At any rate, thousands left their gambling
tables and scoreboards to witness the
Liston funeral procession pass through
the Las Vegas strip. Among the celebrities
were Ed Sullivan, Doris Day, Ella
Fitzgerald, Jack E. Leonard, Jerry Vale,
and Rosey Grier. Many were in tears
because deep down they probably knew
that Sonny Liston, born into poverty,
and without schooling, called by
Joe Louis, The Greatest Heavyweight
Champion, had been dealt a bad hand.
He said that he was treated like a
“sewer rat,” but while Ali was hailed as
a hero for the middle class and for
his stand against an unpopular war,
17
BLACK RENAISSANCE NOIRE
Liston represented the underclass and
his father beat him. He traveled to
St. Louis to be with his mother who,
instead of giving him an affectionate
greeting, wanted to know why he
showed up. Having no education, he
committed petty high-risk crimes like
other members of his class. An armed
robbery landed him in prison. He got
into trouble with the law and sports
writers like Larry Merchant after he
defended himself against a drunk,
armed cop who lied about the incident
as some cops do. Regularly. His wife
Geraldine was correct when she called
him the champ that nobody wanted. n
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