American professional boxer who became world heavyweight champion in 1962, Born on May 08, 1932 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. In a short amount of time, those felonious deeds cost Sonny Liston his freedom. 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. Armed robbery. Liston won 26 consecutive bouts, moving inexorably toward the heavyweight championship. Later, films of the fight showed the bout ended at the 1:25 mark. Lets check, How Rich is Sonny Liston in 2019-2020? According to Wikipedia, Forbes, IMDb & Various Online resources, famous Boxer Sonny Listons net worth is $82 Million before He died. He earned the money being a professional Boxer. He is from AR. Though it appeared that Liston had barely been grazed by Clay's right fist, the boxer went down just one minute and 45 seconds into the first round. 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. Some suspect foul play; others believe Liston died of a self-inflicted drug overdose. Owing to his bold physique and strict upbringing, Liston loved training. Liston excelled in his newfound love, boxing, and, after a short amateur career, turned professional. All Rights Reserved. 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. 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."). Some believed that the fight was fixed as reported in later biographical works like The Devil and Sonny Liston (2000) by Nick Tosches. 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. His final record as a professional was fifty wins, thirty-nine by knockout, and four losses. 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. His parents were peasant farmers who grew cotton in the south. He married Geraldine Chambers on June 10, 1950. That doesn't make sense. While Liston was incarcerated, prison athletic director Father Alois Stevens introduced him to the sport of boxing. He had the biggest fist of any heavyweight champion: 15 inches. Sonny Liston: The Real Story behind the Ali-Liston Fights. There, he became a thug, committing various muggings and robbery. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Liston, one of 25 children by his father, is reputed to have been born in May 1932, yet prison records show various birth dates, among them 1928. The local police classified him as the yellow shirt bandit.. Nevertheless, he had a soft spot for children. The Dowling Family Tree with over half a million relatives, In St. Louis, he quickly encountered problems with the local police. Official Sites. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. contains thousands of pictures and GeneaStars. He went on to win several amateur matches. Early Life. The only misgiving was his association with the criminal gangs. He, however, won in the subsequent rematch. With the help of a farsighted, black St. Louis businessman and some other backers who were aware of Sonny's potential, Liston pursued a ring career after leaving the joint and rejoining society at large. Copyright 2020, ARKANSAS SOUL MEDIA. Liston was sentenced to nine months in jail. Sonny Liston is a 4 year old colt and has raced in 2022. Did he need Liston's cooperation to beat the rapidly aging champion that night in February of 1964? He served brief prison terms and on one occasion was introduced to boxing by a prison chaplain. Charles "Sonny" Liston's life and death began and ended in the same manner: as a mystery. But there is another side. World heavyweight boxing champion, 1962-1964. The second was a boy. He was friendly with his fans and had a soft spot for children. 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. Boxer Charles L. "Sonny" Liston was born in St. Francis County, Arkansas on May 8, 1932. L'arbre Sonny Liston was born on May 8, 1932 in Sand Slough, AR. Following his release from the workhouse, Liston quickly returned to the ring against Hunter and got his career back on track. Liston continued fighting following the loss of his title, mainly because it was the only legal way he knew how to make a buck. gnalogique Dowling avec plus d'un demi-million de parents, On Popular Bio, He is one of the successful Boxer. Known for scowling at opponents, he combined an intimidating ring presence with awesome power. 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. | When Sonny KO'd Floyd Patterson in 1962 for The World Heavyweight Championship,he became the only challenger to win that title by a first round KO. There, he committed various muggings and robberies. The official cause of his death was given as cardiac arrest and lung congestion. 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.". Instead, he and some friends took to robbing people on the street and robbing gas stations with a loaded pistol. Geraldine married Sonny Liston in 1950 Sonny was probably born in 1929, but no one knows for sure. Paroled in 1952, Liston quickly captured the local Golden Gloves championship. Served time in prison for robbery and later for assaulting a police officer. Liston turned professional in September 1953, earning his first paycheck in St. Louis with a first-round knockout of Don Smith. Liston on his age: "I'm like Jack Benny, I never tell my age.". At the age of 14, he was almost 6 feet tall. WebHis parents were Tobe Liston and Helen Baskin. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Boxer Charles L. Sonny Liston was bornin St. Francis County, Arkansason May 8, 1932. He was trained by Willie Redish and later by Dick Sadler. Liston lost his rematch to Ali in May 1965. Drinking. Inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame, 1990. 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. 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. (There is some speculation about his year of birth, but most sources state sometime from 1929 to 1932.) As a young man in 1949, Liston left Arkansas for good and followed his mother's footsteps to St. Louis. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album cover. He was officially knocked out by Muhammad Ali in one minute for the fastest KO in heavyweight history up to that time. Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, 1991. 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. Special thanks to the Department of Arkansas Heritage. Least of all, Sonny himself. 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 started boxing in prison and was likely over 30 then. He was accused of stealing an officers gun. Liston had a rough and violent childhood. He knocked out Floyd Patterson in 1962 to become world heavyweight champion. Liston relocated to Denver with his wife Geraldine and friend/sparring partner Foneda Cox and underwent extensive counseling with Father Murphy. This project is funded in part by a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan grant award. However, it turned out to be his stepdaughter, the daughter of his wife. He won 11 consecutive fights by knockout in 1968 and added three more wins in 1969 before losing a brutal bout to Leotis Martin. 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. Liston went back to the ring. Tosches' explanation, of course, is that Liston was again dutifully following orders given by the mob. After a little while, Liston followed his mother and was reunited with his other siblings. He compiled a career record of Liston claimed he was born in 100 Rock Street Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. He quickly learned how to box and within three years was fighting on the amateur circuit. WebAnswer (1 of 2): At anytime in their careers Clay / Ali would have been too fast and elusive for Sonny. At the age of thirteen, he ran away to St. Louis, Missouri, following his mother, who had left earlier. . 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. Early Life and Family: Before he was famous, He sold pecans from his brother-in-laws tree in order to reunite with his mother and his siblings. With Cus DAmato as his coach, Liston reigned as champion for seventeen months. aged 38years old. In September of 1953, he knocked out Don "Toro" Smith in two rounds in St. Louis, setting in motion a career which would span 17 years and bring Sonny to the pinnacle of success in his sport. Again rumors were rife that the match was fixed by the criminal underworld. Liston penalized two points for low blows. Touring the local hospital in a grey tweed overcoat with a black velvet collar, the intimidating, burly, 6-foot-tall, 215 lb. He was one of many childrenone account lists twenty-two siblings and half-siblings. All Rights Reserved. He was one of many Known for his powerful punch, the majority of his victories were knockouts. It was there in Sand Slough that Charles L. Liston was born, on the 50 acres that Tobe rented from the Man.". His epitaph reads: A Man.. Tosches does a nice piece of reporting on the incident that led to Liston's arrest, objectively revealing all available viewpoints. Liston celebrated the speedy reinstatement of his license with an impressive 1-round knockout of German baker Albert Westphal, who was ranked No. His ring style was the essence of simplicity; he displayed little finesse but much raw power, especially in his left hand. Sonny Liston existed, and, Ali bouts or no Ali bouts, he was one of the greatest fighters to ever lace on a glove. Sonny Liston was born on May 8, probably 1932, to Tobe and Helen (Baskin) Liston, African-American sharecroppersin rural St. Francis County. He was sired by Lawman out of the Galileo mare Stars In Your Eyes. Time magazine photograph of Ali standing over Liston, taunting him, is one of the most popularly published in boxing. Deceased persons are not concerned by this provision. Was the favorite fighter of the famous Fab Four, the Beatles, and he appears on their "Sgt. {{ mediasCtrl.getTitle(media, true) }} Auspiciously, the massive man is known as "The Bear" then won his first nine fights before dropping an eight-round decision to Marty Marshall. To give back to society, he supported many children. His epitaph reads: "A Man.". There's no question that the hard-scrabble existence of youth prepared Liston for the success he would later enjoy as a prizefighter. Very little is known about his birth and his Liston was beholdin' to the mob and everybody knew it. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 2000. (LogOut/ Foes like the murderous-punching Cleveland Williams, Mike DeJohn and Nino Valdez succumbed to Liston's heavy fists. He earned the money being a professional Boxer. Liston was born in St. Francis County, Arkansas, around 1932. The son of tenant farmer Tobey Liston and his second wife, Helen, Liston was the 24th of his fathers 25 children. Education: Sonny Liston Net Worth: Sonny Liston net worth or net income is estimated to be between $1 Million $5 Million dollars. Trivia He was convicted of robbery and larceny. He was trained by Charles Hills and has raced for Chelsea Thoroughbreds, and was bred in [Add Data] by [Add Data] . Liston went down in the first round, felled by a punch few saw. (Which isn't to say that Liston took advantage of Father Murphy, or that he had a disregard for what Father Murphy had to say. He overcame tremendous odds to win the title and earn a measure of fame, but even so he was never embraced by the public. In the films the good guy always wins, but this is one bad guy who ain't gonna lose. When Liston became the top challenger to champion Floyd Patterson by 1960, it was a If you can, provide 1-2 sources of information backing up this correction. Just three months after Sonny's move to Denver, his license was reinstated. New York: Blue Rider Press, 2016. Yet, Tosches postulates that Liston threw his first fight with Cassius Clay in Miami in February of 1964 at the behest of the mob. The place had a name, but it was not to be found on any map. He was caught and charged with first-degree robbery and larceny, and was sentenced in 1950 to 5 years in the Missouri State Penitentiary. Let's check, How Rich is Ben, All You Need To Know About Tamara Hurwitz. Apart from his demeanor, Liston was a charming man with a captivating smile. His alcoholic and violent father was thirty years older than Sonnys mother. Sonny Liston was born on May 8, probably 1932, to Tobe and Helen (Baskin) Liston, African-American sharecroppers in rural St. Francis County. He kept fighting and kept winning against a progressively better grade of opponents. After the court case, he was sentenced to a five-year jail term in the Missouri State Prison. Hungry fighters eager to break free from the shackles of their own environment bring an element of savage desperation into their ring encounters. Aligning himself with the Devil. Best Known For: Sonny Liston was introduced to boxing while serving time in a Missouri State Penitentiary. WebHalf-siblings. Assael, Shaun. For additional information: Joe Louis rated Liston's jab one of the best in boxing history. On this date in 1964, a heavily favored Liston lost his title to upstart Cassius Clay, soon to be Muhammad Ali. He knocked out the reigning world champion in the first round. The couple had two children; one was a daughter from Chambers previous marriage. Liston was buried in Paradise Memorial Gardens in Las Vegas, Nevada, beneath a simple gravestone. 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. If there is a flaw in Tosches' book, it's that the author seems bent on carrying the theme of Liston and the mob beyond its logical parameters. {{ media.date_translated }}, {{ asCtrl.bannerRights.content|translate }}, The Geneanet family trees are powered by Geneweb 7.0. 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. Sonny Liston keeps his personal and love life private. Sonny Liston was born in Sand Slough, AR on May 8, 1932. Outside of the ring, Liston had a charming personality. William Friedkin was intended to direct his biopic "Night Train" with Ving Rhames as Sonny Liston. Charles Sonny Liston was a noted boxer who briefly reigned as Heavyweight Champion after a first-round knockout against Floyd Patterson. View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro. In prison, encouraged by Catholic chaplains, Liston took up boxing, where he was an immediate and spectacular success. In 1966, following his loss to Clay, Liston launched a comeback. 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, Tosches here betrays an ignorance of boxing that no doubt hurts his credibility with those know know the sport. Liston was the 12th of 13 children born to Tobe and Helen Liston (and one of 25 children sired by Tobe). 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. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Or it would be history, if boxing historians would stop sweeping the legacy of Sonny Liston under the ring canvas. Served 7 months in jail for beating up a police officer over a parking ticket in St. Louis in the mid-1950s. Why he died remains one of sport's most enduring mysteries. Liston was the 12th of 13 children born to Tobe and Helen Liston (and one of 25 children sired by Tobe). Liston turned professional in September 1953, earning his first paycheck in St. Louis with a first-round knockout of Don Smith. He sold pecans from his brother-in-laws tree in order to reunite with his mother and his siblings. His sporting agility was electrifying to watch. Charles "Sonny" Liston was born into a sharecropping family who farmed the poor land of Morledge Plantation near Johnson Township, St. Francis County, Arkansas. After winning most of his matches by knockout, he turned pro in 1951. Liston would later claim his birth date to be May 8, 1932, but that is off by at least two years. During the years that Liston was champ, the mob was in retreat. 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. 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. He was born in St. Francis in the state of Missouri, USA. lis! He put himself under the care of still another Catholic priest, Father Edward P. Murphy, a kindly Jesuit who was the pastor of a predominantly black church in Denver. He became a professional fighter on September 2, 1953, when he knocked out Don Smith in a single round in St. Louis. She was working in a shoe factory when her son Charles unexpectedly came to the city and looked her up. Liston was the youngest heavyweight boxing champion to die (age 38). (adsbygoogle=window.adsbygoogle||[]).push({}); Ivn Popoca estimated Net Worth, Biography, Age, Height, Dating, Relationship Records, Salary, Income, Cars, Lifestyles & many more details have been updated below. The most noticeable being his win over Ed Sanders. It has been rumored that the crime boss John Vitale arranged for his early release. No one knows how Sonny Liston died. However, his career was marred by criminal activity and, later, accusations of mob connections and throwing fights. Introduced to boxing by Father Stevens in the St. Louis City Jail during 1950. 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. In 1950, he was arrested by the police. In 1956, he found himself on the wrong side of the law again. At the age of 13, he ran away to St. Louis, following his mother who had left earlier. The coroner picked December 30, 1970, as the date of death, and Liston was buried in the Paradise Memorial Gardens in Las Vegas under the simplest of epitaphs: A MAN.. 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. He is from AR. Sonny Liston was featured in a novel "Girl Fighter" with a brief reference to his early life, his rise to WBC heavyweight champion and his eventual losses to Clay/Ali. He died circa December 30, 1970, in Las Vegas, Nevada. He rose from poverty in the rural south to become one of the most dominant and feared professional fighters of the 20th century. Sonny Liston had a controversial boxing career, winning 54 of 58 bouts from 1953 to 1970. The son of tenant farmer Tobey Liston and his second wife, Helen, Liston was the 24th of his father's 25 children. We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right,contact us! Read our Privacy Policy. He was arrested twice in a period of months in Philadelphia in the summer of 1961. Liston was an excellent boxer. 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. From the start, Liston was a devastating puncher. Clay later changed his name to Muhammad Ali. We are all related! He was adopted when the couple was together. Liston was raised on heavy farm work, many beatings, and with virtually no schooling. Sonny Listons height Unknown & weight Not Available right. This enabled him to get hired as a manual laborer in the farms. WebPatterson defended against Liston in Comiskey Park, Chicago, on September 25, 1962, and the rest is history. 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. Liston defeated Heavyweight Champion Floyd Patterson on Sept. 25, 1962. But the champ went down in a hurry: two minutes and six seconds in the first round. The CALS Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization. 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. 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. He continued fighting until June 29, 1970, when he knocked out Chuck Wepner, but he never got another title shot. His alcoholic and violent father was thirty years older than Sonnys Nine years of steady fighting later, and following additional scrapes with the law (fourteen arrests between 1953 and 1958 and a conviction in 1956 for assaulting a police officer), Liston finally fought Floyd Patterson for the Heavyweight Championship. Cruel Beginnings. She had been away on holiday. Mee, Bob. in Sand Slough, Arkansas, USA , United States, Died on December 30, 1970 University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. He organized a criminal gang that robbed and mugged locals. First World Heavyweight Boxing Champion banned from fighting in New York State by the New York Boxing Commission. Known for scowling at opponents, he combined an intimidating ring presence with awesome power. 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. In the end, one can't help feeling some sympathy for Liston. According to Wikipedia, Forbes, IMDb & Various Online resources, famous Boxer Sonny Listons net worth is $82 Million before He died. Sonny Liston, hard-luck son of Arkansas sharecroppers, was champion of the world. However, his career was marred by criminal activity and, later, accusations of mob connections and throwing fights, according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas.