Sports: Biographies

Notable Sports Figures The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Further reading

Sonny Liston

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2011 | Copyright

Sonny Liston (Charles Liston), 1932–71, American boxer, b. Little Rock, Ark. While serving a sentence for robbery at the Missouri State Penitentiary, Liston became interested in boxing. In 1953 he began his professional fighting career. A hard-hitting heavyweight, he became (Sept., 1962) the world's heavyweight champion after a crushing first-round knockout of Floyd Patterson. He defended his championship in 1963, knocking out Patterson once again, before losing his title to Muhammad Ali in 1964. Losing his return match with Ali in 1965, Liston began a comeback in 1966. His lifetime record was 50 victories (39 knockouts) and 4 losses.

Bibliography: See biography by N. Tosches (2000).

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

	Author's wild punch misses Sonny Liston; The enigmatic, tragic boxer deserves... Newspaper article from: Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN); 4/23/2000
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