Even Sonny's mother, who was called Big Hela, didn't know, though she believed him to be born during the month of January. Liston was buried in Paradise Memorial Gardens in Las Vegas, Nevada, beneath a simple gravestone. The first time you log in to our catalog you will need to create an account. During his two-plus years in the state penitentiary, Liston attained a new nickname, "Sonny," and a new vocation, boxing. | Less than a year later in Miami Beach, Liston lost his title to Cassius Clay when he refused to answer the bell for the seventh round, claiming a shoulder industry. 1932-1970 Sonny Liston was the heavyweight boxing champion from 1962 to 1964. If you can, provide 1-2 sources of information backing up this correction. Rate and review titles you borrow and share your opinions on them. In 1950, he was arrested by the police. (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. 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 turned professional in September 1953. He was one of many Sonny Liston prefers not to tell the details of marital status & divorce. (LogOut/ 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, He compiled a career record of He started boxing in prison and was likely over 30 then. A story is told of Liston ordering his driver to stop on a busy highway, so that Liston could go and buy some pencils from an obviously poor, old, white women whom he had observed. American professional boxer who became world heavyweight champion in 1962, Born on May 08, 1932 His wife found his lifeless body in their home on January 5, 1971. Why he died remains one of sport's most enduring mysteries. Username and password are case sensitive. His death certificate states his death as December 30, 1970, based on milk deliveries at his doorstep. After the court case, he was sentenced to a five-year jail term in the Missouri State Prison. On September 25, 1962, Liston made history by becoming the heavyweight champion. Trivia He was convicted of robbery and larceny. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 2000. He defeated heavyweight contenders Roy Harris, Zora Folley, Eddie Machen, Cleveland Williams, Mike DeJohn, Henry Clark, and Chuck Wepner. Liston continued fighting following the loss of his title, mainly because it was the only legal way he knew how to make a buck. All Rights Reserved. Paroled in 1952, Liston quickly captured the local Golden Gloves championship. 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. 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. He sold pecans from his brother-in-laws tree in order to reunite with his mother and his siblings. Liston was an excellent boxer. Check back often as we will continue to update this page with new relationship details. 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. Liston was arrested more than 20 times. All Rights Reserved. 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 The son of tenant farmer Tobey Liston and his second wife, Helen, Liston was the 24th of his fathers 25 children. 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 name .css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}Muhammad Ali) was named champion on February 25, 1964. 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. Liston was beholdin' to the mob and everybody knew it. Tosches is admirably objective in his presentation of Liston. WebSonny Liston Photo Gallery. 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. Dating is to describe a stage in a persons life when he or she is actively pursuing romantic relationships with different people. Sanders was the reigning Olympic heavyweight champion. The second was a boy. His father was an abusive alcoholic, and Liston eventually left the house during his teens. He organized a criminal gang that robbed and mugged locals. Big Hela had moved there in 1946. The author begins appropriately at the beginning with his subject, providing more comprehensive information about Sonny's childhood than probably even Sonny himself knew. Liston excelled in his newfound love, boxing, and, after a short amateur career, turned professional. He continued fighting until June 29, 1970, when he knocked out Chuck Wepner, but he never got another title shot. Womanizing. Again rumors were rife that the match was fixed by the criminal underworld. Liston emptied his pockets of bills and returned to the car with all of the women's pencils. Least of all, Sonny himself. . Please try again. 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. 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. At the age of 14, he was almost 6 feet tall. Ward, who resides today in Forrest City, Ark. He has ranked on the list of those famous people who were born on May 8, 1932. 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. Clay was no debtor to the mob. At the age of 13, he ran away to St. Louis, following his mother who had left earlier. Additional support provided by the Arkansas Community Foundation. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Former World Heavyweight Champion who learned to fight while in jail. He was adopted when the couple was together. In a short amount of time, those felonious deeds cost Sonny Liston his freedom. Liston lost his rematch to Ali in May 1965. Biography, Net Worth, Gossips, Salary, News & Much More. Some believed that the fight was fixed as reported in later biographical works like The Devil and Sonny Liston (2000) by Nick Tosches. Liston was buried in Paradise Memorial Gardens in Las Vegas, Nevada, beneath a simple gravestone. Liston celebrated the speedy reinstatement of his license with an impressive 1-round knockout of German baker Albert Westphal, who was ranked No. His death certificate states his death as December 30, 1970, based on milk deliveries at his doorstep. Let's check, How Rich is Ben, All You Need To Know About Tamara Hurwitz. 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. Boxer Charles L. Sonny Liston was bornin St. Francis County, Arkansason May 8, 1932. Survived by his wife Geraldine and a step-daughter. 100 Rock Street Liston was raised on heavy farm work, many beatings and with virtually no schooling. She had been away on holiday. WebHe was the 12th of 13 children born to Tobe Liston and Helen Baskin, and he endured frequent beatings as a child. He became a professional fighter on September 2, 1953, when he knocked out Don Smith in a single round in St. Louis. University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. He compiled a career record of 50-4, competing against such boxing legends as Muhammad Ali and Floyd Patterson. He maintained a winning streak in eight matches. When Liston died, he was rated 7th in the world heavyweight rankings by Ring Magazine. Best Known For: Sonny Liston was introduced to boxing while serving time in a Missouri State Penitentiary. Sonny Liston was born in Sand Slough, AR on May 8, 1932. Additional support provided by the Arkansas Humanities Council. The most noticeable being his win over Ed Sanders. He became a professional fighter in 1953. However, it turned out to be his stepdaughter, the daughter of his wife. He was friendly with his fans and had a soft spot for children. .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. Served 7 months in jail for beating up a police officer over a parking ticket in St. Louis in the mid-1950s. Even as a grown up, the physical scars were still visible. Folley knocked down twice in 2nd round; 9 count and saved by the bell at 9 count. Liston on his age: "I'm like Jack Benny, I never tell my age.". He was officially knocked out by Muhammad Ali in one minute for the fastest KO in heavyweight history up to that time. For more information, contact 501-918-3025 orcalsfoundation@cals.org. Some suspect foul play; others believe Liston died of a self-inflicted drug overdose. Paroled in 1952, he had a brief amateur career, winning several Golden Gloves championships and defeating 1952 Olympic heavyweight champion Ed Sanders. Sonny Liston was born on May 8, probably 1932, to Tobe and Helen (Baskin) Liston, African-American sharecroppers in rural St. Francis County. The son of tenant farmer Tobey Liston and his second wife, Helen, Liston was the 24th of his father's 25 children. (There is some speculation about his year of birth, but most sources state sometime from 1929 to 1932.) 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. His 17-year ring log was an impressive 50-4 with 39 knockouts. The rematch in Las Vegas on July 22, 1963, was another first-round knockout. He acted in a number of films, the most famous being "Harlow" with Carroll Baker. Liston was the youngest heavyweight boxing champion to die (age 38). Pre-European Exploration, Prehistory through 1540, European Exploration and Settlement, 1541 through 1802, Louisiana Purchase through Early Statehood, 1803 through 1860, Civil War through Reconstruction, 1861 through 1874, Post-Reconstruction through the Gilded Age, 1875 through 1900, Early Twentieth Century, 1901 through 1940, World War II through the Faubus Era, 1941 through 1967, Divergent Prosperity and the Arc of Reform, 19682022, World War II through the Faubus Era (1941 - 1967). Sonny Listons height Unknown & weight Not Available right. (LogOut/ World heavyweight boxing champion, 1962-1964. Liston was the 12th of 13 children born to Tobe and Helen Liston (and one of 25 children sired by Tobe). Liston relocated to Denver with his wife Geraldine and friend/sparring partner Foneda Cox and underwent extensive counseling with Father Murphy. In accordance with the legal provisions, you can ask for the removal of your name and the name of your minor children. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. He climbed back into the ring on June 29, 1970, registering a 10th-round technical knockout against "Bayonne Bleeder" Chuck Wepner. 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. Lets take a look at Sonny Liston past relationships, ex-girlfriends and previous hookups. Tosches here betrays an ignorance of boxing that no doubt hurts his credibility with those know know the sport. He knocked out Floyd Patterson in 1962 to become world heavyweight champion. There's no question that the hard-scrabble existence of youth prepared Liston for the success he would later enjoy as a prizefighter. in rural St. Francis County. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.