The story of Sonny Liston is both uplifting and heartbreaking. The son of a sharecropper with twenty-four siblings spent his early years in jail before rising from the ashes and claiming the world heavyweight title in 1962. His ferocious title reign should have lasted the better part of a decade, enshrining him alongside Jack Dempsey and Jack Johnson, but instead his legacy was forever tarnished by an over-exaggerated injury and a phantom punch.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ving Rhames has signed on to portray Liston in a biopic entitled Phantom Punch. The green light finally came after a lengthy battle with Hollywood studios to get funding. On top of baring a striking resemblance to the fallen champion, Rhames has publically claimed numerous times to be fascinated by Liston’s fall from grace. It truly may be the role the former Con Air star was born to play.
Filming is yet to begin and no definitive time table has been announced; so, I’d expect the final product to be more than a year away. I’m already getting excited. I’m one of the few people who still love boxing, and Liston’s unnecessary and conspiracy-ridden demise has always fascinated me.
