He was officially knocked out by Muhammad Ali in one minute for the fastest KO in heavyweight history up to that time. 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. WebThe son of tenant farmer Tobey Liston and his second wife, Helen, Liston was the 24th of his father's 25 children. He maintained a winning streak in eight matches. For a while, he even lost his license to box in the United States. His alcoholic and violent father was thirty years older than Sonnys lis! Nous sommes tous Sanders was the reigning Olympic heavyweight champion. He organized a criminal gang that robbed and mugged locals. He was trained by Charles Hills and has raced for Chelsea Thoroughbreds, and was bred in [Add Data] by [Add Data] . All Rights Reserved. He told them that he had no education, couldn't write and worked as a child to help feed his 24 siblings. He sold pecans from his brother-in-laws tree in order to reunite with his mother and his siblings. Liston was raised on heavy farm work, many beatings, and with virtually no schooling. Sonny Liston was born in Sand Slough, AR on May 8, 1932. Publicity Listings Assael, Shaun. Thus, cloaking the heavyweight champion of the world--the epitome of masculinity and male supremacy--in a Santa Claus hat was the height of irony at the time. Sonny was probably born in 1929, but no one knows for sure. Special thanks to the Department of Arkansas Heritage. It was just a matter of semantics, though. Again rumors were rife that the match was fixed by the criminal underworld. Relationship with Timothy Michael Dowling (Sosa/Ahnentafel #1), Relationship with Geraldine Clark (spouse), Browse using this individual as Sosa/Ahnentafel #1, , born in1872 - Choctaw Co., MS, deceased, , born inApril1873 - Montgomery Co., MS, deceased, Sources: Dowling Family Tree - Tim Dowling - rootsweb, 2001-2015 - - electronic - I435533, Marriage (with Geraldine Clark) - St. Louis, MO, List of all individuals in the family tree, {{ 'gw_downgraded_access_back_to_max'|translate }}, Born 8May1932 - Sand Lough, St. Francis Co., AR, Deceased 30December1970 - Las Vegas, Clark Co., NV, Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album cover. Sonny Liston - Popular Bio WebTogether with his 24 siblings and half siblings, Sonny grew up in the local cotton fields. Tosches is admirably objective in his presentation of Liston. The tactic worked. On this date in 1964, a heavily favored Liston lost his title to upstart Cassius Clay, soon to be Muhammad Ali. On this date in 1964, a heavily favored Liston lost his title to upstart Cassius Clay, soon to be Muhammad Ali. On top of the mob issue, Liston had to overcome more problems with the law before he could be free to fight Patterson for the title. In accordance with the legal provisions, you can ask for the removal of your name and the name of your minor children. When he won the heavyweight title in 1962 at age 30, he had a daughter age 25. (There is some speculation about his year of birth, but most sources state sometime from 1929 to 1932.) On September 25, 1962, Liston made history by becoming the heavyweight champion. He climbed back into the ring on June 29, 1970, registering a 10th-round technical knockout against Bayonne Bleeder Chuck Wepner. Big Hela had moved there in 1946. In 1966, following his loss to Clay, Liston launched a comeback. By that time, Liston had already attracted the attention of organized crime. | There were also times when he showed surprising compassion for the less fortunate. Maybe Liston was concerned about the death threats that had been made against Ali in the wake of the assassination of Malcolm X and Liston just wanted to get out of the ring that night as quickly as possible. Some suspect foul play; others believe Liston died of a self-inflicted drug overdose. 2023 Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Carbo was in prison and Palmermo would soon follow. He is one of the Richest Boxer who was born in AR. He supported many in his life. Sonny Liston: The mysterious death that haunts boxing But the champ went down in a hurry: two minutes and six seconds in the first round. Nine years of steady fighting later, and following additional scrapes with the law, Liston fought Floyd Patterson for the Heavyweight Championship. in Sand Slough, Arkansas, USA , United States, Died on December 30, 1970 On the side of Tobe Liston, born in 1872 - Choctaw Co., MS, deceased. James Ellroy portrayed Sonny Liston as a fight loser, a heroin addict, a black racist, and a Mafia jawbreaker in his novel "The Cold Six Thousand.". with Cornelia Winfrey, born in April 1873 - Montgomery Co., MS, deceased. The subsequent rematch with Clay on May 25, 1965, included the infamous "phantom punch." BoxRec 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. Did he need Liston's cooperation to beat the rapidly aging champion that night in February of 1964? He was one of many Liston was the most feared man in the world, until Muhammad Ali arrived on the scene and knocked him out twice, ending his championship days and his reputation as the "World's Baddest Man." In 1957, he was sentenced to nine months in the St. Louis workhouse for assaulting a police officer. Even as a grown up, the physical scars were still visible. At the age of thirteen, he ran away to St. Louis, Missouri, following his mother, who had left earlier. Won his last fight on June 29, 1970, at the Jersey City Armory, stopping. Is mentioned in the song "Swinging" by Tom Petty. He started boxing in prison and was likely over 30 then. 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."). Known for his powerful punch, the majority of his victories were knockouts. Sonny Liston In 1956, he found himself on the wrong side of the law again. A Champion of Something New - by Eli Jones - The Riverside Sonny Liston lost his title to the little known Cassius Clay in the seventh round in February 1964. Please try again. 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). The map below shows the places where the ancestors of the famous person lived. Sonny had to put the proper face forward to the public. Sonny Liston prefers not to tell the details of marital status & divorce. contient des milliers de photos et GeneaStars. In 1962, Liston went officially from being the poverty-stricken, illiterate child of an abusive tenant farmer in Arkansas to being the heavyweight champion of the whole world. Liston's formative years were spent growing up as a physically and mentally abused child living in a forsaken patch of land known as Sand Slough, Ark. In the end, one can't help feeling some sympathy for Liston. Liston's career was interrupted for nine months beginning in December 1956, when he was sent to the St. Louis workhouse for assaulting a policeman and stealing the officer's gun. Hardly. L'arbre Liston won 13 of his first 14 bouts before trouble with the law cost him his freedom a second time. We are all related! He started boxing in prison and was likely His death was as mysterious as his birth. Liston turned professional in September 1953, earning his first paycheck in St. Louis with a first-round knockout of Don Smith. His epitaph reads: A Man.. In 1950, he was arrested by the police. Sonny Liston was introduced to boxing by Reverend Father Alois Stevens. That hurt him deeply, though he instinctively hid the scars behind a scowl. Charles "Sonny" Liston's life and death began and ended in the same manner: as a mystery. Education: Sonny Liston Net Worth: Sonny Liston net worth or net income is estimated to be between $1 Million $5 Million dollars. He, however, won in the subsequent rematch. 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. Liston was inducted into the international Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991. Charles "Sonny" Liston was born circa 1930 into a sharecropping family who farmed the poor land of Morledge Plantation near Johnson Township, St. Francis County, Arkansas. He climbed back into the ring on June 29, 1970, registering a 10th-round technical knockout against "Bayonne Bleeder" Chuck Wepner. gnalogique Dowling avec plus d'un demi-million de parents, Twenty-two-year-old Muhammad Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, defeated reigning world boxing champ Sonny Liston on this day in history, Feb. 25, 1964, in Miami, Florida. Sonny Liston Sonny Liston was born on May 8, 1932 in Sand Slough, AR. Liston excelled in his newfound love, boxing, and, after a short amateur career, turned professional. Gambling. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Tosches believes the latter. Womanizing. Pressure resulting from appearing before the committee, and from the diatribes of Patterson's manager Cus D'Amato, caused Liston to buy out the contract of his manager, Pep Barone, who was considered to be an undesirable, and name old-time Philadelphia political hack George Katz as his manager. Tobe was mean to his children, and especially to Sonny. The author begins appropriately at the beginning with his subject, providing more comprehensive information about Sonny's childhood than probably even Sonny himself knew. Some believed that the fight was fixed as reported in later biographical works like The Devil and Sonny Liston (2000) by Nick Tosches. Liston continued to box until the time of his death. He managed to turn his cruel past to his advantage. Liston would later claim his birth date to be May 8, 1932, but that is off by at least two years. sonny liston He continued fighting until June 29, 1970, when he knocked out Chuck Wepner, but he never got another title shot. Served a prison sentence at Missouri State Penitentiary for robbing a gas station at age 18. Sonny Liston had a controversial boxing career, winning 54 of 58 bouts from 1953 to 1970. contains thousands of pictures and GeneaStars. His death certificate states his death as December 30, 1970, based on milk deliveries at his doorstep. The local police classified him as the yellow shirt bandit.. Sonny Liston was introduced to boxing while serving time in a Missouri State Penitentiary. Charles Sonny Liston was a noted boxer who briefly reigned as Heavyweight Champion after a first-round knockout against Floyd Patterson. Following his release from the workhouse, Liston quickly returned to the ring against Hunter and got his career back on track. His epitaph reads: "A Man.". Ali and Liston: The Boy Who Would Be King and the Ugly Bear. Liston is another. 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. By all accounts, Liston had a woeful childhood. First heavyweight title challenger to earn a purse of $1,000,000. He defeated heavyweight contenders Roy Harris, Zora Folley, Eddie Machen, Cleveland Williams, Mike DeJohn, Henry Clark, and Chuck Wepner. Change). After the court case, he was sentenced to a five-year jail term in the Missouri State Prison. His mother believed he was born in January, 1928, but Liston would later claim his birth date to be May 8, 1932. Sonny Liston - Trivia, Family, Bio | Famous Birthdays He was trained by Willie Redish and later by Dick Sadler. After a little while, Liston followed his mother and was reunited with his other siblings. His alcoholic and violent father was thirty years older than Sonnys mother. In the films the good guy always wins, but this is one bad guy who ain't gonna lose. University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 2000. Paroled in 1952, he had a brief amateur career, winning several Golden Gloves championships and defeating 1952 Olympic heavyweight champion Ed Sanders. Reverend Stevens was both the prisons chaplain and sports director. He has ranked on the list of those famous people who were born on May 8, 1932. Sonny, who was known by his proper name Charles while growing up, rarely attended school and never learned to read or write, a fact that haunted him as an adult and fed a lifelong problem with insecurity. Liston went down in the first round, felled by a punch few saw. Liston was raised on heavy farm work, many beatings and with virtually no schooling. Wrong username or password. WebAnswer (1 of 2): At anytime in their careers Clay / Ali would have been too fast and elusive for Sonny. He was born in St. Francis in the state of Missouri, USA. He cleared out his opponents to become the topmost contender. Even as champion, Liston was never able to escape his prison beginnings or the allegations of mob connections. Liston, who was viewed as nearly invincible before the fight, was unable to answer the bell for the seventh round, and Clay (soon to take the nameMuhammad Ali) was named champion on February 25, 1964. His father was an abusive alcoholic, and Liston eventually left the house during his teens. (LogOut/ Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, 1991. At the age of 13, he ran away to St. Louis, following his mother who had left earlier. For additional information: in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, This form allows you to report an error or to submit additional information about this family tree: Sonny LISTON (1932), Copyright Wikipdia authors - This article is under licence CC BY-SA 3.0. Sonny Liston He had earned the title shot with an impressive string of 195960 victories over top contenders. Because of his arrest and prison term, Liston didn't have a fight between March of 1956, when he decisioned Marty Marshall in Pittsburgh, to January of 1958, when he knocked out Bill Hunter in two rounds in Chicago. The first time you log in to our catalog you will need to create an account. He was sired by Lawman out of the Galileo mare Stars In Your Eyes. 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 only misgiving was his association with the criminal gangs. Additional support provided by the Arkansas Community Foundation. However, his career was marred by criminal activity and, later, accusations of mob connections and throwing fights, according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Sonny Liston keeps his personal and love life private. The Troubled Life And Sad Legacy Of Sonny Liston Sonny Liston was officially born on May 8th 1932, even if no one knows exactly when he was born, that is the date that he set up for all the official records. The son of tenant farmer Tobey Liston and his second wife, Helen, Liston was the 24th of his fathers 25 children. The rematch in Las Vegas on July 22, 1963, was another first-round knockout. Auspiciously, the massive man is known as The Bear then won his first nine fights before dropping an eight-round decision to Marty Marshall. Read our Privacy Policy. Inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame, 1990. Liston had a rough and violent childhood. Liston defeated Heavyweight Champion Floyd Patterson on Sept. 25, 1962. After having his license revoked, Liston made a smart decision, as he had when he bought out Barone. . Why he died remains one of sport's most enduring mysteries. Full body measurements, dress & shoe size will be updated soon. In prison, encouraged by Catholic chaplains, Liston took up boxing, where he was an immediate and spectacular success. View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro. The rematch, in Lewiston, Maine, on May 25, 1965, was even more controversial. Liston and Geraldine had no children, but Liston loved kids and enjoyed being in their company. He died circa December 30, 1970, in Las Vegas, Nevada. There, he became a thug, committing various muggings and robbery. When Liston became the top challenger to champion Floyd Patterson by 1960, it was a 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. Auspiciously, the massive man is known as "The Bear" then won his first nine fights before dropping an eight-round decision to Marty Marshall. The CALS Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization. He was one of many His final record as a professional was fifty wins, thirty-nine by knockout, and four losses. While Liston was incarcerated, prison athletic director Father Alois Stevens introduced him to the sport of boxing. If it was truly a fix, then Liston would have found a way to avoid taking the punishment that he received at Clay's hands before retiring on his stool after the sixth round. It was there in Sand Slough that Charles L. Liston was born, on the 50 acres that Tobe rented from the Man.". First World Heavyweight Boxing Champion banned from fighting in New York State by the New York Boxing Commission. He became a professional fighter in 1953. WebAnswer (1 of 2): At anytime in their careers Clay / Ali would have been too fast and elusive for Sonny. Biography, Net Worth, Gossips, Salary, News & Much More. Instead, he and some friends took to robbing people on the street and robbing gas stations with a loaded pistol. Sonny Liston Biography, Life, Interesting Facts - Famous He had been dead for some time, an ending every bit as murky as the Clay/Ali fights. The official cause of death was lung congestion and heart failure, although Liston had fresh needle marks on his arm and police discovered heroin and a syringe in the house. From the start, it was apparent that he had a future in the ring. 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. The son of tenant farmer Tobey Liston and his second wife, Helen, Liston was the 24th of his father's 25 children. He never shied away from street fights. 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. However, his career was marred by criminal activity and, later, accusations of mob connections and throwing fights, according to the. Tosches here betrays an ignorance of boxing that no doubt hurts his credibility with those know know the sport. TM & 2023 BoxingScene.All Rights Reserved. Clay is certainly to be counted among the greatest heavyweights of all time. Sunny Hostin - Wikipedia 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. Liston celebrated the speedy reinstatement of his license with an impressive 1-round knockout of German baker Albert Westphal, who was ranked No. He knocked out Floyd Patterson in 1962 to become world heavyweight champion. Check back often as we will continue to update this page with new relationship details. He was still a fringe contender at the age of 40 or so when he died under mysterious circumstances in December of 1970 at his house in Las Vegas. Because of this alliance, which was public knowledge, Liston was called before the committee investigating organized crime that had been established by Tennessee Democratic Senator Estes Kefauver.
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