"Liston was a boxing legend, and collectors will snap this up. Expect $1,000."
-Expert
Facts[]
- Fact 1: Charles L. "Sonny" Liston became the 1962 World Heavyweight Champion after knocking out Floyd Patterson in the first round.
- Fact 2: Liston had no recorded birth date; despite not appearing in the 1930 census, he looked much older than he claimed to be. It is claimed that Liston did not know his own age.
- Fact 3: The second-youngest of 25 children, Liston grew up on a poor sharecropping farm in Arkansas. He moved to St Louis, Missouri in 1942 and learned to box in prison after his arrest for armed robbery.
- Fact 4: After his release from prison in 1952, Liston quickly made a name for himself in the local St. Louis boxing scene. He signed his professional contract in 1953, and was World Champion within ten years.
- Fact 5: Liston uncharacteristically forfeited his first match with Muhammad Ali after six brutal rounds in 1964. Two minutes into their rematch a year later, Liston feigned a knockout. He later admitted to taking a dive to avoid trouble with Ali.