Charles L. ‘Sonny’ Liston has no official birthday. It was estimated to be in the mid to late-twenties, but was recognized as 1930. He grew up in Arkansas, where youngest sister said that she was born in 1926, and had proof of it. That made Sonny’s birthdate more like 1925. He moved to St. Louis to be with his mother as a teen, but soon turned to a life of crime. He committed muggings and armed robberies, which landed him in prison in 1950.
Liston had a brief amateur career after being released from prison on Halloween day of 1952. He won the Chicago Golden Gloves in 1953. He also competed in the United States National Championships in Boston, and later that year in St. Louis in an international competition.
Liston began his professional career on September 2, 1953 with a first round knockout of Don Smith in St. Louis. Sonny had signed a contract with backers close to organized crime. These connections remained with him his entire career.
Liston won his first seven bouts as a pro, before losing a split-decision to Marty Marshall in Detroit on September 7, 1954. He would not lose another fight for ten years. Sonny fought Marshall two more times, and defeated him easily, by both knockout and decision.
Liston’s criminal record and mob ties, led to his constant harassment by the police. After a fight with a cop on May 5, 1956, Sonny was sent to the slammer again, but was paroled after serving six months of a nine month sentence. He was not permitted to box in 1957 at all, and after repeated hassles by St. Louis police, left for Philadelphia.
Sonny won eight fights in 1958 when he did return to the ring, six by KO. 1959 was also a great year for Liston, which saw him winning all four of his bouts over top-notch competition. The fighters he defeated were Mike DeJohn, Cleveland Williams, Nino Valdes and Willi Besmanoff, all big names.
Liston’s impressive physique, his huge fists, tremendous jab and punching power made the heavyweight division nervous as the new decade of the 1960’s began. With Rocky Marciano long retired, and the smallish Floyd Patterson as the champion, I’m sure the boxing world knew it was only a matter of time before Sonny was crowned as the new heavyweight champ.
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