Why Isn't There More Written on Liston?

[amat]

Topic question. I find myself digging around a lot in old news archives and I've learned a great great deal about the history of boxing from those especially the heavyweights. However, there is just soooo little written about Sonny Liston compared to the other heavyweight champs from that time period, it's just weird. Was it just because boxing really was on the decline before Ali came along or was it something else. It's a bit bizarre really, most of the articles are articles that are just accounts of fights or previews then just stuff on how he passed. Then I began to dig a little deeper and it turns out there is only a handful of biographies about the man and as it turns out only 1 caught on with a major publisher thus only 1 actually has reviews to it and they aren't overwhelming. Weird, anyone have any explanations?

I search elibrary an online database of basically all media and I get 348 items displayed after hen I eliminate the search term "Muhammad Ali." I due the same for Floyd Patterson and it returns over 1500 media and articles.

In fact in his own time I have never found an in depth piece on Liston, who he was ect. Could he be the most shadowy figure in boxing history? Does anyone have any explanations for this and can anyone reccommend a biography of some sort?

[Cleon]

Cause the cat was a thug
Remember when he won the title?
He though there'd be a crowd waiting for him when his plane land
-insert crickets here-
No mother showed up

Sad really-the dude clean out the division
While Floyd was kept safely away
Then was played the fool by Ali

[Rick O'Shea]

With the exception of his short spell as champion, a lot of Liston's life was shrouded in secrecy. He was an ex-con who went everywhere in a dark limo accompanied by an entourage of heavies, and certainly wasn't the approachable type.
Although he had one of the finest left jabs the division has ever seen, his resume is hardly murderers row. His best victories being against Zora Foley, Floyd Patterson, Cleveland Williams and Eddie Machen, who were some of the best guys around, but this was in quiet void beween Marciano & Ali.. It should also be noted that Liston made the mistake of ducking the big punching Mac Foster, in preference to taking on the young pretender, Cassius Clay. Well we all know what happened next, he got thoroughly schooled & humiliated by a 22 year old genius..
Liston never regained the title and went on to lose to Leotis Martin & beat Chuck Wepner.
Shortly after retirement, he was found dead in his apartment, reputedly from a drugs overdose, although many say he was executed in a gangland feud. I'd say it's reasonable to suggest that not a lot is written about him, because, such the nature of his character, not a lot is actually known about him.

[The Fightfan]

George Foreman always spoke decently about Sonny Liston. He used to follow him around then he found out he was illiterate. Basically shutting everyone out of his personal life not really talking to fans etc. I always had questions about the man but he was just too damn shady.He rolled with gangsters and was a well known thug, loneshark thing's of that sort. I will also feel to this day that he threw the second Ali fight.Given what we seen on film and only two camera angles. One in which we all see and another that is not shown in public why is this?

[CFH]

The Devil and Sonny Liston was a good book but it left more questions than answers.

[amat]

I don't think he threw the second Ali fight. It's possible but it's not like the "phantom punch" was a knockout blow. People forget he actually got up (which is why I always found the story behind that famous Ali picture misleading) and continued fighting after the knockdown. Joe Walcott didn't keep a count so it was after they started fighting that he broke up the action because the timekeeper said he counted to 10.

If Liston was going to throw the fight, I always imagined he would have stayed down but who knows. Given the fact that he got up though I always felt that to be an unfair assumption.