FROM THE BOOKS
"Liston's entire background, from his childhood to the years he spent in jail, was in association with criminals," said Dr. Charles P. Larson, noted pathologist and former President of both the N.B.A. and W.B.A. "Hoodlums of the worst sort. Through his boyhood and early adult life, those associations made such an impression on him that he actually developed an adulation for the low-life criminal element. He idolized those who could beat the law. Those who made a lot of tainted money and got away with it were his heroes. His judgment of right and wrong was all distorted. When he was champion, we had a problem giving him a decent image. He was always in trouble, it seems. He drank too much, he hung out with punks too much. We were forced to assign detectives to tail him and keep him in line." On September 25, 1962, Liston demolished Patterson in the first round to win the championship. He was the first world heavyweight champion who could neither read nor write. "He was a genuine illiterate," Dr. Larson said. "He was a poor, dumb man. I was President of the W.B.A. during his reign, and we finally sent him to Father Edward P. Murphy, S.J., in Denver, where he was taught to read and write some." It is significant that the record books do not list Sonny's manager. Dr. Larson said he never could find out who owned Liston's contract or got his money.
John D. McCallum-The Encyclopedia Of World Boxing Champions