Liston was buried in the Paradise Memorial Gardens in Las Vegas under the simplest of epitaphs: A MAN.. Sonny Liston was born on May 8, probably 1932, to Tobe and Helen (Baskin) Liston, African-American sharecroppers in rural St. Francis County. Liston's formative years were spent growing up as a physically and mentally abused child living in a forsaken patch of land known as Sand Slough, Ark. Cox, who was interviewed extensively by Tosches, went as far as to say that Liston would still be alive if he had "spent more time with Father Murphy."). As Liston made himself a serious challenger to Floyd Patterson for the heavyweight title, Liston made his alliance with the Devil, as Tosches refers to the mob. He was adopted when the couple was together. Liston had a short and successful amateur career, following which he turned pro. The reader can form his own conclusion based on the reports of those involved. His ring style was the essence of simplicity; he displayed little finesse but much raw power, especially in his left hand. Foes like the murderous-punching Cleveland Williams, Mike DeJohn and Nino Valdez succumbed to Liston's heavy fists. Maybe Liston was concerned about the death threats that had been made against Ali in the wake of the assassination of Malcolm X and Liston just wanted to get out of the ring that night as quickly as possible. As Toches brings out, Liston's brooding temperament can be explained in part by his insecurity. At the age of 13, he ran away to St. Louis, following his mother who had left earlier. Geneastars | Facebook. Liston scored another knockout in a rematch with Patterson, but his 17-month reign as heavyweight champion ended at the hands of a brash fighter named Cassius Clay. Won his last fight on June 29, 1970, at the Jersey City Armory, stopping. Liston won 26 consecutive bouts, moving inexorably toward the heavyweight championship. His alcoholic and violent father was thirty years older than Sonnys mother. His trademark shirt during his illegal raids was yellow. . On top of the mob issue, Liston had to overcome more problems with the law before he could be free to fight Patterson for the title. There, he became a thug, committing various muggings and robbery. All Rights Reserved. He died circa December 30, 1970, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Liston had a rough and violent childhood. Family (1) Spouse Sonny Liston went from boxing champion and national anti-hero to a Las Vegas thug who drove around in a pink Cadillac and sold drugs. The son of tenant farmer Tobey Liston and his second wife, Helen, Liston was the 24th of his fathers 25 children. In his next fight he bounced back to TKO Chuck Wepner shortly before his mysterious death in 1970. WebHe had seven siblings. Liston, in fact, had great respect for Father Murphy and behaved admirably around him. Pacific Grove, CA: Park Place Publications, 2012. Along with his many siblings, Liston grew up working in the local cotton fields. Additional support provided by the Arkansas General Assembly. Ironically, by the time Liston finally became champ in September of that year with his 1-round KO of Patterson, the mob was beginning to lose its iron grip on the sport and on Liston himself. That inbred struggle for survival often produces champions. Sonny Listons height Unknown & weight Not Available right. Charles "Sonny" Liston was pronounced dead at the scene. Liston won 26 consecutive bouts, moving inexorably toward the heavyweight championship. Tobe was mean to his children, and especially to Sonny. After his release, Liston relocated to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where his career quickly flourished again. Official Sites. Sonny Liston was introduced to boxing by Reverend Father Alois Stevens. WebAsuncin "Sunny" Cummings Hostin (/ h s t n /; born October 20, 1968) is an American lawyer, journalist, and television host.Hostin is co-host on ABC's morning talk show The No one knows how Sonny Liston died. During that same period, he got married (in 1957 to Geraldine Clark), moved from St. Louis to Philadelphia, and was questioned by a congressional committee about the takeover of his management by mob elements in 1960. Rate and review titles you borrow and share your opinions on them. His final record as a professional was fifty wins, thirty-nine by knockout, and four losses. New York: Skyhorse, 2011. WebSonny Liston Photo Gallery. Why he died remains one of sport's most enduring mysteries. Gambling. He was one of many children one account lists 22 siblings and half-siblings. Liston continued fighting following the loss of his title, mainly because it was the only legal way he knew how to make a buck. Introduced to boxing by Father Stevens in the St. Louis City Jail during 1950. Sonny never really had a Prime. He has ranked on the list of those famous people who were born on May 8, 1932. Though it appeared that Liston had barely been grazed by Clay's right fist, the boxer went down just one minute and 45 seconds into the first round. Special thanks to the Department of Arkansas Heritage. He started boxing in prison and was likely over 30 then. Tosches does a nice piece of reporting on the incident that led to Liston's arrest, objectively revealing all available viewpoints. Some suspect foul play; others believe Liston died of a self-inflicted drug overdose. His father was an abusive alcoholic, and Liston eventually left the house during his teens. As for the rematch between the two fighters in an ice rink in Lewiston, Maine, in May of 1965, there are a lot of possible explanations for Liston's bizarre actions that night. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Liston claimed he was born in 1932, yet his rap sheet for his 1950 arrest for armed robbery listed his age as 22, making him born in 1928. in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, This form allows you to report an error or to submit additional information about this family tree: Sonny LISTON (1932), Copyright Wikipdia authors - This article is under licence CC BY-SA 3.0. Liston was raised on heavy farm work, many beatings and with virtually no schooling. He only served six. QUICK FACTS. University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Liston celebrated the speedy reinstatement of his license with an impressive 1-round knockout of German baker Albert Westphal, who was ranked No. He sold pecans from his brother-in-laws tree in order to reunite with his mother and his siblings. Sonny Liston estimated Net Worth, Salary, Income, Cars, Lifestyles & many more details have been updated below. Little Rock, AR. He was born in St. Francis in the state of Missouri, USA. He was a victim before he was ever a brute. He was trained by Charles Hills and has raced for Chelsea Thoroughbreds, and was bred in [Add Data] by [Add Data] . Later, films of the fight showed the bout ended at the 1:25 mark. The subsequent rematch with Clay on May 25, 1965, included the infamous "phantom punch." Sonny Liston was born on May 8, probably 1932, to Tobe and Helen (Baskin) Liston, African-American sharecroppers in rural St. Francis County. He managed to turn his cruel past to his advantage. Liston was an excellent boxer. Remembering Just Fontaine and His World Cup Record, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads, Name: Sonny Liston, Birth Year: 1932, Birth date: May 8, 1932, Birth State: Arkansas, Birth City: St Francis County, Birth Country: United States. His wife found his lifeless body in their home on January 5, 1971. Get in on the latest boxing conversations in our Forum and comment on articles. He died in Vegas as mysteriously as he had lived, a man bent under a great shadow, afflicted by a legion of personal demons that no one could exorcise. Liston penalized two points for low blows. Liston, who posted a career record of 50 wins and 4 losses with 39 knockouts, reveled in this role of the fighter America loved to hate. With the proceeds he traveled to St. Louis and reunited with his mother and siblings. WebParents and Siblings Charles L. "Sonny" Liston 19321970 Geraldine Chamber 19252005 Spouse and Children Charles L. "Sonny" Liston Male19321970 Male Liston was beaten in his ninth match by Marty Marshall. From the time he was old enough to be useful in the fields, Sonny was a laborer for his tenant farmer father. Mee, Bob. This is how Tosches describes Liston's birth place: "It was in the sector of Morledge Plantation that lay in Johnson Township, St. Francis County, that Tobe Liston and his family came to live and farm, on a low patch where a rill of muddy water, a mile and a half or so long, dribbled dead to its end in a slough of sandy dirt where nothing could grow. On the side of Tobe Liston, born in 1872 - Choctaw Co., MS, deceased. Scroll below and check our most recent updates about Sonny Liston Net Worth, Salary, Biography, Age, {{ mediasCtrl.getTitle(media, true) }} He became a professional fighter in 1953. After being unable to reach Liston for 12 days, his wife Geraldine returned to their Nevada home on January 5, 1971, at which time she discovered Liston's dead body. TM & 2023 BoxingScene.All Rights Reserved. The official cause of death was lung congestion and heart failure, although Liston had fresh needle marks on his arm and police discovered heroin and a syringe in the house. He won 11 consecutive fights by knockout in 1968 and added three more wins in 1969 before losing a brutal bout to Leotis Martin. However, his career was marred by criminal activity and, later, accusations of mob connections and throwing fights, according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Sonny Liston lost his title to the little known Cassius Clay in the seventh round in February 1964. The most noticeable being his win over Ed Sanders. By that time, Liston had already attracted the attention of organized crime. He was officially knocked out by Muhammad Ali in one minute for the fastest KO in heavyweight history up to that time. | He was one of many children one account lists 22 siblings and half-siblings. Copyright 2020, ARKANSAS SOUL MEDIA. angelsunchained, Other Works Along with his many siblings, Liston grew up Tired of being exploited as a manual laborer, Sonny Liston turned to crime. Liston was inducted into the international Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991. Charles "Sonny" Liston was born circa 1930 into a sharecropping family who farmed the poor land of Morledge Plantation near Johnson Township, St. Francis County, Arkansas. She had been away on holiday. The rematch in Las Vegas on July 22, 1963, was another first-round knockout. Eddie Dooley, chairman of the New York Boxing Commission in the 1960s, said that as long as he was chairman of the commission Sonny Liston would never be granted a license to box in New York State. 100 Rock Street Sonny was probably born in 1929, but no one knows for sure. He climbed back into the ring on June 29, 1970, registering a 10th-round technical knockout against Bayonne Bleeder Chuck Wepner. Liston was raised on heavy farm work, many beatings and with virtually no schooling. Carbo was in prison and Palmermo would soon follow. Copyright 2020 ARKANSAS SOUL MEDIA, All rights Reserved. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Liston, who posted a career record of 50 wins and 4 losses with 39 knockouts, reveled in this role of the fighter America loved to hate. Clay later changed his name to Muhammad Ali. Known for his powerful punch, the majority of his victories were knockouts. Liston scored another knockout in a rematch with Patterson, but his 17-month reign as heavyweight champion ended at the hands of a brash fighter named Cassius Clay. Paroled in 1952, he had a brief amateur career, winning several Golden Gloves championships and defeating 1952 Olympic heavyweight champion Ed Sanders. Sanders was the reigning Olympic heavyweight champion. Relationship with Timothy Michael Dowling (Sosa/Ahnentafel #1), Relationship with Geraldine Clark (spouse), Browse using this individual as Sosa/Ahnentafel #1, , born in1872 - Choctaw Co., MS, deceased, , born inApril1873 - Montgomery Co., MS, deceased, Sources: Dowling Family Tree - Tim Dowling - rootsweb, 2001-2015 - - electronic - I435533, Marriage (with Geraldine Clark) - St. Louis, MO, List of all individuals in the family tree, {{ 'gw_downgraded_access_back_to_max'|translate }}, Born 8May1932 - Sand Lough, St. Francis Co., AR, Deceased 30December1970 - Las Vegas, Clark Co., NV, The place had a name, but it was not to be found on any map. He knocked out the reigning world champion in the first round. At the age of 13, he ran away to St. Louis, following his mother who had left earlier. Please try again. gnalogique Dowling avec plus d'un demi-million de parents, Armed robbery. Auspiciously, the massive man is known as "The Bear" then won his first nine fights before dropping an eight-round decision to Marty Marshall. Trivia He was convicted of robbery and larceny. The cover was one of the most famous images of the early 1960s, as Liston embodied the fears of White America during the days when Southern police officials had attacked the burgeoning civil rights movement with violence, a violence white Americans feared might be returned onto them. After the court case, he was sentenced to a five-year jail term in the Missouri State Prison. Sonny Liston had a controversial boxing career, winning 54 of 58 bouts from 1953 to 1970. Paroled in 1952, Liston quickly captured the local Golden Gloves championship. American professional boxer who became world heavyweight champion in 1962, Born on May 08, 1932 Owing to his many siblings and a brutal, hardscrabble Arkansas childhood with an abusive father (excruciatingly detailed in the movie and book), Liston had an affinity for needy children. Paroled in 1952, Liston quickly captured the local Golden Gloves championship. Read our Privacy Policy. .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}Remembering Just Fontaine and His World Cup Record, The Man Behind the First All-Black Basketball Team, 8 Times Brothers Have Faced Off in a Championship, Every Black Quarterback to Play in the Super Bowl, Soccer Star Christian Atsu Survived an Earthquake. Pre-European Exploration, Prehistory through 1540, European Exploration and Settlement, 1541 through 1802, Louisiana Purchase through Early Statehood, 1803 through 1860, Civil War through Reconstruction, 1861 through 1874, Post-Reconstruction through the Gilded Age, 1875 through 1900, Early Twentieth Century, 1901 through 1940, World War II through the Faubus Era, 1941 through 1967, Divergent Prosperity and the Arc of Reform, 19682022, World War II through the Faubus Era (1941 - 1967). He organized a criminal gang that robbed and mugged locals. Sonny Liston has been died on Dec 30, 1970 ( age 38). In St. Louis, he quickly encountered problems with the local police. Liston went back to the ring. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. The official cause of his death was given as cardiac arrest and lung congestion. All Rights Reserved. First World Heavyweight Boxing Champion banned from fighting in New York State by the New York Boxing Commission. View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro. Additional support provided by the Arkansas Humanities Council. Liston was the second last in a family of twenty-five siblings. His father was an abusive alcoholic, and Liston eventually left the house during his teens. Before his sentencing, Liston had been arrested more than twenty times. Folley knocked down twice in 2nd round; 9 count and saved by the bell at 9 count. Sonny Liston, hard-luck son of Arkansas sharecroppers, was champion of the world. Much of what Tosches gleans about Liston's youth stem from interviews with people who lived on the Morledge Plantation in the 1930s and from Sonny's older half-brother E.B. He became a professional fighter on September 2, 1953, when he knocked out Don Smith in a single round in St. Louis. Liston was sentenced to nine months in jail. After being unable to reach Liston for 12 days, his wife Geraldine returned to their Nevada home on January 5, 1971, at which time she discovered Listons dead body. His epitaph reads: A Man.. After a rough upbringing, with little formal education, Liston found himself in trouble with the law. For additional information: Some Thoughts on Boxing, Jake Paul, and Asking Why We Fight He knocked out Floyd Patterson in 1962 to become world heavyweight champion. Liston was the youngest heavyweight boxing champion to die (age 38). Liston continued to box until the time of his death. It was there in Sand Slough that Charles L. Liston was born, on the 50 acres that Tobe rented from the Man.". In 1966, following his loss to Clay, Liston launched a comeback. Charles "Sonny" Liston was born into a sharecropping family who farmed the poor land of Morledge Plantation near Johnson Township, St. Francis County, Arkansas. Sonny Liston was introduced to boxing while serving time in a Missouri State Penitentiary. The CALS Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization. Ali and Liston: The Boy Who Would Be King and the Ugly Bear. The dark side is evident. His sporting agility was electrifying to watch. . As most boxing fans know, it was in the Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City that Sonny learned to box. Known for his powerful punch, the majority of his victories were knockouts. Liston was buried in Paradise Memorial Gardens in Las Vegas, Nevada, beneath a simple gravestone. His mother worked several jobs to support her children. According to Wikipedia, Forbes, IMDb & Various Online resources, famous Boxer Sonny Listons net worth is $82 Million before He died. Time magazine photograph of Ali standing over Liston, taunting him, is one of the most popularly published in boxing. He had earned the title shot with an impressive string of 195960 victories over top contenders. L'arbre Served 7 months in jail for beating up a police officer over a parking ticket in St. Louis in the mid-1950s. Known for scowling at opponents, he combined an intimidating ring presence with awesome power. In prison, encouraged by Catholic chaplains, Liston took up boxing, where he was an immediate and spectacular success. Give a donation in someones name to mark a special occasion, honor a friend or colleague or remember a beloved family member. Known for scowling at opponents, he combined an intimidating ring presence with awesome power. WebIn 1950, Liston was arrested at his apartment at 1006 O'Fallon Street for robbing the Unique Cafe on 1502 Market Street in St. Louis for 37 dollars. Geraldine married Sonny Liston in 1950 Additional support provided by the Arkansas Community Foundation. Even as champion, Liston was never able to escape his prison beginnings or the allegations of mob connections. In the same interval, he had gotten married (in 1957 to Geraldine Clark), moved from St. Louis to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1958, and been questioned by a congressional committee about the takeover of his management by mob elements in 1960. Early Life and Family: Before he was famous, He sold pecans from his brother-in-laws tree in order to reunite with his mother and his siblings. Apart from his demeanor, Liston was a charming man with a captivating smile. This project is funded in part by a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan grant award. Owing to his bold physique and strict upbringing, Liston loved training. Wrong username or password. With the help of a farsighted, black St. Louis businessman and some other backers who were aware of Sonny's potential, Liston pursued a ring career after leaving the joint and rejoining society at large. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. He was one of many He was sired by Lawman out of the Galileo mare Stars In Your Eyes. . At 13, he escaped from his father's control and hitchhiked to Because of his arrest and prison term, Liston didn't have a fight between March of 1956, when he decisioned Marty Marshall in Pittsburgh, to January of 1958, when he knocked out Bill Hunter in two rounds in Chicago. Donations made to the CALS Foundation are tax-deductible for United States federal income tax purposes. His 17-year ring log was an impressive 50-4 with 39 knockouts. Just three months after Sonny's move to Denver, his license was reinstated. A story is told of Liston ordering his driver to stop on a busy highway, so that Liston could go and buy some pencils from an obviously poor, old, white women whom he had observed. Sonny Liston keeps his personal and love life private. His heavyweight title-winning victory on September 25, 1962, was indicative of his powerful style: After a mere two minutes, he knocked out Floyd Patterson, which marked the first time in history that a reigning heavyweight champion was counted out in the first round. He was referred to as the man with the steel punch and an iron chin.. In 1996 when Mike Tyson KO'd Bruce Seldon in one round for the WBA Heavyweight Championship, Tyson had won the WBC Heavyweight Championship six months earlier and was seeking to unify the title. Liston lost his rematch to Ali in May 1965. He was accused of stealing an officers gun. contient des milliers de photos et GeneaStars. At least two sexual assaults. 72201. Reverend Stevens was both the prisons chaplain and sports director. We are all related! In a short amount of time, those felonious deeds cost Sonny Liston his freedom. Nine years of steady fighting later, and following additional scrapes with the law, Liston fought Floyd Patterson for the Heavyweight Championship. Before he was 18, Liston was convicted of six muggings. In a short amount of time, he rose to prominence as a contender in the heavyweight division. Twenty-two-year-old Muhammad Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, defeated reigning world boxing champ Sonny Liston on this day in history, Feb. 25, 1964, in Miami, Florida. His father physically molested him. Liston turned professional in September 1953, earning his first paycheck in St. Louis with a first-round knockout of Don Smith. At the age of 16, Listonmore than 6 feet tall and weighing 200 poundsbecame a menacing presence in his neighborhood, occasionally working as a strike-breaking labor goon. The tactic worked. Or it would be history, if boxing historians would stop sweeping the legacy of Sonny Liston under the ring canvas. What advantage would there be to having the brash young boxer from Louisville installed as heavyweight champ in place of Liston? Tosches here betrays an ignorance of boxing that no doubt hurts his credibility with those know know the sport. He climbed back into the ring on June 29, 1970, registering a 10th-round technical knockout against "Bayonne Bleeder" Chuck Wepner. Liston was arrested more than 20 times. Liston was the 12th of 13 children born to Tobe and Helen Liston (and one of 25 children sired by Tobe). Outside of the ring, Liston had a charming personality. Robert B. Cochran He became a professional fighter in 1953. That hurt him deeply, though he instinctively hid the scars behind a scowl. Basically, for a guy like Liston, it meant that you either dealt with them, or you didn't deal at all. Touring the local hospital in a grey tweed overcoat with a black velvet collar, the intimidating, burly, 6-foot-tall, 215 lb. Less than a year later, on February 25, 1964, in Miami Beach, Florida, a heavily favored Liston lost his title to upstart Cassius Clay (soon to be Muhammad Ali) when he refused to answer the bell for the seventh round, claiming a shoulder injury. If there is a flaw in Tosches' book, it's that the author seems bent on carrying the theme of Liston and the mob beyond its logical parameters. In 1950, he was convicted of two counts of larceny and two counts of first-degree robbery and spent more than two years in the Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City. Major children and living persons must directly contact the. Sonny Liston was born on May 8, probably 1932, to Tobe and Helen (Baskin) Liston, African-American sharecroppers in rural St. Francis County. For more information, contact 501-918-3025 [email protected]. In the films the good guy always wins, but this is one bad guy who ain't gonna lose. Sonny Liston was born in Sand Slough, AR on May 8, 1932. During the years that Liston was champ, the mob was in retreat. The coroner picked December 30, 1970, as the date of death, and Liston was buried in the Paradise Memorial Gardens in Las Vegas under the simplest of epitaphs: A MAN.. Liston emptied his pockets of bills and returned to the car with all of the women's pencils. Tosches is admirably objective in his presentation of Liston. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ). contient des milliers de photos et GeneaStars. L'arbre His best years were 195862 when he destroyed everyone while Patterson shamelessly ducked him. Liston continued to fight in the ring until June 1970. The rematch, in Lewiston, Maine, on May 25, 1965, was even more controversial. His dad was an abusive alcoholic and at the age of 13, Sonny left to live with his aunt in Check back often as we will continue to update this page with new relationship details. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 2000. His epitaph reads: "A Man.". He compiled a career record of He also has a position among the list of Most popular Boxer. Some believed that the fight was fixed as reported in later biographical works like The Devil and Sonny Liston (2000) by Nick Tosches. DAmato went on to coach another great boxer in Mike Tyson. While Liston was incarcerated, prison athletic director Father Alois Stevens introduced him to the sport of boxing. Liston is another. In Michael Mann's Ali, Liston was portrayed by famous boxer Michael Bentt, with whom he shares a strong resemblance. He never shied away from street fights. He served brief prison terms and on one occasion was introduced to boxing by a prison chaplain. There were rumors of drug peddling, heroin use, and murder, but no answers. His death certificate states his death as December 30, 1970, based on milk deliveries at his doorstep. Sonny Liston was born on May 8, 1932 in Sand Slough, AR. Clay, later to be known as Muhammad Ali, may have had the fastest hands of any heavyweight ever to lace on a pair of gloves. In 1950, he was convicted of two counts of larceny and two counts of first-degree robbery and spent more than two years in the Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City. Let's check, How Rich is Mario, Ben Villaflor estimated Net Worth, Biography, Age, Height, Dating, Relationship Records, Salary, Income, Cars, Lifestyles & many more details have been updated below. The subsequent rematch with Clay on May 25, 1965, included the infamous phantom punch. Though it appeared that Liston had barely been grazed by Clays right fist, the boxer went down just one minute and 45 seconds into the first round. Liston's career was interrupted for nine months beginning in December 1956, when he was sent to the St. Louis workhouse for assaulting a policeman and stealing the officer's gun. Inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame, 1990. After having his license revoked, Liston made a smart decision, as he had when he bought out Barone. He was caught and charged with first-degree robbery and larceny, and was sentenced in 1950 to 5 years in the Missouri State Penitentiary. Knocked out #2-rated heavyweight contender Roy Harris (27-1) in one round. boxer had the look of a champion. Liston on his age: "I'm like Jack Benny, I never tell my age.". But the champ went down in a hurry: two minutes and six seconds in the first round. Steen, Rob. His alcoholic and violent father was thirty years older than Sonnys London: Aurum Press, 2008. James Ellroy portrayed Sonny Liston as a fight loser, a heroin addict, a black racist, and a Mafia jawbreaker in his novel "The Cold Six Thousand.". Sand Slough, Arkansas, United States of America, Sonny Liston is still regarded as the best heavyweight boxer with a taste of violence. He earned the money being a professional Boxer. Auspiciously, the massive man is known as The Bear then won his first nine fights before dropping an eight-round decision to Marty Marshall. At the age of 14, he was almost 6 feet tall. Nine years of steady fighting later, and following additional scrapes with the law (fourteen arrests between 1953 and 1958 and a conviction in 1956 for assaulting a police officer), Liston finally fought Floyd Patterson for the Heavyweight Championship. In St. Louis, he quickly encountered problems with the local police.