Sheds new light on Liston's tragic life and his extraordinary boxing career.

The anti-Ali, Sonny Liston represents everything that is compelling and terrifying about boxing. An overwhelmingly powerful fighter, Liston rose from a desperately poor childhood to street criminal to world heavyweight champion. He then became the pawn of a series of criminal organizations and was shadowed throughout his life by government investigations, arrests, and the rumor of corruption. The Devil and Sonny Liston is not just the biography of a boxer; it is one of the greatest organized-crime stories ever told and confirms Toschess place as one of the most powerful and original writers of our time. Toschess acclaimed biography of Dean Martin, Dino, sold more than 110,000 copies From the rappers Wu-Tang Clan to writer Thom Jones, people are fascinated by Sonny Liston and by boxing in general. King of the World by David Remnick sold more than 100,000 copies. Tom Cruises Cruise/Wagner Productions is at work on a movie based on this book. A collection of Toschess best writing, The Nick Tosches Reader, is due out in 2000. Tosches is a contributing editor of Vanity Fair.

Sheds new light on Liston's tragic life and his extraordinary boxing career.

The two bouts between Cassius Clay and Sonny Liston are widely considered the most anticipated and controversial fights in heavyweight boxing. Cassius Clay won the first bout in Miami Beach in February 1964, when Liston refused to come out for the seventh round. The second fight took place in Lewiston, Maine, fifteen months later in May 1965. Halfway through the first round, Ali countered a left from Liston with a fast right, knocking Liston down. He did not get up. Ali’s right was so fast many spectators never even saw it. It was quickly dubbed the Phantom Punch and rumors began to swirl that Liston had thrown the fight. Many who believed Liston—a brutal fighter who picked up boxing in prison—had also thrown the first fight the year before in Miami were now vindicated. Journalist and sports historian Rob Sneddon takes a fresh look at the infamous Muhammad Ali–Sonny Liston fight of May 25, 1965, which ended in chaos at a high school hockey rink in Lewiston, Maine. Sneddon digs deep into the fight’s background and comes up with fascinating new takes on boxing promotion in the 1960s; on Ali’s rapid rise and Liston’s sudden fall; on how the bout ended up in Lewiston —and, of course, on Ali’s phantom punch. That single lightning-quick blow triggered a complex chain reaction of events that few people understood, either then or now. Even if you’ve seen films of the fight and think you know what happened, this book will change your perspective on boxing’s greatest controversy.

An “engrossing and important book" (Wall Street Journal) that brings to life the fateful friendship between Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali In 1962, boxing writers and fans considered Cassius Clay an obnoxious self-promoter, and few believed that he would become the heavyweight champion of the world. But Malcolm X, the most famous minister in the Nation of Islam, saw the potential in Clay, not just for boxing greatness, but as a means of spreading the Nation’s message. The two became fast friends, keeping their interactions secret from the press for fear of jeopardizing Clay’s career. Clay began living a double life—a patriotic “good negro” in public, and a radical reformer behind the scenes. Soon, however, their friendship would sour, with disastrous and far-reaching consequences. Based on previously untapped sources, from Malcolm’s personal papers to FBI records, Blood Brothers is the first book to offer an in-depth portrait of this complex bond. An extraordinary narrative of love and deep affection, as well as deceit, betrayal, and violence, this story is a window into the public and private lives of two of our greatest national icons, and the tumultuous period in American history that they helped to shape.

Based on more than 500 interviews, including Muhammad Ali's closest associates, and enhanced by access to thousands of pages of newly released FBI records, this is a thrilling story of a man who became one of the great figures of the twentieth century.​

Named one of the "40 Best Books of 2016" by The New York Post "Inoki can use his bare fists. He can use karate. This is serious. There's $10 million involved. I wouldn't pull a fraud on the public. This is real. There's no plan. The blood. The holds. The pain. Everything is going to be real. I'm not here in this time of my life to come out with some phony action. I want you to know this is real." —Muhammad Ali, June 14, 1976, The Tonight Show On June 26, 1976, Muhammad Ali fought in a mixed-rules contest against iconic pro wrestling champion Antonio Inoki for the so-called "martial arts championship of the world." Broadcast from Tokyo to a potential audience of 1.4 billion in 34 countries, the spectacle foreshadowed and, in many ways, led to the rise of mixed martial arts as a major sport. The unique contest was controversial and panned by wrestling and boxing supporters alike, but the real action was behind the scenes. Egos, competing interests, and a general sense of apprehension over what would happen in the ring led to hodgepodge rules thrown together at the last minute. Bizarre plans to "save" Ali if the fight got out of hand were even concocted. In Ali vs. Inoki, author Josh Gross gets inside Ali's head leading up to the match by resurrecting pre-fight interviews. Gross also introduces us to Inoki, the most famous face in Japan who was instrumental in shaping modern mixed martial arts.

A biography of the controversial fighter follows Liston from the mean streets where he was a petty criminal, to the heavyweight championship and the tragic end of his life.

ItÕs one of the most famous sports images of all time. Former heavyweight boxing champion Sonny Liston is sprawled on his back in the boxing rim. Muhammad Ali stands over Liston, holding his right hand as if ready to throw another punch. The reigning world champion had just thrown a short, right-handed punch to the side of ListonÕs head. In a flash, Liston had gone down. The photo of the angry Ali standing over the fallen challenger was taken in an instant by photojournalist John Rooney, but the controversy over the 1965 fight lingers to this day.

Muhammad Ali was pushing 60 when I saw him on the Today Show. Matt Lauer asked Ali what he considered to be his greatest accomplishment in or out of the ring. -Beating Sonny Liston, - was the response. Surprised by the answer, Lauer asked the question again, putting more emphasis on the out of the ring part. -Beating Sonny Liston, - Ali said, as matter-of-factly as he did the first time. Gilbert Rogin's characterization of Liston as -the nearest piece of talent to Godzilla- was the way most boxing people felt about Sonny before and while he was champion. Angelo Dundee said Liston stood over the heavyweight division like -a colossus.- When Joe Louis said, -Nobody's gonna beat Liston 'cept old age, - there was no reason to think otherwise. And then the impossible happened. Sonny took the biggest fall in the history of sports. In a span of fifteen months in the mid-1960's, heavyweight champion Charles -Sonny- Liston went from being unbeatable to being unmercifully seen as a pariah. Today, the memories of Liston are little more than a footnote to Muhammad Ali's career. The photograph of Ali standing over Liston has defined Sonny for half a century. It has so obscured his talent and character that people seem far more interested in knowing how Sonny died than how he lived. Sonny Liston In A New Light is a penetrating look at boxing's first super heavyweight, a man who was tagged as too big, too black and too fierce for most of America in the 1950's and 1960's. This is the story of who Sonny Liston really was and a remarkable glimpse into who he has become. It is unlike any book you have ever read.