on Liston's story.
“He is worthy of a chance to contribute to society “ one of the best untold stories R.I.P Charles Sonny Liston u impacted the world
More than u will know
As a man who was loved and encouraged as a child, I have the deepest empathy for men like Sonny and Mike Tyson who grew up with such horrific environments. My late best friends dad (who's like an uncle to me) grew up with the same abuse and I have the deepest respect for where and who he is today. RIP Charles Liston!
RIP SONNY
Men in that era in time didn't know what love was from a father, men were hard and closed emotionally . I did not understand my fathers lack of love till I was a man seeing he could not give what he never had which made me a hard man but I recognize my flaws and their roots so I give my son all the love I can RIP Champ
@@leonardorodriguez9919 That's great to hear! It takes a lot of courage to stop the cycle! Well done! I believe the love you show your children will come back to you!
@@salvitoripopadillo4539 Yes, and Tyson did it by smoking DMT and realized he is loved and can love.
Rip sonny Liston
Sonny Liston looks like a great man born at the wrong time in the wrong place.
I agree
I agree as well, it was very unfortunate that he was constantly accosted with the stigma of a being bad man, seems to me his size and looks were just too intimidating for white reporters to handle and they continuously retaliated out of racist malice, leaving him no choice but to seek friends with the wrong mob crowd, who used him any way they could, perpetuating his sad and tragic existence.
@@SuperHugobox correct , the media is/was racist-still to this day-the most racist element in society is the media
Um he was a thief and a loser.
@@TalibanSymphonyOrchestra like your father
This man deserves a movie. Legend
Such a sad story, he came from nothing worked his way up from jailbird to heavyweight champ and everyone hated him. But he did great with the cards he was dealt. Rest in peace champ
RIP Sonny Liston. His story made a grown man shed a tear
the music in this helped lol
It really did.....
That PFP tho
I had heard of the name Sonny Liston, but today I finally found out who he was. What a great documentary.
Totally agree, amazing 30 mins
Same here... only knew his name...
No matter what people achieve. But people will always known as their past. So sad for champion sonny Liston. He really deserves respect.
I'm glad I watched this. You can understand a person better when you see the whole story.
weird how they say how angry he was with the press. He was actually polite in my book. treating the interviewer equally. That was regarded as aggression then. wow. new viewer. From UK but live in sydney 20yrs. That was brilliant. Subscribed.
Yur terrible
Youre right. He jus recieved hatred no matter what. Jus like when Ali used to say Frazier was too ugly to be the Heavy weight champ of the world.
People jus hated on Liston so he accepted the bad guy role, like fk it.
Why did you feel it necessary to tell us your address history? 😂
Glad to find a fellow Sydney man 👌
Sydney gang
Hats off to you for this Gem
shut up
Agreed!
@@studentofsweetscience6922 spamming ain’t gonna do shit ali hater and I don’t even rate ali as the goat heavyweight
@@studentofsweetscience6922 really this is what u do? Ain’t u got somet better to do?
@@studentofsweetscience6922 you spamming
I'm just starting to get into boxing and this is the first time I've heard anything about Sonny Liston other than watching Muhammad Ali clips. This was such an insightful video. I had no idea who he was or the adversities he faced constantly. It's tough not to feel for the guy. He didn't deserve what he got.
That man was unbelievable. Frighteningly lethal.