SHOWTIME SPORTS' DOCUMENTARY FILMS TO PREMIERE PARIAH: THE LIVES AND DEATHS OF SONNY LISTON ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15 AT 9 PM ET/PT
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 09 Oct 2019
Film Examines The Complex Life And Mysterious Death Of One Of The Most Vilified Athletes Of All Time
?Ever since I came into this world, I?ve been fighting to stay alive and live a reasonably normal life. I?ve never been able to do it.? ? Sonny Liston
NEW YORK ? October 8, 2019 ? Today, SHOWTIME announced PARIAH: THE LIVES AND DEATHS OF SONNY LISTON, a SHOWTIME Sports documentary film, premiering on Friday, November 15 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Written and directed by Simon George and told through original conversations with luminaries, historians and some of Liston?s closest friends and family, PARIAH chronicles the rise and precipitous fall of one of the most vilified and misunderstood sports champions of all time.
Overcoming the seemingly insurmountable odds that life threw his way, Liston became the heavyweight champion of the world when he knocked out Floyd Patterson in 1962. Just eight years later, his wife would find Liston dead in their Las Vegas home from a supposed heroin overdose. Suspicion as to the cause of death pervaded among those that knew him. PARIAH explores the many theories behind his untimely demise. The film features exclusive conversations with Mike Tyson, boxing historians Nigel Collins, Jerry Izenberg, Bob Lipsyte, Don Majeski and Shaun Assael, upon whose investigative work PARIAH is based.
?Sonny Liston?s story is filled with tragedy and triumph, and goes far beyond boxing,? said Stephen Espinoza, President, Sports and Event Programming for Showtime Networks Inc. ?PARIAH provides a raw examination of the public?s perception of Liston versus his reality. The film is powerful and compelling, and will reveal an authentic, inside perspective about Liston?s life that has never been told before.?
Liston?s boxing career took him to places he?d never imagined. From fighting for the most prestigious honor in sports to his association with notorious mobsters in America?s violent underbelly, Liston was a man who led many lives. Instead of being celebrated with the reverence reserved for the heavyweight champion of the world, Liston became a pariah, denigrated by white society as a violent criminal and rejected by the civil rights movement because he wasn?t the poster boy they needed. This realization caused Liston to spiral out of control. Expedited by back-to-back losses to Muhammad Ali, including perhaps the most controversial knockout of all time, Liston?s dramatic fall from grace would end tragically.
?To me, Sonny Liston was one of the greatest, yet most misunderstood and vilified sports figures of all time,? said director Simon George. ?He was born into a time of great turmoil and upheaval in America, and became the scapegoat for a nation in flux. He was a man who aimed for the stars but instead got torn apart by the factions warring for their places in post-war America. His story is one of race, prejudice and injustice. It is a film about how America chooses its heroes and how it never lets anyone forget their past.?
PARIAH: THE LIVES AND DEATHS OF SONNY LISTON is executive produced by Louise Norman, Adam Hawkins and Dimitri Doganis.
Developed from Shaun Assael?s investigative book The Murder of Sonny Liston: Las Vegas, Heroin, and Heavyweights, PARIAH is the latest in a series of unscripted programming from SHOWTIME Sports Documentary Films that spotlights culturally relevant subject matter in the world of sports. Additional titles in the lineup include the 2017 Sports Emmy? Award-winning DISGRACED, the multi-part series SHUT UP AND DRIBBLE, 100%: JULIAN EDELMAN and QUIET STORM: THE RON ARTEST STORY.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
WEIGH IN RESULTS IGLESIAS VS SILYAGIN - TOMORROW NIGHT IN MONTREAL!
Thu, 09 Apr 2026Kristian Prenga Headlines “Crossroads in Brick City” on June 6 in Newark
Thu, 09 Apr 2026Macala, Silva, Lopez to play in 14th Atty. Jong Guevarra Cup
By Lito delos Reyes, Thu, 09 Apr 2026Former World Champion Miguel Berchelt Confirmed for Ninth Annual Box Fan Expo, During Cinco De Mayo Weekend, Saturday May 2, in Las Vegas
Thu, 09 Apr 2026Sem Japet Enano Stuns Hometown Favorite Tyrell Adams to Claim IBO Oceania Featherweight Title
Thu, 09 Apr 2026IBF lightweight eliminator tops IBA.PRO 17 card in Ufa
Thu, 09 Apr 2026Biasong fights Bustrillo on April 18 in Bukidnon
By Lito delos Reyes, Wed, 08 Apr 2026Olmillo fights Boquiren on April 18 in RFL
By Lito delos Reyes, Wed, 08 Apr 2026Overweight Paradero cancels bout
By Lito delos Reyes, Wed, 08 Apr 2026Biado's World 8-Ball Title Bid Ends
By Marlon Bernardino, Wed, 08 Apr 2026WBC Champion Lester Martinez will be honored in Guatemala Congress
By Gabriel F. Cordero, Wed, 08 Apr 2026Full Card Announced for this Saturday, April 11, Mielnicki Jr. vs. Huerta Event from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City & Live on ProBoxTV
Wed, 08 Apr 2026THE PAST WEEK IN ACTION 7 APRIL 2026: Santiago Retains WBA/WBO Titles in Tokyo; Taduran KOs Perez in 5; Price Decisions Aquino; Wins by Wilder, Bentley and Tim Tszyu
By Eric Armit, Tue, 07 Apr 2026Carlo Biado is the last Filipino standing in the 2026 Yalin WPA Men's 8-Ball World Championship
By Marlon Bernardino, Tue, 07 Apr 2026Unification next for Taduran?
By Joaquin Henson, Tue, 07 Apr 2026