SCR Boxing

A fixed fight, a “phantom” punch, whatever you want to call it, Sonny Liston is most famously remembered as that guy staring up at a screaming Muhammad Ali from his back, in what has become one of the world’s most famous pictures, and a common poster adorning college dorm rooms across the country thanks to Adidas’ “Impossible is Nothing” campaign. But before falling to Ali, whether or not you think he was actually knocked down, Liston put together as an illustrious a career as any St. Louis fighter of all time, ranked as 15 on the greatest punchers of all time list by Ring Magazine (a compilation of the hardest hitters not necessarily the best all-around boxers). Putting together an impressive 50-4 record, while knocking out 39 opponents along the way, Liston’s talent was indisputable, though much of his life is surrounding by mystery and tainted by boxing’s dark underworld.First arriving in St. Louis at the age of 13, after hitchhiking from Arkansas to reunite with his mother, Liston finally escaped his abusive father, though he would not find himself free from trouble, this time legal trouble. Regarded as a menace in the neighborhood, he was arrested upwards of 20 times, the most serious of which resulted in an 8-year sentence on a robbery charge. It was behind bars, however, well Liston first found his natural aptitude for the sweet science. Discovered by a reverend, Father Alois Stevens, his talent helped Liston to see early parole after only 2 years. Though remarkably successful in the ring, Liston’s checkered past and rumored ties to the mafia at times limited his ability to secure big fights and prevented him from ever being revered as a fan favorite. Liston finally got a title shot against Floyd Patterson, who he handily disposed of in the first round.With mob connections and potentially rigged bouts already clouding his legacy, Liston’s mystery is furthered by the lack of clarity surrounding his birth and death. No one is sure of when he was born, or precisely how old he was at his time of death, as Liston differed with his mother on the date of his birth. Liston’s death at his home in Las Vegas, NV, is also viewed by some as an unsolved mystery. Originally speculated to be a heroin overdose, many believe the scene was fixed as Liston was never known to be a user and much of the required paraphernalia for such an act was notably absent.