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80-760: The IBF was preceded by the United States Boxing Association (USBA), a regional championship organization like the North American Boxing Federation (NABF). In 1983, at the WBA's annual convention, held in Puerto Rico , Robert W. "Bobby" Lee Sr., president of the USBA, lost in his bid to become WBA president against Gilberto Mendoza. Lee and others withdrew from the convention after the election, and decided to organize

160-518: A Catholic priest who acted as his spiritual adviser attempted to help bring his drinking under control. After he won the title, Liston relocated to Denver permanently, saying, "I'd rather be a lamppost in Denver than the mayor of Philadelphia." Patterson and Liston had a rematch clause in their contract. Patterson wanted a chance to redeem himself, so they met again on July 22, 1963, in Las Vegas . It

240-490: A Liston victory would hurt the civil rights movement . Many African-Americans disdained Liston. Asked by a young white reporter why he was not fighting for freedom in the South, Liston deadpanned, "I ain't got no dog-proof ass.", referring to the use of police dogs against protesters. However, in 1963 in the aftermath of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing , Liston broke off a European boxing exhibition tour to return home and

320-420: A Patterson victory in 15 rounds, stating: "Sonny has neither Floyd's speed nor the versatility of his attack. He is a relatively elementary, one-track fighter." Former champions James J. Braddock , Jersey Joe Walcott , Ezzard Charles , Rocky Marciano and Ingemar Johansson all picked Patterson to win. Muhammad Ali (at the time a rising contender named Cassius Clay), however, predicted a knockout by Liston in

400-508: A fix. He was still a world-ranked boxer when he died in mysterious circumstances in 1970. The Ring magazine ranks Liston as the tenth greatest heavyweight of all time, while boxing writer Herb Goldman ranked him second and Richard O'Brien, Senior Editor of Sports Illustrated , placed him third. Alfie Potts Harmer in The Sportster also ranked him the third greatest heavyweight and the sixth greatest boxer at any weight. Liston

480-556: A formal investigation immediately after the fight by Florida State Attorney Richard Gerstein , who also noted that there was little doubt that Liston went into the fight with a sore or lame shoulder. Despite Liston carrying an injury and being undertrained, Ali stated in 1975 that the first fight with Liston was the toughest of his career. Liston trained hard for the rematch, which was scheduled to take place November 13, 1964, in Boston . Time magazine said Liston had worked himself into

560-407: A former world heavyweight champion, had a hard time getting Ali to go to a neutral corner. Ali initially stood over his fallen opponent, gesturing and yelling at him, "Get up and fight, sucker!" and "Nobody will believe this!" When Walcott got back to Liston and looked at the knockdown timekeeper, Francis McDonough, to pick up the count, Liston had fallen back on the canvas. Walcott never did pick up

640-417: A hard punch to the head to end the fight quickly and decisively. Although Clay often carried his gloves down at his waist, seemingly open to attack, he proved very difficult to hit. With Clay quickly ducking his head left, right or away, Liston's leading left jabs largely failed to land. As Liston pursued his target Clay retreated, using his foot speed to slip away into open space in the ring, largely circling to

720-469: A low blow in the 11th round. Machen's taunting and his spoiling tactics of dodging and grappling—at one point almost heaving Liston over the ropes—so alienated the audience that Liston received unaccustomed support from the crowd. Before his bout with Liston, Muhammad Ali consulted Machen and was advised that the key to survival was to make Liston lose his temper. Liston became the No. 1 contender in 1960, but

800-619: A man like Liston. Hall of Fame announcer Don Dunphy said, "Here was a guy who was in prison and the guards used to beat him over the head with clubs and couldn't knock him down." But others contend he just was not the same Liston. Dave Anderson of the New York Times said Liston "looked awful" in his last workout before the fight. Arthur Daley of the New York Times wrote that Liston's handlers knew he "didn't have it anymore," and allegedly they had secretly paid sparring partner Amos Lincoln an extra $ 100 to take it easy on him – –

880-462: A third time on March 6, 1956, which Liston won by a ten-round unanimous decision. Liston's criminal record, compounded by a personal association with a notorious labor racketeer, led to the police's stopping him on sight, and he began to avoid main streets. On May 5, 1956, a policeman confronted Liston and a friend about a cab parked near Liston's home. Liston assaulted the officer, breaking his knee and gashing his face. He also took his gun. He claimed

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960-803: A third, world-level organization, to co-exist with the WBA and the WBC. Formed as USBA-International, the fledgling organization was renamed the International Boxing Federation on November 6, 1983, based in New Jersey , where its main offices remain. Bobby Lee had also been a New Jersey boxing commissioner until 1985, when, according to news reports, "he was suspended and fined by the Ethical Standards Commission for accepting contributions from fight promoters and casino executives." The IBF's first world champion

1040-688: A year. Liston captured the Chicago Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions on March 6, 1953, with a victory over 1952 Olympic Heavyweight Champion Ed Sanders . He then outpointed Julius Griffin, winner of the New York Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions , to capture the Intercity Golden Gloves Championship on March 26 (representing Chicago). Liston was knocked down in the first round, but came back to control

1120-458: Is now in order. ... Emily Post would probably recommend a ticker-tape parade. For confetti we can use torn-up arrest warrants." He also wrote that Liston's win over Patterson proved that "in a fair fight between good and evil, evil must win." Some writers thought Liston brought bad press on himself by a surly and hostile attitude toward journalists. He also had a reputation for bullying people such as porters and waitresses. Liston's run-ins with

1200-414: Is over,'" Walcott said after the fight. " Nat Fleischer [editor of The Ring ] was sitting beside McDonough and he was waving his hands, too, saying it was over." Walcott then rushed back to the fighters, who had resumed boxing, and stopped the fight—awarding Ali a first-round knockout victory. Strict interpretation of the knockdown/count rule states it is the referee's count and not the timekeeper's that

1280-412: Is the official count. Furthermore, that count cannot be started until the fighter scoring the knockdown goes to and remains in a neutral corner. Ali did neither. Walcott never began a count in the ring because of Ali's non-compliance and his physical struggle with getting Ali to go to that neutral corner. The interference of ringside reporters regarding interpretation of the rules, the fight stoppage and

1360-582: The St. Louis Globe-Democrat reported that he was 22. Convicted and sentenced to five years in the Missouri State Penitentiary , Liston started his prison time on June 1, 1950. Liston never complained about prison, saying he was guaranteed three meals every day. The athletic director at Missouri State Penitentiary, Rev. Alois Stevens, suggested to Liston that he try boxing, and his obvious aptitude, along with an endorsement from Stevens, who

1440-542: The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine , the Federation blocked championship fights involving Russian and Belarusian boxers. As of 28 November 2024 North American Boxing Federation The North American Boxing Federation ( NABF ) is a not-for-profit regional sanctioning body that awards regional boxing titles. It is a boxing federation within the World Boxing Council (WBC). The WBC established

1520-737: The Schulz-Foreman fight , but had settled for the lesser amount of $ 200,000 (half of which was never paid). Arum was sanctioned and fined $ 125,000 by the Nevada State Athletic Commission . Boxing promoters Cedric Kushner and Dino Duva also admitted to making similar payments to Lee. The IBF was under federal observation from Lee's conviction through September 2004. Former Michigan Boxing Commissioner, WBA vice-president, boxing safety advocate and IBF interim president Hiawatha Knight (October 22, 1929 – October 22, 2014) became president following Lee's conviction, and

1600-884: The IBF's recognition. It established the IBF as the third sanctioning body, and a legitimate organization. IBF men's world championship belts are red, whereas women's world championship belts are light blue. Despite achieving an appearance of legitimacy, subsequent to a three-year investigation started by 1996 charges levied by former heavyweight champion Michael Moorer ; IBF's reputation was ruined in 1999 with founder Lee's indictment for racketeering and other violations for taking bribes in exchange for high boxer rankings. Indicted on federal racketeering and racketeering conspiracy charges were "president, Robert W. Lee, 65; his son and IBF liaison, Robert Lee Jr., 38; former IBF executive and Virginia boxing commissioner Donald William Brennan, 86; and South American IBF representative Francisco Fernandez." Lee

1680-592: The NABF in 1969 as part of its creation of a variety of regional boxing federations. These regional federations would sanction championship bouts and crown regional champions. These champions would be given consideration in the world rankings put out by the WBC. The first NABF title bout was between Sonny Liston and Leotis Martin on December 6, 1969. According to the International Boxing Research Organization, "the appearance of

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1760-480: The NABF in 1969 marked the start of major 12-round title bouts in western countries..." Sonny Liston Charles L. " Sonny " Liston ( c.  1930 – December 30, 1970), nicknamed " the Big Bear ", was an American professional boxer who competed from 1953 to 1970. A dominant contender of his era, he became the undisputed world heavyweight champion in 1962 after knocking out Floyd Patterson in

1840-489: The St. Louis police and a thinly veiled threat to his life, Liston left for Philadelphia . In 1958, Liston returned to boxing. He won eight fights that year, six by knockout. Liston was training in the stable of Eddie Yawitz, who along with Bernie Glickman, managed the welterweight champion Virgil Akins . Yawitz and Glickman would be subpoenaed to testify in the grand jury trial of mafia soldier Frankie Carbo . The same year, he

1920-550: The World: Muhammad Ali and the Rise of an American Hero , interviewed one of Liston's cornermen, who told him that Liston could have continued: "[The shoulder] was all BS. We had a return bout clause with Clay, but if you say your guy just quit, who is gonna get a return bout? We cooked up that shoulder thing on the spot." Hall of Fame matchmaker Teddy Brenner also disputed the shoulder injury, claiming he saw Liston use

2000-408: The bell. The second round saw Liston continue to pursue Clay. At one point, Liston had Clay against the ropes and landed a hard left hook. Clay confessed later he had been hurt by the punch, but Liston was unable to press his advantage home. Two of the three official scorers, or judges, awarded the round to Liston, and the other scored the round even. In the third round, Clay began to take control of

2080-467: The best shape of his career. However, there were again rumors of alcohol abuse in training. The extent to which Liston's heavy drinking and possible drug use may have contributed to his surprisingly poor performances against Ali is not known. Three days before the fight, Ali needed emergency surgery for a strangulated hernia . The bout would need to be delayed by six months. The new date was set for May 25, 1965. But as it approached, there were fears that

2160-470: The controversy after the fight had not been seen since The Long Count Fight between champion Gene Tunney and challenger Jack Dempsey in 1927. The fight ranks as one of the shortest heavyweight title bouts in history. Many in the small crowd had not even settled in their seats when the fight was stopped. The official time of the stoppage was announced as 1:00 into the first round, which was wrong. Liston went down at 1:44, got up at 1:56, and Walcott stopped

2240-423: The count. He said he could not hear McDonough, who did not have a microphone. Also, McDonough did not bang on the canvas or motion a number count with his fingers. McDonough, however, claimed Walcott was looking at the crowd and never at him. After Liston arose, Walcott wiped off his gloves. He then left the fighters to go over to McDonough. "The timekeeper was waving both hands and saying, 'I counted him out—the fight

2320-451: The deflation, see the look of hurt in his eyes. ... He had been deliberately snubbed. Philadelphia wanted nothing to do with him." People describe Sonny's disappointment further, recalling his shoulders slumping and all joy being removed from his demeanor. This point, the absence of a crowd or parade upon his arrival, is marked by many as Sonny's abandonment of any hope of being accepted as a champion. From this point forward, he would play into

2400-475: The fact that many spectators failed to see the knockout blows." 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. But upon arrival, Liston was met by only a handful of reporters and public-relations staff. Writer Jack McKinney said, "I watched Sonny. His eyes swept the whole scene. ... You could feel

2480-473: The fight at 2:12. Numerous fans booed and started yelling, "Fix!" Many did not see the punch land, and some who did questioned that it was powerful enough to knock Liston out. Skeptics called the knockout blow "the phantom punch." Ali called it "the anchor punch." He said it was taught to him by comedian and film actor Stepin Fetchit , who learned it from Jack Johnson . There were some, however, who believed

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2560-414: The fight might indeed be halted, gave his charge a one-word order: "Run!" It was later theorized that a substance used on Liston's cuts by Joe Pollino, his cut man , may have caused the irritation. Clay later said that in round five he could only see a faint shadow of Liston during most of the round, but by circling and moving frantically he managed to avoid Liston and somehow survive. At one point, Clay

2640-422: The fight remains one of the most controversial in boxing history. Midway through the first round, Liston threw a left jab and Ali went over it with a fast right, knocking the former champion down. Liston went down on his back. He rolled over, got to his right knee and then fell on his back again. Many in attendance did not see Ali deliver the punch. The fight quickly descended into chaos. Referee Jersey Joe Walcott ,

2720-493: The fight was legitimate. World light-heavyweight champion José Torres said, "It was a perfect punch." Jim Murray of the Los Angeles Times wrote that it was "no phantom punch." And Tex Maule of Sports Illustrated wrote, "The blow had so much force it lifted Liston's left foot, upon which most of his weight was resting, well off the canvas." Still, some found it hard to believe that the punch could have floored

2800-510: The fight was scored as even on the official scorecards. It was the first time since 1919—when Jack Dempsey defeated Jess Willard —that a world heavyweight champion had quit on his stool. Liston said he quit because of a shoulder injury. Dr. Alexander Robbins, chief physician for the Miami Beach Boxing Commission, diagnosed Liston with a torn tendon in his left shoulder. However, David Remnick , for his book King of

2880-464: The fight. At about 30 seconds into the round he hit Liston with several combinations, causing a bruise under Liston's right eye and a cut under his left, which eventually required eight stitches to close. It was the first time in his career that Liston had been cut. At one point in this attack, Liston was rocked as he was driven to the ropes. A clearly angered Liston rallied at the end of the round when Clay seemed tired, delivering punishing body shots. It

2960-436: The first five rounds. The fight turned out to be a mismatch. Liston, with a 25-pound weight advantage, 214 lb (97 kg) to 189 lb (86 kg), knocked out Patterson at 2:06 of the first round, putting him down for the count with a powerful left hook to the jaw. Sports Illustrated writer Gilbert Rogin wrote that "that final left hook crashed into Patterson's cheek like a diesel rig going downhill, no brakes." It

3040-525: The first round in St. Louis, where he fought his first five bouts. He was 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m), and had an exceptionally powerful physique, with a disproportionately long reach at 84 inches (2.13 m). His fists measured 15 inches (38 cm) around, the largest of any heavyweight champion. Sports Illustrated writer Mort Sharnik said his hands "looked like cannonballs when he made them into fists." Liston's noticeably more muscular left arm, crushing left jab and powerful left hook lent credence to

3120-407: The first round, repeating the knockout the following year in defense of the title; in the latter fight he also became the inaugural WBC heavyweight champion. Often regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time, Liston is known for his immense strength, formidable jab, long reach , toughness, and is widely regarded as the most intimidating man in the history of combat sports. Although Liston

3200-417: The first time in his eighth professional fight, losing to Marty Marshall, a journeyman with an awkward style. In the third round, Marshall nailed Liston—reportedly while he was laughing—and broke his jaw. A stoic Liston finished the fight, but lost in an eight-round split decision. On April 21, 1955, he defeated Marshall in a rematch, dropping him four times en route to a sixth-round knockout. They fought for

3280-554: The handlers of world heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson refused to give him a shot at the title citing Liston's links to organized crime. While Liston began working into shape with hopes for a heavyweight title shot, he also continued his criminal behavior. Two more arrests—for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest and another for impersonating a cop —led to Liston being suspended by the Pennsylvania Athletic Commission on July 14, 1961. The suspension

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3360-574: The heavyweight, was gathered to represent the United States in an International Golden Gloves (USA vs. West Europe) competition at Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis. Liston knocked out Hermann Schreibauer of West Germany at 2:16 of the first round. The previous month, Schreibauer had won a bronze medal in the European Championships . At this time, the head coach of the St. Louis Golden Gloves team, Tony Anderson, stated that Liston

3440-498: The left and away from the threat of a Liston left hook. Although the opening round saw Clay largely on the defensive, it was soon established that Clay could reverse roles quickly and take to the offensive with a remarkably fast series of combinations delivered to Liston's head. A sudden violent combination delivered with 30 seconds left in the round electrified the crowd. The opening round was fought an extra eight seconds, since both fighters and referee Barney Felix apparently did not hear

3520-447: The matter. Liston believed his date of birth to be May 8, 1932, and used this for official purposes but by the time he won the world title an aged appearance added credence to rumors that he was actually several years older. 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. Tobe Liston inflicted whippings so severe on Sonny that

3600-494: The next two rounds and had Griffin hanging on at the end. Liston competed in the 1953 United States National Championships at Boston Garden and passed the preliminaries, stopping Lou Graff in the second round on April 13, but lost in the quarterfinals to 17-year-old Jimmy McCarter on April 15. He would later employ McCarter as a sparring partner . On June 23, 1953, a team consisting of ten recent St. Louis Golden Gloves champions of all weight classes, with Liston on top as

3680-402: The officer used racial slurs. A widely publicized account of Liston resisting arrest—even after nightsticks were allegedly broken over his skull—added to the public perception of him as a nightmarish "monster" impervious to physical punishment. He was paroled after serving six months of a nine-month sentence, and was not prohibited from boxing during 1957. After repeated overnight detention by

3760-564: The police had continued in Philadelphia. He particularly resented a 1961 arrest by a black patrolman for loitering, claiming to have merely been signing autographs and chatting with fans outside a drugstore. A month later, Liston was accused of impersonating a police officer by using a flashlight to wave down a female motorist in Fairmount Park , although all charges were later dropped. Subsequently, Liston spent some months in Denver where

3840-531: The proceeds, he traveled to St. Louis to live with his mother. Liston tried going to school but quickly left after jeers about his illiteracy; the only employment he could obtain was sporadic and exploitative. Liston turned to crime and led a gang of thugs who committed muggings and armed robberies. Because of the shirt he wore during robberies, the St. Louis police called Liston the "Yellow Shirt Bandit." When caught in January 1950, Liston gave his age as 20, while

3920-463: The promoters were tied to organized crime and Massachusetts officials, most notably Suffolk County District Attorney Garrett H. Byrne , began to have second thoughts. Byrne sought an injunction blocking the fight in Boston because Inter-Continental Promotions was promoting the fight without a Massachusetts license. Inter-Continental said local veteran Sam Silverman was the promoter. On May 7, backers of

4000-441: The rematch ended the court battle by pulling the fight out of Boston. The promoters needed a new location quickly, whatever the size, to rescue their closed-circuit television commitment around the country. Governor John H. Reed of Maine stepped forward, and within a few hours the promoters had a new site: Lewiston, Maine , a mill town with a population of about 41,000 located 140 miles (230 km) north of Boston. The ending of

4080-408: The same arm to throw a chair in his dressing room after the match. There is ample evidence that Liston did carry an injury to his left shoulder into the fight. Sports Illustrated writer Tex Maule wrote that Liston's shoulder injury was legitimate. He cited Liston's inability to lift his arm: "There is no doubt that Liston's arm was damaged. In the sixth round, he carried it at belt level so that it

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4160-515: The same man, incidentally, that Liston dismissed in less than two rounds a full three years later. Former champions Jack Dempsey , Joe Louis , Floyd Patterson and Gene Tunney , as well as contender George Chuvalo all declared they considered the fight to be a fake. Some felt the knockdown was real but the knockout was fake. Ali biographer Wilfrid Sheed wrote, in his Muhammad Ali: A Portrait in Words and Photographs , that Liston planned to throw

4240-602: The scars were still visible decades later. "The only thing my old man ever gave me was a beating," Liston said. In 1946, Helen Baskin, along with some of her children, moved to St. Louis to seek factory work. Liston—aged around 13, according to his later reckonings—remained in Arkansas with his father. The following year, Sonny—determined to reunite with his mother and siblings—thrashed the pecans from his brother-in-law's tree and sold them in Forrest City, Arkansas . With

4320-513: 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. It burned like hell. There was something caustic in both eyes." Biographer Wilfrid Sheed wrote in his book, Muhammad Ali: A Portrait in Words and Photographs , that Clay's protests were heard by ringside members of the Nation of Islam who initially suspected Dundee had blinded his fighter, and that

4400-533: The stereotypes that reporters bestowed on him, departing from any efforts to appear amiable and affectionate to the public. During an era when white journalists still described black athletes in stereotypes, Liston had long been a target of racially charged slurs; he was called a "gorilla" and "a jungle beast" in print. Larry Merchant , then a writer with the Philadelphia Daily News , wrote: "A celebration for Philadelphia's first heavyweight champ

4480-409: The third round. This victory is regarded by some as Liston's most impressive performance. He rounded out the year by stopping Nino Valdez and Willi Besmanoff . In 1960, Liston won five more fights, including a rematch with Williams, who lasted only two rounds. Roy Harris , who had gone 13 rounds with Floyd Patterson in a title match, was crushed in one round by Liston. Top contender Zora Folley

4560-496: The title. Liston angrily responded by questioning whether Dempsey's failure to serve in World War I qualified him to moralize. Frustrated, Liston changed his management in 1961 and applied pressure through the media by remarking that Patterson, who had faced mostly white challengers since becoming champion, was drawing the color line against his own race. Patterson maintained, however, that he desperately wanted to fight Liston all

4640-418: The trainer deliberately wiped his own eyes with the corner sponge to demonstrate to Clay's approaching bodyguards that he had not intentionally blinded him. The commotion was not lost on referee Barney Felix, who was walking toward Clay's corner. Felix later said Clay was seconds from being disqualified. The challenger, his arms held high in surrender, was demanding that the fight be stopped and Dundee, fearing

4720-545: The while, but was blocked by aforementioned trainer Cus D'Amato , subsequently contributing to his firing. Patterson finally signed to meet Liston for the world title on September 25, 1962, in Comiskey Park in Chicago . Leading up to the fight, Liston was an 8:5 betting favorite, although many picked Patterson to win. In an Associated Press poll, 64 of 102 reporters picked Patterson. Sports Illustrated predicted

4800-533: The widely held belief that he was left-handed, although he fought in an orthodox stance . Early in his career, Liston faced capable opponents. In his sixth bout, he faced ranked heavyweight Johnny Summerlin (18–1–2) on national television and won in an eight-round decision. In his next fight, he had a rematch with Summerlin and again won an eight-round decision. Both fights were in Summerlin's hometown of Detroit . On September 7, 1954, Liston suffered defeat for

4880-520: Was Marvin Camel , a former WBC world cruiserweight champion who won the IBF's belt in the same division. During its first year of existence the IBF remained largely obscure, but by 1984 it decided to recognize Larry Holmes , Aaron Pryor , Marvin Hagler and Donald Curry , already established champions from other organizations, as IBF world champions. In Holmes' case, he relinquished his WBC title to accept

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4960-442: Was a heavy favorite. In a pre-fight poll, 43 of 46 sportswriters picked Liston to win by knockout. Odds makers gave Liston 8:1 to win. Clay countered in verse, "If you want to lose your money, then bet on Sonny!” Liston was supremely confident of easily beating Clay, trained minimally for the fight and went ahead with it despite an injury to his left shoulder. From the opening bell Liston attempted to close with Clay, looking to land

5040-417: Was also a priest, aided Liston in getting an early parole. Stevens organized a sparring session with a professional heavyweight named Thurman Wilson to showcase Liston's potential. After two rounds, Wilson had taken enough. "Better get me out of this ring," exclaimed Wilson, "he is going to kill me!" After Liston was released from prison on October 31, 1952, he had a brief amateur career that spanned less than

5120-680: Was honored in all states. Ironically, Patterson's manager, Cus D'Amato , associated with racketeers and had his manager's license revoked by the New York State Athletic Commission for alleged misconduct in connection with the Floyd Patterson – Ingemar Johansson title fight in June 1959. Civic leaders were also reluctant, worrying that Liston's unsavory character would set a bad example for youth. The NAACP had urged Patterson not to fight Liston, fearing that

5200-630: Was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991. Charles "Sonny" Liston was born circa 1930 into a sharecropping family that farmed the poor land of Morledge Plantation near Johnson Township, St. Francis County, Arkansas . His father, Tobe Liston, was in his mid 40s when he and his wife, Helen Baskin, who was almost 30 years younger than Tobe, moved to Arkansas from Mississippi in 1916. Helen had one child before she married Tobe, and Tobe had 13 children with his first wife. Tobe and Helen had 12 children together; Sonny

5280-479: Was of no help in warding off the right crosses with which Clay probed at the cut under his left eye." He also cited medical evidence: "A team of eight doctors inspected Liston's arm at St. Francis Hospital in Miami Beach and agreed that it was too badly damaged for Liston to continue fighting. The torn tendon had bled down into the mass of the biceps, swelling and numbing the arm." Those findings were confirmed in

5360-416: Was probably Liston's best moment in the entire fight. Sitting on his stool between rounds, however, Liston was breathing heavily as his cornermen worked on his cut. During the fourth round Liston appeared dominant as Clay coasted, keeping his distance. Joe Louis commenting on TV at ringside said "It's looking good for Sonny Liston". However, when Clay returned to his corner, he started complaining that there

5440-484: Was quoted as saying he was "ashamed to be in America." U.S. President John F. Kennedy also did not want Patterson to fight Liston. When Patterson met with the president in January 1962, Kennedy suggested that Patterson avoid Liston, citing Justice Department concerns over Liston's ties to organized crime. Jack Dempsey spoke for many when he was quoted as saying that Sonny Liston should not be allowed to fight for

5520-441: Was shifted to a new manager, Joseph "Pep" Barone, who was a front man for Frankie Carbo and Frank "Blinky" Palermo . The year 1959 was a banner one for Liston: after knocking out contender Mike DeJohn in six rounds he faced Cleveland Williams , a fast-handed fighter who was billed as the hardest-hitting heavyweight in the world against whom he showed durability, power and skill, nullifying Williams' best work before stopping him in

5600-417: Was something burning in his eyes and he could not see. "I didn't know what the heck was going on", Angelo Dundee , Clay's trainer, recalled on an NBC special 25 years later. "He said, 'Cut the gloves off. I want to prove to the world there's dirty work afoot.' And I said, 'Whoa, whoa, back up, baby. C'mon now, this is for the title, this is the big apple. What are you doing? Sit down!' So I get him down, I get

5680-430: Was stopped in three rounds. After demolishing these top-ranked fighters in the heavyweight division, Liston was regarded as the top-contender champion-in-waiting. Liston's streak of nine straight knockout victories ended when he won a unanimous twelve-round decision against Eddie Machen on September 7, 1960. Machen's mobility enabled him to go the distance but he was clearly outpointed despite Liston being penalised for

5760-489: Was subsequently convicted of money-laundering and tax evasion in August 2000, then sentenced, in 2001, to 22 months in prison and fined $ 25,000. In 2000, citing extortion , boxing promoter Bob Arum voluntarily testified to having paid IBF president Bobby Lee $ 100,000 in two installments in 1995, as the first half of a $ 200,000 bribe, through "middleman, Stanley Hoffman", adding that Lee had first demanded $ 500,000 to approve

5840-400: Was that he "did not punch enough and frequently tried to clinch with Liston. ... In these feckless clinches he only managed to tie up one of Liston's arms. A grateful Liston found there was no need to give chase. The victim sought out the executioner." Rogin discounted speculation that Patterson had thrown the fight, writing: "The genesis of all this wide-eyed theorizing and downright baloney was

5920-608: Was the first million-dollar purse with both fighters receiving $ 1,434,000 each. Patterson, a 4:1 betting underdog, was knocked down three times and counted out at 2:10 of the first round. The fight lasted four seconds longer than the first one. Liston's victory was loudly booed. "The public is not with me. I know it", Liston said afterward. "But they'll have to swing along until somebody comes to beat me." Liston made his second title defense on February 25, 1964, in Miami Beach , Florida against Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali). Liston

6000-483: Was the first woman president of any world governing boxing organization. In 2001, Marian Muhammad assumed the presidency, followed by Daryl J. Peoples, who remained president as of 2018. The IBF ran the "1st Annual Convention of IBF Muaythai" in Bangkok on 20–21 December 2017. Daryl Peoples, IBF president, attended the convention. The new champions of IBF Muay Thai were crowned in three weight divisions. In response to

6080-414: Was the second youngest child. There is no official record of Liston's birth as his family's home state of Arkansas did not make birth certificates mandatory until 1965. His family, but not Charles (or Sonny) Liston, can be found in the 1930 census, and in the 1940 census he was listed as 10 years old. It has been suggested Liston himself may not have known what year he was born, as he was not precise on

6160-596: Was the strongest fighter he had seen. Liston signed a contract in September 1953, proclaiming: "Whatever you tell me to do, I'll do." The only backers 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. The connections to organized crime were an advantage early in his career but were later used against him. Liston made his professional debut on September 2, 1953, knocking out Don Smith in

6240-430: 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. Rogin wrote that Patterson backers expected him to "go inside on Liston, fire away and then run like a thief in the night. He would not close in until the accumulated inside damage and Liston's own frustration had sapped the challenger's strength and will." Patterson's fatal mistake

6320-465: Was widely regarded as unbeatable, he lost the title in 1964 to Muhammad Ali (then known as Cassius Clay), who entered as an 8:1 underdog . Liston retired in his corner due to an inflamed shoulder. Controversy followed with claims that Liston had been drinking heavily the night before the fight and had entered the bout with a lame shoulder. In his 1965 rematch with Ali, Liston suffered an unexpected first-round knockout that led to unresolved suspicions of

6400-430: Was wiping his eyes with his right hand while extending his left arm—"like a drunk leaning on a lamppost" Bert Sugar wrote—to keep Liston at bay. But by the sixth round his sight had cleared, and a clearly enraged Clay fought a blisteringly aggressive round landing numerous combination punches. Liston failed to answer the bell for the seventh round, and Clay was declared the winner by technical knockout . At that point,

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