By Michael Rosenthal

“Pariah: The Lives and Deaths of Sonny Liston,” a Showtime Sports documentary on late heavyweight champion, will premier November 15 on Showtime.

The film, written and directed by Simon George, is told through conversations with luminaries, historians and some of those close to Liston. According to Showtime, it “chronicles the rise and precipitous fall of one of the most vilified and misunderstood sports champions of all time.”

Showtime said in a news release: “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.”

Stephen Espinoza, President, Sports and Event Programming for Showtime Networks Inc., said the film has broad appeal.

“Sonny Liston’s story is filled with tragedy and triumph, and goes far beyond boxing.” – Stephen Espinoza

“Sonny Liston’s story is filled with tragedy and triumph, and goes far beyond boxing,” Espinoza said. “‘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.”

Said George: “To me, Sonny Liston was one of the greatest, yet most misunderstood and vilified sports figures of all time. 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.”

The film is based on Assael’s investigative book “The Murder of Sonny Liston: Las Vegas, Heroin, and Heavyweights.

It will premiere at 9 p.m. ET / PT.