Record details

Sonny Liston

"The Big Bear"

Heavyweight

Male

(Charles Liston)
USA, Saint Louis, Missouri
Born: May 8, 1932, Sand Slough, Arkansas, USA
(some sources report: St. Francis County, Arkansas)
Died: December 30, 1970, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Height: 6ft 1in, mt 1,85
Weight: 200, 212, 218, 223, 219 lbs

Amateur Results


1953
Date	Opponent	Place	Result
St Louis, Missouri, Missouri Golden Gloves winner, +81 kg
+ Feb. 15	LLoyd Willis	St Louis, Missouri	WPTS
Chicago, Illinois, Chicago Golden Gloves winner, +81 kg
+ Feb. 24	Donnie Fleeman (USA)	Chicago, Illinois	WKO 3
+ Feb. 24	Carl McClure	Chicago, Illinois	WPTS
+ Feb. 25	Tullos Lee Mead	Chicago, Illinois	WKO 2
+ Mar. 6	Ben Bankhead	Chicago, Illinois	WPTS
+ Mar. 6	Ed Sanders (USA)	Chicago, Illinois	WPTS
Chicago, Illinois, Chicago-NY Intercity winner, +81 kg
+ Mar. 26	Julius Griffin (USA)	Chicago, Illinois	WPTS
Boston, Massachusetts, USA National AAU Championships Quarter-Finals, +81 kg
+ Apr. 14	Lou Graff	Boston, Massachusetts	WKO 1
- Apr. 15	James McCarter	Boston, Massachusetts	LPTS
St Louis, Missouri, International Golden Gloves winner, +81 kg
+ June 23	Herman Schreibauer	St Louis, Missouri	WTKO 1

Professional record


1953
Date	Opponent	Place	Result
+ Sept. 2	Don Smith	Saint Louis, USA	TKO 1
+ Sept. 17	Ponce de Leon	Saint Louis, USA	W 4
+ Nov. 21	Bennie Thomas	Saint Louis, USA	W 6

1954
Date	Opponent	Place	Result
+ Jan. 25	Martin Lee	Saint Louis, USA	TKO 6
+ Mar. 31	Stanley Howlett	Saint Louis, USA	W 6
+ June 29	Johnny Summerlin	Detroit, USA	W 8
+ Aug. 10	Johnny Summerlin	Detroit, USA	W 8
- Sept. 7	Marty Marshall	Detroit, USA	L 8

1955
Date	Opponent	Place	Result
+ Mar. 1	Neal Welch	Saint Louis, USA	W 8
+ Apr. 21	Marty Marshall	Saint Louis, USA	TKO 6
+ May 5	Emil Brtko	Pittsburgh, USA	TKO 5
+ May 25	Calvin Butler	Saint Louis, USA	TKO 2
+ Sept. 13	Johnny Gray	Indianapolis, USA	TKO 6
+ Dec. 13	Larry Watson	East Saint Louis, USA	TKO 4

1956
Date	Opponent	Place	Result
+ Mar. 6	Marty Marshall	Pittsburgh, USA	W 10


1957 Inactive

1958
Date	Opponent	Place	Result
+ Jan. 29	Billy Hunter	Chicago, USA	TKO 2
+ Mar. 11	Ben Wise	Chicago, USA	TKO 4
+ Apr. 3	Bert Whitehurst	Saint Louis, USA	W 10
+ May 14	Julio Mederos	Chicago, USA	TKO 2
+ Aug. 6	Wayne Bethea	Chicago, USA	TKO 1
+ Oct. 7	Frankie Daniels	Miami Beach, USA	KO 1
+ Oct. 24	Bert Whitehurst	Saint Louis, USA	W 10
+ Nov. 18	Ernie Cab	Miami Beach, USA	TKO 8

1959
Date	Opponent	Place	Result
+ Feb. 18	Mike DeJohn	Miami Beach, USA	TKO 6
+ Apr. 15	Cleveland Williams	Miami Beach, USA	TKO 3
+ Aug. 5	Nino Valdes	Chicago, USA	KO 3
+ Dec. 9	Willi Besmanoff	Cleveland, USA	TKO 7

1960
Date	Opponent	Place	Result
+ Feb. 23	Howard King	Miami Beach, USA	TKO 8
+ Mar. 21	Cleveland Williams	Houston, USA	TKO 2
+ Apr. 25	Roy Harris	Houston, USA	TKO 1
+ July 18	Zora Folley	Denver, USA	KO 3
+ Sept. 7	Eddie Machen	Seattle, USA	W 12

1961
Date	Opponent	Place	Result
+ Mar. 8	Howard King	Miami Beach, USA	TKO 3
+ Dec. 4	Albert Westphal	Philadelphia, USA	KO 1

1962
Date	Opponent	Place	Result
+ Sept. 25	Floyd Patterson	Chicago, USA	KO 1
(Won World Heavyweight Title)

1963
Date	Opponent	Place	Result
+ July 22	Floyd Patterson	Las Vegas, USA	KO 1
(Retained World Heavyweight Title)

1964
Date	Opponent	Place	Result
- Feb. 25	Cassius Clay	Miami Beach, USA	TKO by 7
(Lost World Heavyweight Title)

1965
Date	Opponent	Place	Result
- May 25	Muhammad Ali	Lewiston, USA	KO by 1
(For World Heavyweight Title)

1966
Date	Opponent	Place	Result
+ July 1	Gerhard Zech	Stockholm, Sweden	KO 7
+ Aug. 19	Amos Johnson	Gothenburg, Sweden	KO 3

1967
Date	Opponent	Place	Result
+ Mar. 30	Dave Bailey	Gothenburg, Sweden	KO 1
+ Apr. 28	Elmer Rush	Stockholm, Sweden	TKO 6

1968
Date	Opponent	Place	Result
+ Mar. 16	Bill McMurray	Reno, USA	KO 4
+ May 23	Billy Joiner	Los Angeles, USA	TKO 7
+ July 6	Henry Clark	San Francisco, USA	TKO 7
+ Oct. 14	Sonny Moore	Phoenix, USA	TKO 3
+ Nov. 3	Willis Earls	Ciudad Juarez, Mexico	KO 2
+ Nov. 12	Roger Rischer	Pittsburgh, USA	KO 3
+ Dec. 10	Amos Lincoln	Baltimore, USA	KO 2

1969
Date	Opponent	Place	Result
+ Mar. 28	Billy Joiner	Saint Louis, USA	W 10
+ May 19	George Johnson	Las Vegas, USA	TKO 7
+ Sept. 23	Sonny Moore	Houston, USA	KO 3
- Dec. 6	Leotis Martin	Las Vegas, USA	KO by 9
(For vacant NABF Heavyweight Title)

1970
Date	Opponent	Place	Result
+ June 29	Chuck Wepner	Jersey City, USA	TKO 10

Summary