A Champion of Something New - by Eli Jones - The Riverside Liston won 26 consecutive bouts, moving inexorably toward the heavyweight championship. Made a comeback in 1968-1969 and won 14 straight before losing to Leotis Martin. Tosches does a nice piece of reporting on the incident that led to Liston's arrest, objectively revealing all available viewpoints. Honor or memorial gifts are an everlasting way to pay tribute to someone who has touched your life. His ring style was the essence of simplicity; he displayed little finesse but much raw power, especially in his left hand. Tired of being exploited as a manual laborer, Sonny Liston turned to crime. Liston on his age: "I'm like Jack Benny, I never tell my age.". She had been away on holiday. Clay is certainly to be counted among the greatest heavyweights of all time. His best years were 195862 when he destroyed everyone while Patterson shamelessly ducked him. 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. Along with his many siblings, Liston grew up working in the local cotton fields. He was caught and charged with first-degree robbery and larceny, and was sentenced in 1950 to 5 years in the Missouri State Penitentiary. London: Aurum Press, 2008. Liston destroyed the champion in one round and destroyed him again in the rematch. In a short amount of time, he rose to prominence as a contender in the heavyweight division. Username and password are case sensitive. He started boxing in prison and was likely The most noticeable being his win over Ed Sanders. 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. 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. Ali and Liston: The Boy Who Would Be King and the Ugly Bear. 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. In prison, encouraged by Catholic chaplains, Liston took up boxing, where he was an immediate and spectacular success. Geneastars | Facebook. He was friendly with his fans and had a soft spot for children. 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). View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro. William Friedkin was intended to direct his biopic "Night Train" with Ving Rhames as Sonny Liston. He cleared out his opponents to become the topmost contender. (LogOut/ Known for his powerful punch, the majority of his victories were knockouts. 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. Wrong side of history: 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. His epitaph reads: "A Man.". Get in on the latest boxing conversations in our Forum and comment on articles. On Popular Bio, He is one of the successful Boxer. He had been dead for some time, an ending every bit as murky as the Clay/Ali fights. Least of all, Sonny himself. From the time he was old enough to be useful in the fields, Sonny was a laborer for his tenant farmer father. Served a prison sentence at Missouri State Penitentiary for robbing a gas station at age 18. 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. Sonny Liston Wife According to our records, Sonny Liston married to Geraldine Seithel. 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. He knocked out Floyd Patterson in 1962 to become world heavyweight champion. Sonny Liston existed, and, Ali bouts or no Ali bouts, he was one of the greatest fighters to ever lace on a glove. 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. 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 won 11 consecutive fights by knockout in 1968 and added three more wins in 1969 before losing a brutal bout to Leotis Martin. Time magazine photograph of Ali standing over Liston, taunting him, is one of the most popularly published in boxing. He climbed back into the ring on June 29, 1970, registering a 10th-round technical knockout against "Bayonne Bleeder" Chuck Wepner. 2023 Encyclopedia of Arkansas. 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. Full body measurements, dress & shoe size will be updated soon. We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right,contact us! Family tree of Sonny LISTON - Geneastar Following his release from the workhouse, Liston quickly returned to the ring against Hunter and got his career back on track. The son of tenant farmer Tobey Liston and his second wife, Helen, Liston was the 24th of his fathers 25 children. According to Wikipedia, Forbes, IMDb & Various Online resources, famous Boxer Sonny Listons net worth is $82 Million before He died. His relationship status is single. 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. Publicity Listings Reverend Stevens was both the prisons chaplain and sports director. Sonny Liston had a controversial boxing career, winning 54 of 58 bouts from 1953 to 1970. Tosches is admirably objective in his presentation of Liston. 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. He became a professional fighter in 1953. His last fight was against Chuck Wepner. Joe Louis rated Liston's jab one of the best in boxing history. Let's check, How Rich is Ben, All You Need To Know About Tamara Hurwitz. In 1956, he found himself on the wrong side of the law again. On this date in 1964, a heavily favored Liston lost his title to upstart Cassius Clay, soon to be Muhammad Ali. Rate and review titles you borrow and share your opinions on them. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 2000. He served brief prison terms and on one occasion was introduced to boxing by a prison chaplain. He was trained by Willie Redish and later by Dick Sadler. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. 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. Liston won 26 consecutive bouts, moving inexorably toward the heavyweight championship. 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. First heavyweight title challenger to earn a purse of $1,000,000. He died circa December 30, 1970, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Tobe was mean to his children, and especially to Sonny. Major funding provided by the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation. He knocked out Floyd Patterson in 1962 to become world heavyweight champion. WebParents and Siblings Charles L. "Sonny" Liston 19321970 Geraldine Chamber 19252005 Spouse and Children Charles L. "Sonny" Liston Male19321970 Male However, his career was marred by criminal activity and, later, accusations of mob connections and throwing fights. 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. Read our Privacy Policy. Biography, Net Worth, Gossips, Salary, News & Much More. Liston was arrested more than 20 times. During that same period, he got married (in 1957 to Geraldine Clark), moved from St. Louis to Philadelphia, and was questioned by a congressional committee about the takeover of his management by mob elements in 1960. We are all related! If you can, provide 1-2 sources of information backing up this correction. Education: Sonny Liston Net Worth: Sonny Liston net worth or net income is estimated to be between $1 Million $5 Million dollars. He had earned the title shot with an impressive string of 195960 victories over top contenders. In St. Louis, he quickly encountered problems with the local police. Dowling . Or it would be history, if boxing historians would stop sweeping the legacy of Sonny Liston under the ring canvas. His mother worked several jobs to support her children. As most boxing fans know, it was in the Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City that Sonny learned to box. Check back often as we will continue to update this page with new relationship details. Additional support provided by the Arkansas Humanities Council. As a young man in 1949, Liston left Arkansas for good and followed his mother's footsteps to St. Louis. 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. That hurt him deeply, though he instinctively hid the scars behind a scowl. 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, George Foreman was his sparring partner from 1969 to 1970. He was one of many childrenone account lists twenty-two siblings and half-siblings. Before his sentencing, Liston had been arrested more than twenty times. He was born in St. Francis in the state of Missouri, USA. Sonny Liston We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. Cruel Beginnings. Jack Dempsey and Roberto Duran are two cases in point. The official cause of his death was given as cardiac arrest and lung congestion. (LogOut/ 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. 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. L'arbre Gambling. What advantage would there be to having the brash young boxer from Louisville installed as heavyweight champ in place of Liston? Tosches insists that films of Liston losing to Clay reveal that Liston was missing punches intentionally. His mother separated from his father and went to St. Louis in Missouri. contains thousands of pictures and GeneaStars. All Rights Reserved. Charles "Sonny" Liston was born into a sharecropping family who farmed the poor land of Morledge Plantation near Johnson Township, St. Francis County, Arkansas. Apart from his demeanor, Liston was a charming man with a captivating smile. No one knows how Sonny Liston died. This project is funded in part by a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan grant award. Drinking. There were also times when he showed surprising compassion for the less fortunate. In October 1952, Liston was released on parole. He won in the first round against Don Smith. Former World Heavyweight Champion who learned to fight while in jail. Ward, who resides today in Forrest City, Ark. Some believed that the fight was fixed as reported in later biographical works likeThe Devil and Sonny Liston(2000)by Nick Tosches. 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 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.". After the court case, he was sentenced to a five-year jail term in the Missouri State Prison. However, it turned out to be his stepdaughter, the daughter of his wife. Wrong username or password. Former World Heavyweight Champion who learned to fight while in jail. 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. {{ mediasCtrl.getTitle(media, true) }} He became a professional fighter on September 2, 1953, when he knocked out Don Smith in a single round in St. Louis. His alcoholic and violent father was thirty years older than Sonnys Just three months after Sonny's move to Denver, his license was reinstated. Tosches, who hails from Newark, writes in an engaging style that is as beautifully stylish as a Liston left jab and as savagely straightforward. 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. Dating is to describe a stage in a persons life when he or she is actively pursuing romantic relationships with different people. While Liston was incarcerated, prison athletic director Father Alois Stevens introduced him to the sport of boxing. Tosches believes the latter. With Cus DAmato as his coach, Liston reigned as champion for seventeen months. Liston, in fact, had great respect for Father Murphy and behaved admirably around him. On the side of Tobe Liston, born in 1872 - Choctaw Co., MS, deceased. He only served six. 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. He became a professional fighter in 1953. Liston was raised on heavy farm work, many beatings, and with virtually no schooling. Sonny Liston: His Life, Strife, and the Phantom Punch. 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. He knocked out the reigning world champion in the first round. (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. Served 7 months in jail for beating up a police officer over a parking ticket in St. Louis in the mid-1950s. Liston defeated Heavyweight Champion Floyd Patterson on Sept. 25, 1962. Creating an account gives you access to all these features. Survived by his wife Geraldine and a step-daughter. He had the biggest fist of any heavyweight champion: 15 inches. | 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. Reverend Stevens arranged the match for him. Sonny Liston lost his title to the little known Cassius Clay in the seventh round in February 1964. In 1950, he was arrested by the police. Tosches here betrays an ignorance of boxing that no doubt hurts his credibility with those know know the sport. Sand Slough, Arkansas, United States of America, Sonny Liston is still regarded as the best heavyweight boxer with a taste of violence. Primary Income source Boxer (profession). 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. in Sand Slough, Arkansas, USA , United States, Died on December 30, 1970 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 death was as mysterious as his birth. Liston went down in the first round, felled by a punch few saw. 1932-1970 Sonny Liston was the heavyweight boxing champion from 1962 to 1964. Deceased persons are not concerned by this provision. contient des milliers de photos et GeneaStars. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ). His father was an abusive alcoholic, and Liston eventually left the house during his teens. His dad was an abusive alcoholic and at the age of 13, Sonny left to live with his aunt in Sonny Liston turned professional in September 1953. Sonny had to put the proper face forward to the public. It was just a matter of semantics, though. 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. He was caught and charged with first-degree robbery and larceny, and was sentenced in 1950 to 5 years in the Missouri State Penitentiary. After having his license revoked, Liston made a smart decision, as he had when he bought out Barone. Big Hela had moved there in 1946. Liston was raised on heavy farm work, many beatings and with virtually no schooling. 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. He acted in a number of films, the most famous being "Harlow" with Carroll Baker. After a little while, Liston followed his mother and was reunited with his other siblings. When a tribute gift is given the honoree will receive a letter acknowledging your generosity and a bookplate will be placed in a book. - IMDb Mini Biography By: By all accounts, Liston had a woeful childhood. His sporting agility was electrifying to watch. In the end, one can't help feeling some sympathy for Liston. Sonny Liston was introduced to boxing by Reverend Father Alois Stevens. Liston celebrated the speedy reinstatement of his license with an impressive 1-round knockout of German baker Albert Westphal, who was ranked No. QUICK FACTS. When Liston died, he was rated 7th in the world heavyweight rankings by Ring Magazine. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. 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. Nous sommes tous At least two sexual assaults. American professional boxer who became world heavyweight champion in 1962, Born on May 08, 1932 Additional support provided by the Arkansas General Assembly. His wife found his lifeless body in their home on January 5, 1971. He rose from poverty in the rural south to become one of the most dominant and feared professional fighters of the 20th century. He was one of many children one account lists 22 siblings and half-siblings. WebAnswer (1 of 2): At anytime in their careers Clay / Ali would have been too fast and elusive for Sonny. Maybe Liston realized that he couldn't beat the youthful Clay/Ali, and he opted not to get up off the canvas in round one instead of absorbing another beating. She was working in a shoe factory when her son Charles unexpectedly came to the city and looked her up. 72201. Sonny was probably born in 1929, but no one knows for sure. Some Thoughts on Boxing, Jake Paul, and Asking Why We Fight Best Known For: Sonny Liston was introduced to boxing while serving time in a Missouri State Penitentiary. An error has occured while loading the map. Introduced to boxing by Father Stevens in the St. Louis City Jail during 1950. contient des milliers de photos et GeneaStars. Sanders was the reigning Olympic heavyweight champion. Liston started boxing at the age of 14 because there were no sports available in Florida at the time. After winning most of his matches by knockout, he turned pro in 1951. Sonny Liston was a violent person even outside the ring. He was one of many Liston was raised on heavy farm work, many beatings and with virtually no schooling. His epitaph reads: A Man.. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. DAmato went on to coach another great boxer in Mike Tyson. He kept fighting and kept winning against a progressively better grade of opponents. Lets check, How Rich is Sonny Liston in 2020-2022? .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}Remembering Just Fontaine and His World Cup Record, The Man Behind the First All-Black Basketball Team, 8 Times Brothers Have Faced Off in a Championship, Every Black Quarterback to Play in the Super Bowl, Soccer Star Christian Atsu Survived an Earthquake. Won his last fight on June 29, 1970, at the Jersey City Armory, stopping. The couple had two children; one was a daughter from Chambers previous marriage. The Dowling Family Tree with over half a million relatives, In St. Louis, he quickly encountered problems with the local police. As Toches brings out, Liston's brooding temperament can be explained in part by his insecurity. In 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. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. 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. On this day in history, Feb. 25, 1964, a young Muhammad Ali The Troubled Life And Sad Legacy Of Sonny Liston The place had a name, but it was not to be found on any map. 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. He also has a position among the list of Most popular Boxer. Liston continued to box until the time of his death. 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." (There is some speculation about his year of Even Sonny's mother, who was called Big Hela, didn't know, though she believed him to be born during the month of January. Some believed that the fight was fixed as reported in later biographical works like The Devil and Sonny Liston (2000) by Nick Tosches. Family He climbed back into the ring on June 29, 1970, registering a 10th-round technical knockout against Bayonne Bleeder Chuck Wepner. Liston was the 12th of 13 children born to Tobe and Helen Liston (and one of 25 children sired by Tobe). Boxer Charles L. "Sonny" Liston was born in St. Francis County, Arkansas on May 8, 1932. Sonny Liston: The mysterious death that haunts boxing BoxRec His opponent abandoned the match midway. Due to the poverty in the family, Sonny never went to school. Paroled in 1952, Liston quickly captured the local Golden Gloves championship. Liston continued to fight in the ring until June 1970. Instead, he and some friends took to robbing people on the street and robbing gas stations with a loaded pistol. Mee, Bob. He quickly destroyed all the leading heavyweight contenders--Roy Harris, Zora Folley, Cleveland Williams--to earn a title shot against Floyd Patterson. He overcame tremendous odds to win the title and earn a measure of fame, but even so he was never embraced by the public. Sonny Liston - Biography - IMDb Along with his many siblings, Liston grew up WebHe was the 12th of 13 children born to Tobe Liston and Helen Baskin, and he endured frequent beatings as a child. Liston claimed he was born in Hungry fighters eager to break free from the shackles of their own environment bring an element of savage desperation into their ring encounters. Donations made to the CALS Foundation are tax-deductible for United States federal income tax purposes. The reader can form his own conclusion based on the reports of those involved. 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. Sonny never really had a Prime. Copyright 2020 ARKANSAS SOUL MEDIA, All rights Reserved. He sold pecans from his brother-in-laws tree in order to reunite with his mother and his siblings. 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. 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. Sonny Liston Biography, Life, Interesting Facts - Famous His father was an abusive alcoholic, and Liston eventually left the house during his teens. Sonny Liston was born on May 8, probably 1932, to Tobe and Helen (Baskin) Liston, African-American sharecroppers in rural St. Francis County. Sonny Liston was introduced to boxing while serving time in a Missouri State Penitentiary. Charles L. "Sonny" Liston (19321970) FamilySearch There, he committed various muggings and robberies. Additional support provided by the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation Inc. The first time you log in to our catalog you will need to create an account. Liston won 13 of his first 14 bouts before trouble with the law cost him his freedom a second time.