10/31/2026
Missouri State Penitentiary courtesy: Charles “Sonny” Liston arrived at the Missouri State Penitentiary in 1950 to serve time for two charges of robbery with a deadly weapon and two charges of larceny.
While incarcerated, Liston was encouraged by chaplains to take up boxing, where he was an immediate success. The publisher of a St. Louis newspaper saw Liston box and thought he showed promise as a professional, so he contacted the Board of Probation and Parole. If Liston could be released on parole, the publisher promised, he would personally see that Sonny received a job and training as a boxer.
Liston was released on parole on October 31, 1952, beginning his meteoric rise to success. He lived and trained at the Pine Street YMCA and began working at Scullin Steel until he could support himself from his earnings as a pro boxer. Sonny almost immediately entered the Golden Gloves Amateur Boxing Tournament in St. Louis, where he won against Olympic heavyweight champion Ed Sanders. He then went on to win the National Heavyweight Championship in Chicago in 1953. Nine years later, Sonny became the world heavyweight champion after knocking out Floyd Patterson in the first round. It was the third-fastest knockout in a world heavyweight title fight and the first time a defending champion had been knocked out in round one.
Despite athletic success, Sonny struggled with his public image. Due to his criminal record, rumored ties to organized crime, and arrests occurring in the years following his release from MSP, Liston’s worthiness of the sports hero title was consistently a point of debate.
Liston defended his heavyweight title again in 1964, this time against Cassius Clay, later known as Muhammad Ali. Convinced Clay was not a threat, Sonny trained very little for the match. After six contentious rounds, Sonny did not come out for the seventh, citing a shoulder injury. In the rematch, Sonny lost again with an unexpected first-round knockout. The infamous “phantom punch,” which may or may not have landed, floored Liston until his defeat was called after 17 seconds. To this day, suspicions of a fix remain unresolved.
After taking a sabbatical, Liston returned to the ring and resumed his winning streak. However, his dreams of regaining a title were dashed in 1969 with a loss to Leotis Martin, a former sparring partner who helped him train for earlier matches against Patterson and Ali. While the loss was significant, Sonny would win against Chuck Wepner six months later in what would be his final match.
Known for his toughness, formidable punching power, long reach, and intimidating appearance, Sonny Liston is still renowned as one of the greatest heavyweights of all time. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991.
