Charles 'Sonny' Liston

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1. Charles 'Sonny' Liston was born on May 8th, 1932 (some say 1928) in St. Francis County AK. He was the youngest of how many children born to his parents? 8 25 12 17

2. At the age of 18 Sonny was sent to prison for a 3 to 5 year sentence for committing what crime? Assault Armed Robbery Assault With a Deadly Weapon Racketeering

3. Sonny's first loss came against a much smaller man, who broke Sonny's jaw early in the fight and won a unanimous decision. Liston would later beat this man handily in two rematches. Who was the fighter? Marty Marshall Cleveland Williams John Summerlin Larry Watson

4. Sonny had a professional record of 15 and 1 with 7 knockouts when he was convicted and imprisoned of another felony in January 1957. What crime did Sonny commit this time? Fraud Assaulting a police officer Assault with intent to cause bodily harm Racketeering

5. After being released from prison the second time in August of 1957, Sonny racked up seventeen straight wins to make him the number one contender. Getting his title shot was very difficult though, as the current champion was Floyd Patterson and Floyd's manager did not want him to fight Liston, believing Liston was unbeatable. Who was Patterson's manager. Angelo Dundee Cus D'Amato Eddie Futch Wali 'Blood' Muhammad

6. On September 25th, 1962 Sonny Liston became the heavyweight champion of the world when he knocked Floyd Patterson out in the first round. Despite being hopelessly overmatched, Patterson requested a rematch, which took place on July 6th, 1963. Liston would again knock Patterson out. What round did the knockout occur in the rematch? 3 1 5 7

7. Including the rematch against Floyd Patterson, how many successful title defences did Sonny Liston have as heavyweight champion? 4 2 1 3

8. In February 1964 Sonny would lose the title to Cassius Clay. Later it was found that Sonny had tried to blind Clay in the fourth round by having his cornermen apply Muscatele to his boxing gloves and then smearing it in Clay's eyes. Sonny had done this one time before, knocking out a troublesome opponent after he could no longer see. Who was the other opponent, who the Muscatele trick worked on? Cleveland Williams Mike DeJohns Ernie Cab Zora Folley

9. Boxing experts questioned the first Clay fight, as Sonny seemed unhurt at the end of the bout, but would not come out of his corner for the seventh round. In the rematch, Sonny was knocked out in the first round by the 'Phantom Punch' which truthfully did not look hard enough to knock Sonny out. Again, boxing experts questioned the outcome. Why was there so much disbelief about Sonny's two losses to Clay? Sonny had taken extensive beatings at the hands of earlier opponents, but none had even knocked him Sonny had ties to the mafia and may have agreed to take dives All of these Clay was not considered a legitimate heavyweight contender

10. After the Clay rematch Liston was very unpopular due to the sentiment that he had taken dives (though not as unpopular as Clay when he changed his name to Muhammad Ali). Because of this sentiment, Sonny decided to fight overseas for a while until the controversy has blown over. What country did he fight his next four bouts in? Germany England Sweden France

11. By 1969 Sonny appeared to be getting in line for another title shot. He was back in the top ten in heavyweight rankings after 14 straight wins following his defeats to Clay. How many of these fourteen wins were by knockout? 14 13 12 11

12. On December 6th, 1969 Sonny had a professional record of 49-3 with 38 knockouts when he fought another up-and-coming heavyweight challenger. The fight was relatively close, although by the start of the ninth round Sonny was bleeding profusely from the mouth. In that ninth round, the young fighter hammered Sonny with an overhand right that knocked him nearly unconscious, and left him with his fourth career loss. Who was the fighter that knocked him out in this fight? Charlie Powell George Foreman Leotis Martin Terry Daniels

13. Sonny would have one more fight in his career in June of 1970, for which he would be paid only $13,000. His opponent would later go on to fight Muhammad Ali for the title in 1975, getting knocked out late in the fight. Sonny TKOed this man in the tenth round of their fight. Who was this boxer? Chuck Wepner Joe Bugner Ron Lyle Jimmy Young

14. On December 30th, 1970 Liston's wife found him dead in his bed in their Las Vegas home. According to the medical examiner, how long had Sonny been dead? Several hours Less than one hour About a day At least a week

15. According to the medical examiner, what was Sonny Liston's cause of death? Drug overdose Natural causes Heart Attack Murder