The Devil and Sonny Liston by Nick Tosches

Author:Nick Tosches [Tosches, Nick]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2013-03-01T15:51:14+00:00

In open testimony today, John Vitale and Frank Mitchell of St. Louis pleaded the Fifth Amendment in refusing to answer questions about the management of Sonny Liston, the No. 1 heavyweight contender.

The questions were designed to show that Vitale - who is familiar here from previous appearances before the Senate Rackets Committee - was the undercover manager of Liston, along with Carbo and Frank (Blinky) Palermo, while Mitchell had served as manager of record.

A St. Louis police lieutenant, Joseph Kuda, also called to appear that day, testified that Carbo owned fifty two percent of the contractual interest in Liston, that Palermo owned twelve percent, that Vitale also owned twelve percent, and that the remaining twenty four percent was owned by others. It should be thought that at least part of what remained went to Sonny's manager of record, Pep Barone, who by contract was the only one entitled to anything. Barone was also under subpoena to testify, but was reported to be ill in an Allentown hospital.

December 12, Washington, D.C.: The former lightweight champion Ike Williams testified that while Palermo managed his career, offers of four big money bribes had been relayed to him by Palermo. Two of the bribes were for title fights, and the biggest was one of$100,000 to go down in his title fight against Kid Gavilan in 1949. He said that Palermo in each case had advised him not to accept, and that he rejected them all. None the less, he had lost two of those four fights on the square, including the Gavilan title fight.

"I should have taken the money," he mused.

Senator Kefauver suggested that Williams probably "felt better" for having withstood temptation and having kept himself clean. "I do not!" declared Williams bitterly. "Believe me, I do not." Sonny had been under subpoena since before Labor Day, and his appearance before the subcommittee came on December 13, as did Blinky's.

Blinky's lawyer read a prepared petition, which began: "I appear before you as counsel for Frank Palermo, a witness who has been subpoenaed to appear before your honorable body." The petition asked that Blinky be excused from appearing at this time because he was presently under indictment and scheduled to be tried in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California on charges that "arise from matters pertaining to professional boxing." As any "attendant publicity of Frank Palermo's appearance before your committee today will be widespread," it could "prevent him from receiving such a fair and impartial trial as he is entitled under the American system of justice."

"I would think, sir, that he has already gotten considerable unfavorable publicity," said Senator Kefauver, "so that he might welcome the opportunity of stating his side."

Blinky's lawyer thanked Kefauver for "the wide latitude you gave me in my address."

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