Name: Sonny Liston Birth Name: Charles L. Liston Hometown: Saint Louis, Missouri, USA Birthplace: Johnson Township, Arkansas, USA Died: 1970-12-30 (Age:40) Stance: Orthodox Height: 185cm Reach: 213cm Referee: Record Pro Boxer: Record Amateur Boxer: Record Managers: Jack Nilon, Joe (Pep) Barone, Eddie Polino, George Katz, Frank Mitchell, Dick Sadler Sonny knocked out Patterson at 2:06 of the first round, with that powerful left hook to the jaw It was the third-fastest knockout in a world heavyweight title fight, and the first time the defending champion had been knocked out in Round One. During the fourth round, Ali coasted, keeping his distance. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. Please enter your email and password to sign in. Two of the three official scorers awarded the round to Liston and the other scored the round even. sonny liston, byname of charles liston, also called the bear, (born may 8, 1932?, st. francis county, arkansas, u.s.died december 30, 1970, las vegas, nevada), american boxer who was world heavyweight boxing champion from september 25, 1962, when he knocked out floyd patterson in the first round in chicago, until february 25, 1964, when he based on information from your browser. Folley knocked down twice in 2nd round; 9 count and saved by the bell at 9 count. Machen's mobility enabled him to go the distance. "Sonny had called and said Geraldine was gone for the holiday, and why dont I come over. Sonny was once told by local police to stay away from a drug house that was the target of a police raid. His journey toward becoming a professional boxer began in Missouri State Penitentiary where he was sentenced for five years. It was probably Liston's best moment in the entire fight. You can listen to it at your leisure, or read about it now. ", Liston is interred in Paradise Memorial Gardens in Las Vegas, Nevada. ", Upon winning the world heavyweight title, Liston had a speech prepared for the crowd that friends had assured him would meet him at the Philadelphia airport. O Sonny Liston Nhou ppeku hou loa N helu helu hookk kiko N pahuhopu maikai loa, ka ikepili pani, n pani pani | 1xmatch This story was written by Dick Young.) One writer concluded that Liston's most plausible date of birth was July 22, 1930, citing census records and statements from his mother during her lifetime. There is no record of Liston's birth. He won eight fights that year, six by knockout. Failed to remove flower. There are several theories as to why: (1) Publicist Harold Conrad and others believed that Liston was deeply involved as a bill collector in a loan-sharking ring in Las Vegas. Real Name: Charles L. Liston Nicknames: Sonny, The Big Bear Location: Las Vegas, Nevada Date: December 30, 1970 Details: Sonny Liston was a famous boxer who defeated Floyd Patterson for the title of Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World on September 25, 1962. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. He gave his age as 20, while the St. Louis Globe-Democrat reported that he was 22. Furthermore, that count cannot be started until the fighter scoring the knockdown goes to and remains in a neutral corner. Boxer Charles L. "Sonny" Liston was born in St. Francis County, Arkansas on May 8, 1932. So I get him down, I get the sponge and I pour the water into his eyes trying to cleanse whatever's there, but before I did that I put my pinkie in his eye and I put it into my eye. His family's home state of Arkansas did not make birth certificates mandatory until 1965. Learn more about managing a memorial . Lem Banker was one. Ali biographer Wilfrid Sheed opines in his book, Muhammad Ali: A Portrait in Words and Photographs, that Liston planned to throw the fight for reasons unknown and used the legitimate first round knockdown to do so. Nine years later, on January 5, 1971, Sonny's wife Geraldine returned home from a trip to find her husband dead in their Las Vegas . Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. He is a celebrity boxer. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. It burned like hell. The NAACP had urged Patterson not to fight Liston, fearing that a Liston victory would hurt the civil rights movement. . Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. Geraldine called Sonny's attorney and his doctor, but did not notify the police until two to three hours later. He also wrote that Liston's win over Patterson proved that "in a fair fight between good and evil, evil must win." ", Following the win over Wepner, Liston was going to face Canadian champion George Chuvalo, but the fight never happened. Please enter your email and password to sign in. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. Liston's handlers secretly paid sparring partner Amos Lincoln an extra $100 to take it easy on him. Unfortunately for Martin, his career ended after that fight because of a detached retina he suffered during the bout. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? SO here are four theories behind who killed Sonny Liston at only the age of 40. You may not upload any more photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 20 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 30 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 15 photos to this memorial. Odds makers gave Liston 71 to win. He said he could not hear McDonough, who did not have a microphone. As the years passed and Liston's financial situation worsened, he got angry and told the mob he'd go public with the story unless they gave him the money. For other inquiries, Contact Us. Now you know who he is Heres how he died. One of the victories was over Amos Johnson, who had recently defeated British champion Henry Cooper. The only ones who had been willing to put up the necessary money for him to turn professional were close to underworld figures, and Liston supplemented his income by working for racketeers as an intimidator-enforcer. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. While Liston publicly denied taking a dive, Sports Illustrated writer Mark Kram said that years later Liston told him, "That guy [Ali] was crazy. From an Aces team looking to repeat as WNBA champs to the return of Formula One, Las Vegas will again offer a collection of local sports options. Died December 30, 1970 in Las Vegas, Nevada. On May 5, 1956, a policeman confronted Liston and a friend about a cab parked near Liston's home. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, Sonny Liston was found dead in 1971 after a suspected heroin overdose, but a new book claims he was murdered, Boxing legend Muhammad Ali taunts opponent Sonny Liston in their controversial rematch, Sonny Liston, pictured with the Kray twins, rose to fame thanks to his boxing skills, but was never far awaycriminals, Sonny Liston lays on the floor of the ring defeated as Muhammad Ali celebrates, The dark truth behind Sonny Liston's death may never be uncovered, Liston began working for dealer Robert Chudnick, who was a world-famous jazz trumpeter known as Red Rodney, pictured performing at Ronnie Scott's in 1992, ESPN investigative journalist Shaun Assael has been trying to uncover the truth behind Liston's death, While Liston continued to fight for several years after losing his world title to Muhammad Ali, he never reached the same heights and fell into the underworld of drug gangs, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). He also blogs at lvrj.com/blogs/smith. Later I read in the paper that hed passed away.". When he tried to muscle in for a bigger share, his employers got him very drunk, took him home, and stuck him with a needle. $14.99 + $4.99 shipping . Clay knew Liston was the world's best heavyweight long before Sonny won the title from Patterson. Some found it suspicious that authorities could not locate any drug paraphernalia that Liston presumably would have needed to inject the fatal dose, such as a spoon to cook the heroin or a tourniquet to wrap around his arm. On January 5, 1971, Liston's wife, Geraldine, found the ex champ's dead body. Liston's wife also recalled that her husband would refuse basic medical care for common colds because of his dislike of needles. Liston would later employ McCarter as a sparring partner. He is seen in the far left part of the row, wearing a white and gold robe, standing beside the original-look Beatle wax figures. On top of the mob stigma, people were flat-out terrified of Sonny Fight City named Sonny Liston as the most intimidating fighter of all time" beating out names of other legendary animals like Tyson, Foreman, and Hagler. That didnt cover Listons debts and expenses. Coroner Mark Herman said the amount of heroin in his system was too small to have caused an overdose. (4) Liston was supposed to take a dive when he fought Chuck Wepner six months earlier, and killing him was payback for his failure to do so. A couple weeks later, he was still complainin' about that needle mark. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. Please reset your password. Sheed says that the punch and the knockdown "may have been genuine, but when referee Joe Walcott blew the count and gave him all evening to get up, Liston's rendition of a coma wouldn't have fooled a possum.". He sometimes said that when he was born, someone carved his name and the date on an old tree on the family's rented land. Liston was born in Forrest City, Arkansas, US, possibly in the early 1930s - the day and year are unknown. In 1958, Liston returned to boxing. Jim Murray of the Los Angeles Times wrote that it was "no phantom punch." Larry Merchant, then a writer with the Philadelphia Daily News, wrote: "A celebration for Philadelphia's first heavyweight champ is now in order.Emily Post would probably recommend a ticker-tape parade. His weight is 219 . Patterson was knocked down three times and counted out at 2:10 of the first round. Felix later said Ali was seconds from being disqualified. Ten months later, Liston and Patterson met again with the same resultPatterson was knocked out in the first round. Liston was particularly known for his toughness, formidable punching power, and intimidating appearance. If Liston was murdered in a staged overdose, it's possible that his killer was unaware of his needle phobia. Oops, something didn't work. Time magazine said Liston had worked himself into the best shape of his career. United States President John F. Kennedy also did not want Patterson to fight Liston. Thanks for your help! The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. "Better get me out of this ring, he is going to kill me!" Civic leaders were also reluctant, worrying that Liston's unsavory character would set a bad example to youth. His headstone bears two words: A Man. He'd often told people that he'd feared for his life.. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? In his next fight, he had a rematch with Summerlin and again won an eight-round decision. Liston. The 24th of 25 children born to an abusive Arkansas sharecropper, Liston didnt know the exact date of his birth. At one point Liston had Ali against the ropes and landed a hard left hook. Congress debated whether Liston whose criminal record included breaking a policeman's leg in 1956 was civilised enough to get into a boxing ring. Liston signed a contract in September 1953, exclaiming: "Whatever you tell me to do, I'll do." As far as Im concerned, he had a heart attack. "The only thing my old man ever gave me was a beating", Liston said. I didn't want anything to do with him. He is a relatively elementary, one-track fighter.". (3) The mob promised Liston some money to throw the second Ali fight, but they never paid him. Tobe Liston inflicted whippings so severe on Sonny that the scars were still visible decades later. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. Learn more about merges. "Nat Fleischer [editor of The Ring] was sitting beside McDonough and he was waving his hands, too, saying it was over." 1925-2005. Sonny Liston. His height is 6 1. The commotion wasn't lost on referee Barney Felix, who was walking toward Ali's corner. Liston had a noticeably more muscular left arm, but fought orthodox Meaning his power hand was out front, so he had this crushing left jab and powerful left hook. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Geraldine Chamber. The couple's seven-year-old son was led downstairs by Geraldine and was told to wait there. "But they'll have to swing along until somebody comes to beat me.". At Christmas, Banker and Liston exchanged gifts. With the proceeds, he traveled to St. Louis and reunited with his mother and siblings. He would not close in until the accumulated inside damage and Liston's own frustration had sapped the challenger's strength and will." 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