FBI suspected Ali-Liston was rigged by mob

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/feb/24/was-rigged-by-mob/

Genovese connection

I've seen other sources say that Frankie Carbo owned Liston, which would make more sense since it would take the wieght of a guy like Carbo to control a heavyweight champ. Risnik doesn't sound like a likely intermediary for Carbo nor does Risnik seem like a mastermind of a HUGE fight fix (his specialty was bringing in high-rollers to Vegas, not the nitty-gritty of fixing matches/games)


I'm skeptical whenever a journalist digs up a 50 year-old FBI report. The FBI's knowledge of mob activities back then was spotty, based mostly on rumors and low-level (unmade wannabes) informants.

The report having been addressed to Hoover doesn't have much significance, since Hoover was a micro-manager who read and criticized/praise the reports coming in from the least important bureau offices and operations. And reports from the Hoover era have to be considered for the bureaucratic motives of the author. With Hoover's ditatorial and at times capricious power in the bureau, it's well-known that agents talored thier reports to say what they thought he wanted to hear (Hoover hated Ali-a report reporting progress mob infiltration and smearing Ali would be a possible slam-dunk).

What the report is doing making the logical leap with info gotten a tip from a gambler that Liston was hanging around woth Risink (who was very a connected in Las Vegas at the time) so that Liston "must" be owned and "therefore" the fight must have been fixed. Which is a pretty tenious line of logic at the very least.


It's like that report of a waiter at a country club supposedly overheard Frank Ragano and Santos Trafficante talking about how the "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match was fixed. Well Frank Ragano's son discounts that story, saying that Ragano didn't move to Tampa until a year after the fight and that the country club where this supposely happened was not a favorite hangout of Ragano or Trafficante, so them being there and talking openly about business matters was an unlikely occurance.

This just kinda smells like a reporter with nothing interesting to say about the Liston fight (what is left to say?--it's been 50 years) trying a pimp a "new angle" with some old FBI files that even the FBI has forgotten about.

I agree that FBI records are spotty at best, filled with hearsay and uncorroborated information. And, yes, their knowledge of the Mob was sketchy through the early Sixties. But, it's been pretty well established that Liston hooked up with the St. Louis Mafia early on, and that his contract was bought out by Frankie Carbo. So, it's not unlikely that he threw the second Ali fight on Mob orders.

Turnbull is correct that Liston was hooked up with John Vitale in St Louis. Vitale retained a piece of Liston but had to share him with Bernie Glickman (Chicago), Frank Palermo (Philly) and Carbo when the fights (and purses) got big.

Liston liked Vitale, in part because Vitale took care of him and his family when he was dirt poor, and helped him get to the national stage. I think this comes from Liston's FBI file when he was interviewed by agents.

I have some of the newspaper articles on Liston and Vitale in my archives somewhere. Sandy Smith wrote one of them that pretty much was leaked to him by the FBI. I will try to dig them out.

Agree 100%, he was owned by St. Louis (and back then that means outfit), and Carbo who was Lucchese affliated.

Missing the Genovese connection, in fact didn't even see it mentioned. And the Fibs didn't know jack shit back then.

But OTOH if the fix was in (and I'm sure it was in the second fight) all the 5 + the Outfit and others cashed in.

As much as I like Ali, and as much as I think he was the greatest heavyweight champ of all time I still think BOTH fights with Liston were thrown by Sonny.

BTW - One of my childhood friends, Andy Felix, had an uncle (Barney Felix) who was the referee in the first fight. Andy told me that his uncle told him that Ali (then Cassius Clay) was seconds away from being counted out because Muhammad had trouble seeing (due to liniment in his eyes). That fact is also reported on Wikipedia.

To clarify- it didn't directly implicated Genovese, just that Resnick had associates who were known Genovese.

The article is 4 pages, and on page 2 it says this:

"A 1968 report from the FBI Philadelphia office said Resnick “was investigated in the alleged fixing of the first Clay-Liston fight in Miami. He allegedly is a friend of Meyer Lansky and Vincent Alo [“Jimmy Blue Eyes”] and Charles Tourine.”
Lansky was one of the most powerful mobsters of the 20th century, credited, along with his friend and partner Charles “Lucky” Luciano, with building a nationwide crime syndicate. Alo was a member of the Genovese crime family and an associate of Lansky‘s. Tourine, also known as “Charlie the Blade,” was a member of the Boiardo New Jersey gang affiliated with the Genovese family."

For those that are interested in the mobs influence in boxing i highly recommend reading these.


Sammy the bulls testimony on boxing-

http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/un...tee-o-tin.shtml

NJ OC report on boxing in the 80s-

http://www.state.nj.us/sci/pdf/OCBoxing.pdf

In the documentary "Facing Ali"

The great Canadian boxer, whose name I forget, says on camera a story about either a made guy or an associate approaching Ali to take a dive in the Terrel fight.

Nation of Islam security put that guy in the hospital permanently.

http://www.secondsout.com/columns/jerry-glick/george-chuvalo-the-toughest-of-the-tough

“I’m disappointed,” said Chuvalo. “In the dressing room afterwards I said to Irving, ‘Why were you so upset before the fight?’ He said ‘I was threatened.’ ‘Who threatened you?’ ‘Bernie Glickman (Terrell’s manager).’ ‘Who’s Bernie Glickman?’ He was the front man for Tony Accardo, big mob boss in Chicago. Tony Accardo couldn’t get a license. Why?, because he had a criminal record. Bernie was clean but he was a tough talking guy. What happened was Bernie went to see Irving at his chicken processing plant and told him if George wins the fight you will end up in a cement box in Lake Ontario and your wife will take all your chicken business. To Irving’s credit he didn’t say anything before the fight but he did have that disturbing behavior. I’ve never seen him like that before. That’s why he was banging the dash. He didn’t want to tell me what it was but it was bothering him. The referee, Sammy Luftspring, told me the same thing, he was threatened too.”

[b][/b] “What happened was Bernie Glickman was in the hospital at that time in Chicago beaten within an inch of his life. Why was he beaten within an inch of his life? He went from there to a mental institution where he lost his life. He never saw the light of day again. He was questioned by the police but never said who beat him up. Let me try to figure this out for myself; he must have gone to see Herbert Muhammad (Ali’s manager) and threatened Herbert Muhammad much the same way that he threatened Irving Ungerman. If Ali wins he ends up in Lake Michigan. All Herbert Muhammad had to do was snap his fingers and all his Islamic guys are right there and bing-bam-boom that’s it. And that’s why I got the fight with Ali.”

I think in the second fight Liston absolutely took a dive. That punch couldn't knock out a corpse let alone Sonny Liston.

But i think the first one was most likely legit.

Clay (Ali) was just too much for Liston...he was moving and sticking that jab in Liston's face all night.

But when Ali was blinded by whatever got in his eyes Liston tried to put him away but couldn't.

BTW : it says on boxrec.com that Liston's cornerman Joe Pollino years later confessed Liston told him to put that crap on his gloves....why would he do that if the fight was fixed? That is what it says but i can't swear it's true.

http://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Sonny_Liston_vs._Cassius_Clay_(1st_meeting)

But then as soon as Ali could see again he went right back to owning Liston who i don't think was expecting that kind of performance by Ali. Liston knew at that point he couldn't beat him so he quit. Ali had it all back then and Sonny found out Clay was the real deal that night. No Mas!

Maybe i'm too much a fan of Ali's but i think he legitimately beat him that first fight. Ali had it all.....but when he came back after that 3 year suspension he lost his legs and was never the same. But from 1964 to 1967 or 68 he was The Man!

Just my opinion on it.

Clay vs Liston 1

I found this old news article on Glickman, he was set to testify in front of a grand jury and in the same article it said there was some issues between the genovese family and black muslims who were involved with boxing through ali.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=17...pg=7238,2214403

Pretty good show on Liston. Mentions names he was connected to.

Sonny was a bad MFer....used to beat up cops like it was nothing.

I'm convinced that first fight was totally legit and Ali gave Liston a boxing lesson.

I'm equally convinced the second fight was rigged and Liston took a dive. Even Ali said it when Liston didn't get up. He told one of his guys "He layed down".



Or watch on youtube @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_7Ps7SgxqU

To that point: Liston didn't have a birth certificate. He said he was born in 1932, which would have made him 32 when he fought Ali the first time. Others have cited statements that gave him a birth year of 1928, which would have made him 36 for that fight. That was mighty old for a heavyweight in that era, boxing a 22 year old like Ali.

Ever see a photo of Liston's hands? Gigantic.

They sure were. On that show on Liston i posted they said his hands were so big ("2 hams" they described them as) he had to get special gloves made that fit him.

They also mentioned how he was actually several years older then people thought he was, just as you said.

The first fight was not fixed, but I heard that after that fight, the doctor said Ali should have not continued after he seemed to have trouble seeing and standing, but the doctor relied on the ref as he was a veteran in the ring. The second fight was fixed, Ali told those that were close to him that Liston just went down and Ali only connected with air.

Missing why you think the first fight was fixed. Or at least Liston taking a dive. I think Ali just schooled him, then in the 2nd the mob (and Liston) knew he couldn't win then went for the 1 round fix to make their bank.

Didn't Liston's manager put that crap on his gloves that got in Ali's eyes? Or was that just some movie BS?