BOXER

Sonny Liston

1932 - 1970

Photo of Sonny Liston

Icon of person Sonny Liston

Charles L. "Sonny" Liston (c. 1930 – December 30, 1970), nicknamed "the Big Bear", was an American professional boxer who competed from 1953 to 1970. A dominant contender of his era, he became the undisputed world heavyweight champion in 1962 after knocking out Floyd Patterson in the first round, repeating the knockout the following year in defense of the title; in the latter fight he also became the inaugural WBC heavyweight champion. Often regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time, Liston is known for his immense strength, formidable jab, long reach, toughness, and is widely regarded as the most intimidating man in the history of combat sports. Although Liston was widely regarded as unbeatable, he lost the title in 1964 to Muhammad Ali (then known as Cassius Clay), who entered as an 8:1 underdog. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Sonny Liston is the 12th most popular boxer (down from 11th in 2019), the 1,553rd most popular biography from United States (down from 1,224th in 2019) and the 9th most popular American Boxer.

Sonny Liston was a boxer who was most famous for his heavyweight title fight against Cassius Clay in 1964. Liston was a heavyweight champion from 1962 to 1964, but he lost his title to Clay in the first round.

Memorability Metrics

Loading...

Page views of Sonny Liston by language

Loading...

Among BOXERS

Among boxers, Sonny Liston ranks 12 out of 496. Before him are Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, Max Schmeling, Ján Zachara, Vitali Klitschko, and Floyd Mayweather Jr.. After him are Rubin Carter, Teófilo Stevenson, Carlos Monzón, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, László Papp, and Wladimir Klitschko.

Most Popular Boxers in Wikipedia

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Contemporaries

Among people born in 1932, Sonny Liston ranks 79. Before him are Nam June Paik, Walter Gilbert, Vitold Fokin, Thomas Klestil, Tavo Burat, and Corry Brokken. After him are Tony Brooks, Rainer Weiss, Gyula Horn, Harriet Andersson, Francis Arinze, and Dudley R. Herschbach. Among people deceased in 1970, Sonny Liston ranks 52. Before him are Princess Irina Alexandrovna of Russia, Pedro Cea, E. M. Forster, Eva Hesse, Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma, and Erich Heckel. After him are Lev Kuleshov, Reizo Fukuhara, B. H. Liddell Hart, Kiyoo Kanda, Jean Giono, and Toshio Iwatani.

Others Born in 1932

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Others Deceased in 1970

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

In United States

Among people born in United States, Sonny Liston ranks 1,553 out of 20,380. Before him are Joel Schumacher (1939), Anjelica Huston (1951), Dr. Dre (1965), Vincente Minnelli (1903), Mark Margolis (1939), and Michael J. Sandel (1953). After him are Janet Yellen (1946), Norman Rockwell (1894), John Zorn (1953), Norman Lloyd (1914), John Backus (1924), and Linda Harrison (1945).

Others born in United States

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Among BOXERS In United States

Among boxers born in United States, Sonny Liston ranks 9. Before him are Joe Frazier (1944), Mike Tyson (1966), George Foreman (1949), Joe Louis (1914), Sugar Ray Robinson (1921), and Floyd Mayweather Jr. (1977). After him are Rubin Carter (1937), Marvelous Marvin Hagler (1954), Jake LaMotta (1922), Jack Dempsey (1895), Evander Holyfield (1962), and Floyd Patterson (1935).

American born Boxers

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous