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Sonny Liston, hard-luck son of Arkansas sharecroppers, was champion of the world. His 17-year ring log was an impressive 50-4 with 39 knockouts. Nevertheless, he had a soft spot for children. His sporting agility was electrifying to watch. He was thirty-eight years. His mother believed he was born in January, 1928, but Liston would later claim his birth date to be May 8, 1932. He organized a criminal gang that robbed and mugged locals. On this date in 1964, a heavily favored Liston lost his title to upstart Cassius Clay, soon to be Muhammad Ali. In St. Louis, he quickly encountered problems with the local police. His epitaph reads: "A Man.". Some suspect foul play; others believe Liston died of a self-inflicted drug overdose. . We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right,contact us! His father was an abusive alcoholic, and Liston eventually left the house during his teens. It was scandal on top of scandal; Listons reputation, already tainted by prison time, allegations of mob connections, and charges of sexual assault, never recovered. Liston went back to the ring. At the age of 13, he ran away to St. Louis, following his mother who had left earlier. WebSonny Liston is 6 feet 0 inches tall. Trivia He was convicted of robbery and larceny. Steen, Rob. Sonny Liston Sonny Liston He was caught and charged with first-degree robbery and larceny, and was sentenced in 1950 to 5 years in the Missouri State Penitentiary. Appeared in a Santa Claus hat on the cover of the December 1963 edition of Esquire Magazine. WebAsuncin "Sunny" Cummings Hostin (/ h s t n /; born October 20, 1968) is an American lawyer, journalist, and television host.Hostin is co-host on ABC's morning talk show The Liston claimed he was born in Additional support provided by the Arkansas Community Foundation. He had his first competitive match in prison. His alcoholic and violent father was thirty years older than Sonnys 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. Helen Liston However, his career was marred by criminal activity and, later, accusations of mob connections and throwing fights, according to the. Sonny Liston - Death, Muhammad Ali & Children - Biography His death certificate states his death as December 30, 1970, based on milk deliveries at his doorstep. Liston lost his rematch to Ali in May 1965. WebHis parents were Tobe Liston and Helen Baskin. The rematch in Las Vegas on July 22, 1963, was another first-round knockout. Known for his powerful punch, the majority of his victories were knockouts. 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. (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. The rematch, in Lewiston, Maine, on May 25, 1965, was even more controversial. University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. 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. During his two-plus years in the state penitentiary, Liston attained a new nickname, "Sonny," and a new vocation, boxing. The official cause of his death was given as cardiac arrest and lung congestion. He has ranked on the list of those famous people who were born on May 8, 1932. 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. Sonny Liston was born in Sand Slough, AR on May 8, 1932. He won 11 consecutive fights by knockout in 1968 and added three more wins in 1969 before losing a brutal bout to Leotis Martin. Donations made to the CALS Foundation are tax-deductible for United States federal income tax purposes. Lets check, How Rich is Sonny Liston in 2020-2022? In prison, encouraged by Catholic chaplains, Liston took up boxing, where he was an immediate and spectacular success. Liston was the second last in a family of twenty-five siblings. 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. Official Sites. 100 Rock Street Sonny Liston - Biography - IMDb Do we really know how good Sonny Liston was? His His mother worked several jobs to support her children. He was one of many childrenone account lists twenty-two siblings and half-siblings. Liston is another. Sonny never really had a Prime. The couple had two children; one was a daughter from Chambers previous marriage. There, he became a thug, committing various muggings and robbery. He started boxing in prison and was likely over 30 then. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 2000. In 1950, he was arrested by the police. Sonny Liston was a violent person even outside the ring. Liston was the second last in a family of twenty-five siblings. In 1957, he was sentenced to nine months in the St. Louis workhouse for assaulting a police officer. Some believed that the fight was fixed as reported in later biographical works like The Devil and Sonny Liston (2000) by Nick Tosches. Ali and Liston: The Boy Who Would Be King and the Ugly Bear. The son of tenant farmer Tobey Liston and his second wife, Helen, Liston was the 24th of his fathers 25 children. 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. (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. Liston went down in the first round, felled by a punch few saw. Gambling. First heavyweight title challenger to earn a purse of $1,000,000. The place had a name, but it was not to be found on any map. 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. 4 among heavyweights, on Dec. 4, 1961. Best Known For: Sonny Liston was introduced to boxing while serving time in a Missouri State Penitentiary. Due to the poverty in the family, Sonny never went to school. His last fight was against Chuck Wepner. His dad was an abusive alcoholic and at the age of 13, Sonny left to live with his aunt in 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. Charles "Sonny" Liston was born into a sharecropping family who farmed the poor land of Morledge Plantation near Johnson Township, St. Francis County, Arkansas. Sonny Liston was born on May 8, probably 1932, to Tobe and Helen (Baskin) Liston, African-American sharecroppers in rural St. Francis County. Early Life. If you can, provide 1-2 sources of information backing up this correction. 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. On Popular Bio, He is one of the successful Boxer. 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). He became a professional fighter in 1953. Liston on his age: "I'm like Jack Benny, I never tell my age.". 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. Along with his many siblings, Liston grew up Liston excelled in his newfound love, boxing, and, after a short amateur career, turned professional. Clay was no debtor 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 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. His parents were Tobe Liston and Helen Baskin. 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 friendly with his fans and had a soft spot for children. 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. He became a professional fighter in 1953. 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. Education: Sonny Liston Net Worth: Sonny Liston net worth or net income is estimated to be between $1 Million $5 Million dollars. They called it Sand Slough. Change). 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. Outside of the ring, Liston had a charming personality. 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. In 1956, he found himself on the wrong side of the law again. Charles "Sonny" Liston's life and death began and ended in the same manner: as a mystery. 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Gallender, Paul. Sonny Liston - Popular Bio Won his last fight on June 29, 1970, at the Jersey City Armory, stopping. He died circa December 30, 1970, in Las Vegas, Nevada. His alcoholic and violent father was thirty years older than Sonnys mother. Liston was buried in Paradise Memorial Gardens in Las Vegas, Nevada, beneath a simple gravestone. Sonny Liston was born in Sand Slough, AR on May 8, 1932. 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. Please try again. Liston was raised on heavy farm work, many beatings, and with virtually no schooling. He knocked out Floyd Patterson in 1962 to become world heavyweight champion. Clay later changed his name to Muhammad Ali. All Rights Reserved. Hardly. New York: Blue Rider Press, 2016. Sonny Liston has been died on Dec 30, 1970 ( age 38). 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. Liston was buried in Paradise Memorial Gardens in Las Vegas, Nevada, beneath a simple gravestone. His trademark shirt during his illegal raids was yellow. Cruel Beginnings. Liston was beaten in his ninth match by Marty Marshall. Biography, Net Worth, Gossips, Salary, News & Much More. There were rumors of drug peddling, heroin use, and murder, but no answers. boxer had the look of a champion. QUICK FACTS. Sonny never really had a Prime. Sonny Liston was born on May 8, probably 1932, to Tobe and Helen (Baskin) Liston, African-American. Full body measurements, dress & shoe size will be updated soon. As Toches brings out, Liston's brooding temperament can be explained in part by his insecurity. William Friedkin was intended to direct his biopic "Night Train" with Ving Rhames as Sonny Liston. 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. Liston penalized two points for low blows. Liston continued to fight in the ring until June 1970. He acted in a number of films, the most famous being "Harlow" with Carroll Baker. Reverend Stevens arranged the match for him. Liston's purpose was to show the Pennylvania State Athletic Commission, and the world, that he was turning a new leaf. At 13, he escaped from his father's control and hitchhiked to In October 1952, Liston was released on parole. Sonny Liston Touring the local hospital in a grey tweed overcoat with a black velvet collar, the intimidating, burly, 6-foot-tall, 215 lb. Sonny Liston 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 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. The only misgiving was his association with the criminal gangs. As with the date of Liston's birth, no one knows for sure. An error has occured while loading the map. In St. Louis, he quickly encountered problems with the local police. WebAnswer (1 of 2): At anytime in their careers Clay / Ali would have been too fast and elusive for Sonny. Liston won 26 consecutive bouts, moving inexorably toward the heavyweight championship. Time magazine photograph of Ali standing over Liston, taunting him, is one of the most popularly published in boxing. Major support provided through a partnership with the Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism. Before he was 18, Liston was convicted of six muggings. Honor or memorial gifts are an everlasting way to pay tribute to someone who has touched your life. Along with his many siblings, Liston grew up working in the local cotton fields. Tosches' explanation, of course, is that Liston was again dutifully following orders given by the mob. Survived by his wife Geraldine and a step-daughter. Sonny Liston Wife According to our records, Sonny Liston married to Geraldine Seithel. 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. Liston turned professional in September 1953, earning his first paycheck in St. Louis with a first-round knockout of Don Smith. Get in on the latest boxing conversations in our Forum and comment on articles. Liston was beholdin' to the mob and everybody knew it. Additional support provided by the Arkansas Humanities Council. WebPatterson defended against Liston in Comiskey Park, Chicago, on September 25, 1962, and the rest is history. Some Thoughts on Boxing, Jake Paul, and Asking Why We Fight He supported many in his life. Clay, later to be known as Muhammad Ali, may have had the fastest hands of any heavyweight ever to lace on a pair of gloves. The Troubled Life And Sad Legacy Of Sonny Liston 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. He was one of many children one account lists 22 siblings and half-siblings. Sonny Liston Biography - Life of American Boxer - Totally History