SONNY LISTON was the stereotypical mean, bad and mad bully of boxing. Or so the story went. But there was very much more to the enigmatic Liston, whose upset defeat by a young Cassius Clay 43 years ago today was arguably the sports story of the year.

Liston was perceived as invincible, every bit as much as Iron Mike Tyson, but retired in his corner at the start of the seventh round. Knowledgeable authorities believed the fight had been fixed. The Mob, who owned him, won fortunes as Liston's intimidatory menace and baleful scowl went for nothing.

The result of the rematch, in May 1965, was even more conclusive, and shouts of "fix" rang even louder. It lasted less than two minutes, and with a punch that "couldn't have crushed a grape" according to one ringside expert. Ali floored the fiercest puncher in boxing history for the first time in his career. George Chuvalo, who later twice fought Ali was ringside, said: "It was a phony." Former champions Floyd Patterson, Jack Dempsey, Gene Tunney, and Joe Louis agreed.

Charles C Liston was the grandson of a slave, born in Arkansas allegedly on May 8 1932. His mother, apparently, did not remember when. He was one of anything between 17 and 25 children.

The son of a sharecropper, he was obliged to work from an early age and could barely sign his name. "If he can sit at the table, he can work"

was his father's opinion.

He was jailed for armed robbery of a petrol station and learned to box in prison. He also served six months for police assault.

He took the world title from Floyd Paterson, whose people attempted to have the fight banned because of Liston's Mob connections. Billed in the politically incorrect jargon of the day as "good nigger v bad nigger" it lasted barely two minutes.

Liston won 50 of 54 fights, 39 by knockout, and died as he lived, mysteriously. When his body was discovered in January 1971, he was reckoned to have been dead for a week. His date of death was put at December 30. He was known to have a phobia of needles, but police said he had died of a heroin overdose. There were rumours of an underworld hit.

His back bore the scars of paternal thrashings: "The only thing my old man ever gave me," he once said, "was a whipping."

Two Scots saw a different side to Liston: Peter Keenan and his son. Keenan senior won two Lonsdale belts and as a promoter brought Liston to spar on a bill topped by Walter McGowan at Paisley ice rink in 1963.

Liston and Keenan junior hit it off. For some time, Liston used to send him $10 when he was at school in Dumfries. He stayed with Liston in the US, and Liston said he wanted to adopt the lad. When Liston quit on his stool, losing to the 7-1 Clay, young Peter phoned him. He recounted that Liston had told him that before he left the dressing room, Black Muslims had threatened him with a pistol to his head, and told him he'd better lose.

When Liston died, young Peter represented the Keenan family at the funeral.