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Line 30: {{MedalGold \| Chicago 1953 \| Light-heavyweight}} }} '''Charles L.''' "'''Sonny'''" '''Liston''' ({{circa\|1930}}<!-- Discuss on Talk page before changing. --> – December 30, 1970), nicknamed "'''~~the~~The Big Bear'''",<ref>{{Cite web \|last=Spratt \|first=Kieran \|date=January 4, 2022 \|title=Last Round, Folks: When Boxing's Invisible Champion Was Blitzed By The Big Bear \|url=https://www.thesportsman.com/features/last-round-folks-when-boxing-s-invisible-champion-was-blitzed-by-the-big-bear1111 \|access-date=December 20, 2023 \|website=The Sportsman \|language=EN}}</ref> was an American [[professional boxer]] who competed from 1953 to 1970. A dominant contender of his era, he became the 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 [[World Boxing Council\|WBC]] heavyweight champion. Often regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time,<ref>{{Cite web \|date=May 7, 2023 \|title=Top 30 Best Boxers of All Time (Updated 2023) \|url=https://thekarateblog.com/best-boxers-of-all-time/ \|access-date=May 13, 2023 \|language=en-US}}</ref> Liston was particularly known for his immense strength, formidable jab, long [[reach (physical measurement)\|reach]], toughness, and is widely regarded as the most intimidating man in the history of the sport.<ref>{{cite AV media \|title= Sonny Liston, The Champion That Nobody Wanted \|url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G30Cxyw9-UI \|date=July 25, 2001 \|access-date=November 1, 2023 \|time= 12:38\|work=[[Biography (TV program)\|A&E Biography]] \|via=Boxing Royalty (YouTube) \|quote= (former boxer [[Chuck Wepner]] speaking) Nobody ever hit me like that guy. Every time he hit you, he broke something. I went through ten rounds with him, and broke my nose, my left [[cheekbone]], and gave me 72 stitches. I was an intimidator until I fought Sonny Liston.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web \|date=March 29, 2018 \|title=The Top 12 All-Time Most Intimidating Fighters In Boxing History \|url=https://www.thefightcity.com/top-12-all-time-most-intimidating-boxers/ \|access-date=July 18, 2023 \|website=The Fight City \|language=en-US \|archive-date=July 18, 2023 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230718095646/https://www.thefightcity.com/top-12-all-time-most-intimidating-boxers/ \|url-status=dead }}</ref> Although Liston was widely regarded as unbeatable, he [[Muhammad Ali vs. Sonny Liston#Liston vs. Clay I\|lost the title]] in 1964 to [[Muhammad Ali]] (then known as Cassius Clay), who entered as an 8:1 [[underdog (term)\|underdog]]. Liston retired in his corner due to an inflamed shoulder. Controversy followed with claims that Liston had been drinking heavily the night before the fight and had entered the bout with a lame shoulder. In his 1965 rematch with Ali, Liston suffered an unexpected first-round knockout that led to unresolved suspicions of a fix. He was still a world-ranked boxer when he died under mysterious circumstances in 1970.

Sonny Liston: Difference between revisions