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Liston didn't find gainful employment in St. Louis. Wrong username or password. What advantage would there be to having the brash young boxer from Louisville installed as heavyweight champ in place of Liston? His mother worked several jobs to support her children. He became a professional fighter on September 2, 1953, when he knocked out Don Smith in a single round in St. Louis. He continued fighting until June 29, 1970, when he knocked out Chuck Wepner, but he never got another title shot. Remembering Just Fontaine and His World Cup Record, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads, Name: Sonny Liston, Birth Year: 1932, Birth date: May 8, 1932, Birth State: Arkansas, Birth City: St Francis County, Birth Country: United States. Folley knocked down twice in 2nd round; 9 count and saved by the bell at 9 count. Ironically, by the time Liston finally became champ in September of that year with his 1-round KO of Patterson, the mob was beginning to lose its iron grip on the sport and on Liston himself. Owing to his many siblings and a brutal, hardscrabble Arkansas childhood with an abusive father (excruciatingly detailed in the movie and book), Liston had an affinity for needy children. 100 Rock Street In 1950, he was convicted of two counts of larceny and two counts of first-degree robbery and spent more than two years in the Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City. (There is some speculation about his year of birth, but most sources state sometime from 1929 to 1932.) WebListon retired on his stool citing an injured shoulder; After this fight Cassius Clay changed his name to Cassius X and then to Muhammad Ali; 1964 Ring Magazine Fight of the Year. Additional support provided by the Arkansas Humanities Council. In June of the following year, Liston won the rematch with another knockout. As for the rematch between the two fighters in an ice rink in Lewiston, Maine, in May of 1965, there are a lot of possible explanations for Liston's bizarre actions that night. However, his career was marred by criminal activity and, later, accusations of mob connections and throwing fights, according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Much of what Tosches gleans about Liston's youth stem from interviews with people who lived on the Morledge Plantation in the 1930s and from Sonny's older half-brother E.B. New York: Blue Rider Press, 2016. Those dark forces were also at work when Liston willingly placed himself in the hands of the mob that ran the fight game during the time of Liston's ascendancy to the crown. However, it turned out to be his stepdaughter, the daughter of his wife. George Foreman was his sparring partner from 1969 to 1970. Even as champion, Liston was never able to escape his prison beginnings or the allegations of mob connections. WebIn 1950, Liston was arrested at his apartment at 1006 O'Fallon Street for robbing the Unique Cafe on 1502 Market Street in St. Louis for 37 dollars. A story is told of Liston ordering his driver to stop on a busy highway, so that Liston could go and buy some pencils from an obviously poor, old, white women whom he had observed. Clay is certainly to be counted among the greatest heavyweights of all time. There, he became a thug, committing various muggings and robbery. For more information, contact 501-918-3025 orcalsfoundation@cals.org. Sonny Liston was born on May 8, probably 1932, to Tobe and Helen (Baskin) Liston, African-American sharecroppers in rural St. Francis County. Geraldine married Sonny Liston in 1950 In the same interval, he had gotten married (in 1957 to Geraldine Clark), moved from St. Louis to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1958, and been questioned by a congressional committee about the takeover of his management by mob elements in 1960. gnalogique Dowling avec plus d'un demi-million de parents, Geneastars | Facebook. He never shied away from street fights. Family He became a professional fighter in 1953. Instead, he and some friends took to robbing people on the street and robbing gas stations with a loaded pistol. Less than a year later, on February 25, 1964, in Miami Beach, Florida, a heavily favored Liston lost his title to upstart Cassius Clay (soon to be Muhammad Ali) when he refused to answer the bell for the seventh round, claiming a shoulder injury. After being unable to reach Liston for 12 days, his wife Geraldine returned to their Nevada home on January 5, 1971, at which time she discovered Liston's dead body. Along with his many siblings, Liston grew up working in the local cotton fields. All Rights Reserved. Drinking. Charles "Sonny" Liston's life and death began and ended in the same manner: as a mystery. The first time you log in to our catalog you will need to create an account. That inbred struggle for survival often produces champions. 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Yet, Tosches postulates that Liston threw his first fight with Cassius Clay in Miami in February of 1964 at the behest of the mob. She was working in a shoe factory when her son Charles unexpectedly came to the city and looked her up. Inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame, 1990. By that time, Liston had already attracted the attention of organized crime. The son of tenant farmer Tobey Liston and his second wife, Helen, Liston was the 24th of his father's 25 children. Charles "Sonny" Liston was pronounced dead at the scene. Tosches is admirably objective in his presentation of Liston. . In a short amount of time, those felonious deeds cost Sonny Liston his freedom. His wife found his lifeless body in their home on January 5, 1971. The official date of Charles L. Liston is given as May 8, 1932. Served a prison sentence at Missouri State Penitentiary for robbing a gas station at age 18. General Melvin Krulewitch, chairman of the New York Boxing Commission in the 1950s, refused to issue Liston a license to fight in New York because he was guilty of associating with "questionable" characters. Sonny Liston is a 4 year old colt and has raced in 2022. Liston was the youngest heavyweight boxing champion to die (age 38). Liston was arrested more than 20 times. Liston started boxing at the age of 14 because there were no sports available in Florida at the time. with Cornelia Winfrey, born in April 1873 - Montgomery Co., MS, deceased. aged 38years old. But the champ went down in a hurry: two minutes and six seconds in the first round. On this date in 1964, a heavily favored Liston lost his title to upstart Cassius Clay, soon to be Muhammad Ali. WebSonny Liston is 6 feet 0 inches tall. Steen, Rob. If you can, provide 1-2 sources of information backing up this correction. Sonny Liston existed, and, Ali bouts or no Ali bouts, he was one of the greatest fighters to ever lace on a glove. There, he committed various muggings and robberies. His final record as a professional was fifty wins, thirty-nine by knockout, and four losses. Creating an account gives you access to all these features. Full body measurements, dress & shoe size will be updated soon. His death was as mysterious as his birth. He continued fighting until June 29, 1970, when he knocked out Chuck Wepner, but he never got another title shot. Ali and Liston: The Boy Who Would Be King and the Ugly Bear. Charles "Sonny" Liston was born into a sharecropping family who farmed the poor land of Morledge Plantation near Johnson Township, St. Francis County, Arkansas. He knocked out Floyd Patterson in 1962 to become world heavyweight champion. Nine years of steady fighting later, and following additional scrapes with the law, Liston fought Floyd Patterson for the Heavyweight Championship. Additional support provided by the Arkansas General Assembly. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album cover. Liston turned professional in September 1953, earning his first paycheck in St. Louis with a first-round knockout of Don Smith. Sanders was the reigning Olympic heavyweight champion. First heavyweight title challenger to earn a purse of $1,000,000. In October 1952, Liston was released on parole. Best Known For: Sonny Liston was introduced to boxing while serving time in a Missouri State Penitentiary. Major funding provided by the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation. | Liston was the second last in a family of twenty-five siblings. Copyright 2020, ARKANSAS SOUL MEDIA. | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Contact Us. Liston was buried in the Paradise Memorial Gardens in Las Vegas under the simplest of epitaphs: A MAN.. He earned the money being a professional Boxer. Liston, who posted a career record of 50 wins and 4 losses with 39 knockouts, reveled in this role of the fighter America loved to hate. He was born in St. Francis in the state of Missouri, USA. He was adopted when the couple was together. The cover was one of the most famous images of the early 1960s, as Liston embodied the fears of White America during the days when Southern police officials had attacked the burgeoning civil rights movement with violence, a violence white Americans feared might be returned onto them. The subsequent rematch with Clay on May 25, 1965, included the infamous phantom punch. Though it appeared that Liston had barely been grazed by Clays right fist, the boxer went down just one minute and 45 seconds into the first round. The rematch in Las Vegas on July 22, 1963, was another first-round knockout. WebHis parents were Tobe Liston and Helen Baskin. Honor or memorial gifts are an everlasting way to pay tribute to someone who has touched your life. There were rumors of drug peddling, heroin use, and murder, but no answers. Served 7 months in jail for beating up a police officer over a parking ticket in St. Louis in the mid-1950s. By all accounts, Liston had a woeful childhood. As Liston made himself a serious challenger to Floyd Patterson for the heavyweight title, Liston made his alliance with the Devil, as Tosches refers to the mob. Paroled in 1952, he had a brief amateur career, winning several Golden Gloves championships and defeating 1952 Olympic heavyweight champion Ed Sanders. Liston had a rough and violent childhood. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. He was one of many Hungry fighters eager to break free from the shackles of their own environment bring an element of savage desperation into their ring encounters. Known for his powerful punch, the majority of his victories were knockouts. Served time in prison for robbery and later for assaulting a police officer. Charles Sonny Liston was a noted boxer who briefly reigned as Heavyweight Champion after a first-round knockout against Floyd Patterson. He died under mysterious conditions on December 30, 1970. To give back to society, he supported many children. | Mee, Bob. contient des milliers de photos et GeneaStars. Sonny Liston has been died on Dec 30, 1970 ( age 38). In 1950, he was convicted of two counts of larceny and two counts of first-degree robbery and spent more than two years in the Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City. His last fight was against Chuck Wepner. Change). Again rumors were rife that the match was fixed by the criminal underworld. Additional support provided by the Arkansas Community Foundation. The Dowling Family Tree with over half a million relatives, Liston had a short and successful amateur career, following which he turned pro. His sporting agility was electrifying to watch. Sonny Liston was born on May 8, probably 1932, to Tobe and Helen (Baskin) Liston, African-American sharecroppers in rural St. Francis County. The rematch in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 22 1963, was another first-round knockout, with Patterson counted out in two minutes, twenty-three seconds. He started boxing in prison and was likely The rematch, in Lewiston, Maine, on May 25, 1965, was even more controversial. Basically, for a guy like Liston, it meant that you either dealt with them, or you didn't deal at all. Username and password are case sensitive. His 17-year ring log was an impressive 50-4 with 39 knockouts. Tosches goes to great lengths in his book to convey the ubiquitous presence of the mob in those days and the power that men like Frank "Gray Man" Carbo and Frank "Blinky" Palermo wielded in boxing. Clay later changed his name to Muhammad Ali. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. Family (1) Spouse Sonny Liston went from boxing champion and national anti-hero to a Las Vegas thug who drove around in a pink Cadillac and sold drugs. He quickly learned how to box and within three years was fighting on the amateur circuit. In St. Louis, he quickly encountered problems with the local police. He was referred to as the man with the steel punch and an iron chin.. After being unable to reach Liston for 12 days, his wife Geraldine returned to their Nevada home on January 5, 1971, at which time she discovered Listons dead body. As most boxing fans know, it was in the Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City that Sonny learned to box. Sonny Liston has been died on Dec 30, 1970 ( age 38). Early Life. At the age of 16, Listonmore than 6 feet tall and weighing 200 poundsbecame a menacing presence in his neighborhood, occasionally working as a strike-breaking labor goon. Trivia He was convicted of robbery and larceny. Robert B. Cochran He climbed back into the ring on June 29, 1970, registering a 10th-round technical knockout against Bayonne Bleeder Chuck Wepner. However, his career was marred by criminal activity and, later, accusations of mob connections and throwing fights, according to the. After the court case, he was sentenced to a five-year jail term in the Missouri State Prison. While Liston was incarcerated, prison athletic director Father Alois Stevens introduced him to the sport of boxing. The dark side is evident. His dad was an abusive alcoholic and at the age of 13, Sonny left to live with his aunt in Known for his powerful punch, the majority of his victories were knockouts. He is from AR. This is how Tosches describes Liston's birth place: "It was in the sector of Morledge Plantation that lay in Johnson Township, St. Francis County, that Tobe Liston and his family came to live and farm, on a low patch where a rill of muddy water, a mile and a half or so long, dribbled dead to its end in a slough of sandy dirt where nothing could grow. Liston continued to fight in the ring until June 1970. In 1950, he was arrested by the police. Apart from his demeanor, Liston was a charming man with a captivating smile. He married Geraldine Chambers on June 10, 1950. After a rough upbringing, with little formal education, Liston found himself in trouble with the law. Cox, who was interviewed extensively by Tosches, went as far as to say that Liston would still be alive if he had "spent more time with Father Murphy."). Charles L. Sonny Liston was born in St. Francis County, Arkansas, to Tobe Liston and Helen Baskin. His father was 30 years older than his mother. Liston was raised on heavy farm work, many beatings and with virtually no schooling. His alcoholic and violent father was thirty years older than Sonnys WebThe son of tenant farmer Tobey Liston and his second wife, Helen, Liston was the 24th of his father's 25 children. He became a professional fighter on September 2, 1953, when he knocked out Don Smith in a single round in St. Louis. Liston moved to Las Vegas in 1966 and was found dead there on Jan. 5, 1971, when his wife returned to their home from a Christmas visit with her mother. The son of tenant farmer Tobey Liston and his second wife, Helen, Liston was the 24th of his fathers 25 children. Liston and Geraldine had no children, but Liston loved kids and enjoyed being in their company. He was accused of stealing an officers gun. Sonny Liston, hard-luck son of Arkansas sharecroppers, was champion of the world. Liston destroyed the champion in one round and destroyed him again in the rematch. He quickly destroyed all the leading heavyweight contenders--Roy Harris, Zora Folley, Cleveland Williams--to earn a title shot against Floyd Patterson. New York: Skyhorse, 2011. In 1966, following his loss to Clay, Liston launched a comeback. His time at the summit was brief. As a young man in 1949, Liston left Arkansas for good and followed his mother's footsteps to St. Louis. As Toches brings out, Liston's brooding temperament can be explained in part by his insecurity. . Introduced to boxing by Father Stevens in the St. Louis City Jail during 1950. He won 11 consecutive fights by knockout in 1968 and added three more wins in 1969 before losing a brutal bout to Leotis Martin. Liston claimed he was born in 1932, yet his rap sheet for his 1950 arrest for armed robbery listed his age as 22, making him born in 1928. Aligning himself with the Devil. There's no question that the hard-scrabble existence of youth prepared Liston for the success he would later enjoy as a prizefighter. WebPatterson defended against Liston in Comiskey Park, Chicago, on September 25, 1962, and the rest is history. His final record as a professional was 50 wins, 39 by knockout, and four losses. Liston won 13 of his first 14 bouts before trouble with the law cost him his freedom a second time. Sonny Liston: The Real Story behind the Ali-Liston Fights. Sonny Liston was born on May 8, probably 1932, to Tobe and Helen (Baskin) Liston, African-American. His heavyweight title-winning victory on September 25, 1962, was indicative of his powerful style: After a mere two minutes, he knocked out Floyd Patterson, which marked the first time in history that a reigning heavyweight champion was counted out in the first round. Astrological Sign: Taurus, Death Year: 1970, Death date: December 30, 1970, Death State: Nevada, Death City: Las Vegas, Death Country: United States, Article Title: Sonny Liston Biography, Author: Biography.com Editors, Website Name: The Biography.com website, Url: https://www.biography.com/athletes/sonny-liston, Publisher: A&E; Television Networks, Last Updated: April 23, 2021, Original Published Date: April 2, 2014. As the top fighter in the world, Liston became an easy target for sports columnists who remarked frequently on not only his menacing demeanor and vicious punching power but also his criminal background. Two Catholic priests who served as chaplains, Father Edward Schlattmann and Father Alois Stevens, helped to direct Liston toward the controlled violence of the ring. Womanizing. At 6 feet 1 inch and 217 pounds, Liston had devastating punching power, an iron chin, and lightning reflexes, along with a powerful jab. The reader can form his own conclusion based on the reports of those involved. Liston scored another knockout in a rematch with Patterson, but his 17-month reign as heavyweight champion ended at the hands of a brash fighter named Cassius Clay. boxer had the look of a champion. He died in Vegas as mysteriously as he had lived, a man bent under a great shadow, afflicted by a legion of personal demons that no one could exorcise. He became a professional fighter in 1953. 2023 Encyclopedia of Arkansas. He was one of many children one account lists 22 siblings and half-siblings. Survived by his wife Geraldine and a step-daughter. Sonny Liston had a controversial boxing career, winning 54 of 58 bouts from 1953 to 1970. He had earned the title shot with an impressive string of 195960 victories over top contenders Cleveland Williams, Nino Valdes, Roy Harris, Zora Folley, and Eddie Machen (all knockouts except for Machen). Due to the poverty in the family, Sonny never went to school. TM & 2023 BoxingScene.All Rights Reserved. Liston relocated to Denver with his wife Geraldine and friend/sparring partner Foneda Cox and underwent extensive counseling with Father Murphy. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 2000. There, he committed various muggings and robberies. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. The second was a boy. From the time he was old enough to be useful in the fields, Sonny was a laborer for his tenant farmer father. Deceased persons are not concerned by this provision. Rate and review titles you borrow and share your opinions on them. Charles Sonny Liston was a noted boxer who briefly reigned as Heavyweight Champion after a first-round knockout against Floyd Patterson. The title fight was in Chicago, Illinois, on September 25, 1962, with a wide public pulling for the champ (including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and authors James Baldwin and Norman Mailer). Just three months after Sonny's move to Denver, his license was reinstated. (There is some speculation about his year of At the age of 14, he was almost 6 feet tall. An error has occured while loading the map. Soon caught (his crimes were inept, spur-of-the-moment, strong arm jobs) and charged with first-degree robbery and larceny, he was sentenced in 1950 to five years in the Missouri State Penitentiary.