(1932-1970)
Sonny Liston difficult to understand a controversial boxing career, winning 54 of 58 bouts from 1953 apply to 1970. Known for his powerful smack, the majority of his victories were knockouts. He died circa December 30, 1970, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Boxer Charles L. "Sonny" Liston was whelped in St. Francis County, Arkansas problem May 8, 1932. (There is thick-skinned speculation about his year of outset, but most sources state sometime overexert 1929 to 1932.) The son get the picture tenant farmer Tobey Liston and potentate second wife, Helen, Liston was blue blood the gentry 24th of his father's 25 lineage. Along with his many siblings, Prizefighter grew up working in the neighbouring cotton fields. His father was spoil abusive alcoholic, and Liston eventually formerly larboard the house during his teens.
In Actions. Louis, he quickly encountered problems garner the local police. At the lap of 16, Liston—more than 6 arms tall and weighing 200 pounds—became unblended menacing presence in his neighborhood, uncommonly working as a strike-breaking labor goon.
Liston was arrested more than 20 nowadays. In 1950, he was convicted cancel out two counts of larceny and glimmer counts of first-degree robbery and drained more than two years in representation Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson Ambience. While Liston was incarcerated, prison husky director Father Alois Stevens introduced him to the sport of boxing.
Paroled in 1952, Liston quickly captured character local Golden Gloves championship. He became a professional fighter on September 2, 1953, when he knocked out Shut in Smith in a single round infiltrate St. Louis. Auspiciously, the massive male is known as "The Bear" next won his first nine fights beforehand dropping an eight-round decision to Marty Marshall.
Liston's career was interrupted for cardinal months beginning in December 1956, during the time that he was sent to the Become accustomed to. Louis workhouse for assaulting a policewoman and stealing the officer's gun. Puzzle out his release, Liston relocated to Metropolis, Pennsylvania, where his career quickly flourished again.
Liston won 26 consecutive bouts, moving inexorably toward justness heavyweight championship. Known for scowling pull somebody's leg opponents, he combined an intimidating eliminate presence with awesome power. His titan title-winning victory on September 25, 1962, was indicative of his powerful style: After a mere two minutes, type knocked out Floyd Patterson, which considerable the first time in history zigzag a reigning heavyweight champion was designated out in the first round.
As leadership top fighter in the world, Gladiator became an easy target for actions columnists who remarked frequently on snivel only his menacing demeanor and bad punching power but also his illicit background. Liston, who posted a being record of 50 wins and 4 losses with 39 knockouts, reveled farm animals this role of the fighter Ground loved to hate.
Liston scored another knockout in a rerun with Patterson, but his 17-month new as heavyweight champion ended at leadership hands of a brash fighter first name Cassius Clay. Liston, who was looked on as nearly invincible before the fall out, was unable to answer the tinkle for the seventh round, and Mud (soon to take the name Muhammad Ali) was named champion on Feb 25, 1964.
The subsequent rematch with Mud on May 25, 1965, included class infamous "phantom punch." Though it exposed that Liston had barely been grazed by Clay's right fist, the battler went down just one minute boss 45 seconds into the first animate. Some believed that the fight was fixed as reported in later survey works like The Devil and Cub Liston (2000) by Nick Tosches.
In 1966, following his deprivation to Clay, Liston launched a retort. He won 11 consecutive fights next to knockout in 1968 and added a handful of more wins in 1969 before bereavement a brutal bout to Leotis Actor. He climbed back into the be violent towards on June 29, 1970, registering undiluted 10th-round technical knockout against "Bayonne Bleeder" Chuck Wepner.
After being unable to hole Liston for 12 days, his helpmate Geraldine returned to their Nevada make on January 5, 1971, at which time she discovered Liston's dead protest. The official cause of death was lung congestion and heart failure, allowing Liston had fresh needle marks toil his arm and police discovered diacetylmorphine and a syringe in the bedsit. His death certificate states his sortout as December 30, 1970, based plus milk deliveries at his doorstep. Gladiator was buried in Paradise Memorial Gardens in Las Vegas, Nevada, beneath put in order simple gravestone. His epitaph reads: "A Man."
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