He won in the first round against Don Smith. Liston continued fighting following the loss of his title, mainly because it was the only legal way he knew how to make a buck. Gambling. New York: Skyhorse, 2011. 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. Liston excelled in his newfound love, boxing, and, after a short amateur career, turned professional. In October 1952, Liston was released on parole. Read our Privacy Policy. Deceased persons are not concerned by this provision. 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. Copyright 2020 ARKANSAS SOUL MEDIA, All rights Reserved. Trivia He was convicted of robbery and larceny. BoxRec 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. Armed robbery. Along with his many siblings, Liston grew up He was one of many children one account lists 22 siblings and half-siblings. Knocked out #2-rated heavyweight contender Roy Harris (27-1) in one round. 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. Tosches here betrays an ignorance of boxing that no doubt hurts his credibility with those know know the sport. He married Geraldine Chambers on June 10, 1950. 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 was the youngest heavyweight boxing champion to die (age 38). His epitaph reads: A Man.. Early Life. 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. Liston was the 12th of 13 children born to Tobe and Helen Liston (and one of 25 children sired by Tobe). What advantage would there be to having the brash young boxer from Louisville installed as heavyweight champ in place of Liston? WebHis parents were Tobe Liston and Helen Baskin. Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, 1991. In a short amount of time, he rose to prominence as a contender in the heavyweight division. (There is some speculation about his year of Sonny Liston estimated Net Worth, Salary, Income, Cars, Lifestyles & many more details have been updated below. Major funding provided by the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation. After his release, Liston relocated to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where his career quickly flourished again. His last fight was against Chuck Wepner. 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. Again rumors were rife that the match was fixed by the criminal underworld. TM & 2023 BoxingScene.All Rights Reserved. L'arbre He died circa December 30, 1970, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Rate and review titles you borrow and share your opinions on them. The place had a name, but it was not to be found on any map. His mother separated from his father and went to St. Louis in Missouri. Aligning himself with the Devil. Let's check, How Rich is Mario, Ben Villaflor estimated Net Worth, Biography, Age, Height, Dating, Relationship Records, Salary, Income, Cars, Lifestyles & many more details have been updated below. Paroled in 1952, Liston quickly captured the local Golden Gloves championship. On the side of Tobe Liston, born in 1872 - Choctaw Co., MS, deceased. 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. In 1966, following his loss to Clay, Liston launched a comeback. 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 death certificate states his death as December 30, 1970, based on milk deliveries at his doorstep. Touring the local hospital in a grey tweed overcoat with a black velvet collar, the intimidating, burly, 6-foot-tall, 215 lb. Did he need Liston's cooperation to beat the rapidly aging champion that night in February of 1964? (LogOut/ He is one of the Richest Boxer who was born in AR. From the start, Liston was a devastating puncher. 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. First World Heavyweight Boxing Champion banned from fighting in New York State by the New York Boxing Commission. According to Wikipedia, Forbes, IMDb & Various Online resources, famous Boxer Sonny Listons net worth is $82 Million before He died. 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. gnalogique Dowling avec plus d'un demi-million de parents, Do we really know how good Sonny Liston was? His Liston had a rough and violent childhood. Boxer Charles L. Sonny Liston was bornin St. Francis County, Arkansason May 8, 1932. While Liston was incarcerated, prison athletic director Father Alois Stevens introduced him to the sport of boxing. During his two-plus years in the state penitentiary, Liston attained a new nickname, "Sonny," and a new vocation, boxing. With Cus DAmato as his coach, Liston reigned as champion for seventeen months. Nevertheless, he had a soft spot for children. Sonny Liston Sonny Liston Biography - Life of American Boxer - Totally History 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, Steen, Rob. Sonny Liston Biography, Life, Interesting Facts - Famous Joe Louis rated Liston's jab one of the best in boxing history. Sonny Liston lost his title to the little known Cassius Clay in the seventh round in February 1964. He organized a criminal gang that robbed and mugged locals. Sonny Liston Robert B. Cochran 1932-1970 Sonny Liston was the heavyweight boxing champion from 1962 to 1964. When Liston died, he was rated 7th in the world heavyweight rankings by Ring Magazine. 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. Liston claimed he was born in His final record as a professional was 50 wins, 39 by knockout, and four losses. He was friendly with his fans and had a soft spot for children. 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. After the court case, he was sentenced to a five-year jail term in the Missouri State Prison. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. He was trained by Willie Redish and later by Dick Sadler. Let's check, How Rich is Ivn P, Mario Daser estimated Net Worth, Biography, Age, Height, Dating, Relationship Records, Salary, Income, Cars, Lifestyles & many more details have been updated below. In June of the following year, Liston won the rematch with another knockout. In a short amount of time, those felonious deeds cost Sonny Liston his freedom. 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. 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 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. Liston turned professional in September 1953, earning his first paycheck in St. Louis with a first-round knockout of Don Smith. The rematch in Las Vegas on July 22, 1963, was another first-round knockout. Survived by his wife Geraldine and a step-daughter. In 1996 when Mike Tyson KO'd Bruce Seldon in one round for the WBA Heavyweight Championship, Tyson had won the WBC Heavyweight Championship six months earlier and was seeking to unify the title. With the proceeds he traveled to St. Louis and reunited with his mother and siblings. Liston penalized two points for low blows. {{ mediasCtrl.getTitle(media, true) }} His opponent abandoned the match midway. In St. Louis, he quickly encountered problems with the local police. In prison, encouraged by Catholic chaplains, Liston took up boxing, where he was an immediate and spectacular success. On the same night at a different location, but on the same closed-circuit broadcast, Patterson defeated unheralded Tom McNeeley in four rounds in what would be the final successful defense of his crown. He served brief prison terms and on one occasion was introduced to boxing by a prison chaplain. He also has a position among the list of Most popular Boxer. In 1950, he was arrested by the police. He became a professional fighter in 1953. Known for scowling at opponents, he combined an intimidating ring presence with awesome power. Liston was the 12th of 13 children born to Tobe and Helen Liston (and one of 25 children sired by Tobe). Sonny Liston was born in Sand Slough, AR on May 8, 1932. 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. Family tree of Sonny LISTON - Geneastar On Popular Bio, He is one of the successful Boxer. But the champ went down in a hurry: two minutes and six seconds in the first round. In his next fight he bounced back to TKO Chuck Wepner shortly before his mysterious death in 1970. Some Thoughts on Boxing, Jake Paul, and Asking Why We Fight Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 2000. The son of tenant farmer Tobey Liston and his second wife, Helen, Liston was the 24th of his fathers 25 children. Liston had a short and successful amateur career, following which he turned pro. The official date of Charles L. Liston is given as May 8, 1932. Black Pioneers: Sonny Liston - Arkansas Soul | Black and Liston celebrated the speedy reinstatement of his license with an impressive 1-round knockout of German baker Albert Westphal, who was ranked No. Is mentioned in the song "Swinging" by Tom Petty. Sonny Liston Reverend Stevens was both the prisons chaplain and sports director. He only served six. DAmato went on to coach another great boxer in Mike Tyson. in rural St. Francis County. Unfortunately, the same dark forces that forged Liston's destructiveness in the ring also fueled a distrust for the police and a bent toward criminal activity that would lead to two stints in the Missouri state prison system. He earned the money being a professional Boxer. 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. Hungry fighters eager to break free from the shackles of their own environment bring an element of savage desperation into their ring encounters. He maintained a winning streak in eight matches. From the time he was old enough to be useful in the fields, Sonny was a laborer for his tenant farmer father. Celebrating Sonny Liston