Vintage boxing artwork
THE RING ALMANAC
THE RING ALMANAC
← A–Z Index
Heavyweight · Television Era (1960–1989)

Sonny Liston

"The Big Bear"

50
Wins
4
Losses
0
Draws
39
KOs
78%
KO %
Born
1932
Died
1970
Nationality
USA
Career
1953–1970

An intimidating puncher who twice destroyed Floyd Patterson in the first round.

Titles & Honours

Career Timeline

1953–1970
  1. Milestone

    First recorded professional bout

    vs Don Smith · W TKO

    View fight record
  2. Milestone

    25th recorded win

    vs Niño Valdés · KO. Newspaper decisions excluded.

    View fight record
  3. Title history

    Title reign begins

    World Heavyweight Champion (1962–1964). Year from profile title history; exact title-winning bout not identified.

    View title / honour details
  4. Signature fight

    vs Floyd Patterson

    W KO · Comiskey Park , Chicago, Illinois, U.S.. Archive selection: one of the first three wins over distinct fighters profiled here, not an expert-selected signature fight.

    View fight record
  5. Milestone

    50th recorded win

    vs Chuck Wepner · TKO. Newspaper decisions excluded.

    View fight record
  6. Milestone

    Latest recorded bout

    vs Chuck Wepner · W TKO. Not necessarily the retirement date.

    View fight record

Derived from the current archive and profile honours. Title-reign years are not exact bout dates; title claims are not independently verified. Signature fights use existing profile selections, or clearly labelled wins over other archived fighters when no selections exist. Year-only dates retain their original precision.

Photo Archive

The Ring magazine December 1962 Issue
The Ring magazine December 1962 Issue
Sonny Liston portrait on March 1978 cover Big Book Of Boxing Magazine
Sonny Liston portrait on March 1978 cover Big Book Of Boxing Magazine
Photograph of the American boxer Sonny Liston arriving to Finland from Oslo.
Photograph of the American boxer Sonny Liston arriving to Finland from Oslo.
Muhammad Ali stands over Sonny Liston after knocking him out with the controversial "phantom punch," which unexpectadly and awkwardly knocked out Liston.
Muhammad Ali stands over Sonny Liston after knocking him out with the controversial "phantom punch," which unexpectadly and awkwardly knocked out Liston.
Liston-Patterson fight, September 25, 1962.
Liston-Patterson fight, September 25, 1962.
Miami, February 25, 1964. Cassius Clay uses his quicksilver feet to stay well clear of Sonny Liston's raking left jab. His own punches were sharp and incisive, making his performance a masterclass of
Miami, February 25, 1964. Cassius Clay uses his quicksilver feet to stay well clear of Sonny Liston's raking left jab. His own punches were sharp and incisive, making his performance a masterclass of
with flailing arms and legs, new heavyweight boxing champion Cassius Clay is lifted off the ring floor in Miami Beach by one of his handlers when Sonny Liston was unable the answer the bell for the se
with flailing arms and legs, new heavyweight boxing champion Cassius Clay is lifted off the ring floor in Miami Beach by one of his handlers when Sonny Liston was unable the answer the bell for the se

7 archival photographs under their original licences.

Fight-by-Fight Record

DateResultOpponentMethodRoundVenue
1953-09-02WDon SmithTKO1St. Louis Arena , St. Louis, Missouri , U.S.
1953-09-17WPonce de LeonPTS4Kiel Auditorium , St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
1953-11-21WBennie ThomasSD6Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
1954-01-25WMartin LeeTKO6New Masonic Temple , St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
1954-03-31WStanley HowlettPTS6St. Louis Arena, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
1954-06-29WJohnny SummerlinUD8Motor City Arena, Detroit, Michigan , U.S.
1954-08-10WJohnny SummerlinSD8Motor City Arena, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
1954-09-07LMarty MarshallSD8Motor City Arena, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
1955-03-01WNeal WelchPTS8New Masonic Temple, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
1955-04-21WMarty MarshallTKO6Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
1955-05-05WEmil BrtkoTKO5Duquesne Gardens , Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania , U.S.
1955-05-25WCalvin ButlerTKO2St. Louis Arena, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
1955-09-13WJohnny GrayTKO6Victory Field , Indianapolis, Indiana , U.S.
1955-12-13WLarry WatsonTKO4Alnad Shriner Temple, East St. Louis, Illinois , U.S.
1956-03-06WMarty MarshallUD10Pittsburgh Gardens, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
1958-01-29WBilly HunterTKO2Chicago Stadium , Chicago, Illinois , U.S.
1958-03-11WBen WiseTKO4Midwest Gymnasium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
1958-04-03WBert WhitehurstPTS10Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
1958-05-14WJulio MederosRTD2Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
1958-08-06WWayne BetheaTKO1Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
1958-10-07WFrankie DanielsKO1Municipal Auditorium , Miami Beach, Florida , U.S.
1958-10-24WBert WhitehurstUD10St. Louis Arena, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
1958-11-18WErnie CabRTD7Municipal Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
1959-02-18WMike DeJohnTKO6Exhibition Hall , Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
1959-04-15WCleveland WilliamsTKO3Municipal Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
1959-08-05WNiño ValdésKO3Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
1959-12-09WWilli BesmanoffRTD6Cleveland Arena , Cleveland, Ohio , U.S.
1960-02-23WHoward KingRTD7Municipal Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
1960-03-21WCleveland WilliamsTKO2Coliseum , Houston, Texas , U.S.
1960-04-25WRoy HarrisTKO1Coliseum, Houston, Texas, U.S.
1960-07-18WZora FolleyKO3Coliseum , Denver, Colorado , U.S.
1960-09-07WEddie MachenUD12Sick's Stadium , Seattle, Washington , U.S.
1961-03-08WHoward KingTKO3Municipal Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
1961-12-04WAlbert WestphalKO1Convention Hall , Philadelphia , Pennsylvania, U.S.
1962-09-25WFloyd PattersonKO1Comiskey Park , Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
1963-07-22WFloyd PattersonKO1Las Vegas Convention Center , Winchester, Nevada , U.S.
1964-02-25LCassius ClayRTD6Convention Center , Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
1965-05-25LMuhammad AliKO1St. Dominic's Hall, Lewiston, Maine , U.S.
1966-07-01WGerhard ZechKO7Stockholm , Sweden
1966-08-19WAmos JohnsonKO3Nya Ullevi , Gothenburg , Sweden
1967-03-30WDave BaileyKO1Mässhallen, Gothenburg, Sweden
1967-04-28WElmer RushTKO6Stockholm, Sweden
1968-03-16WBill McMurrayTKO4Centennial Coliseum , Reno, Nevada , U.S.
1968-05-23WBilly JoinerRTD7Grand Olympic Auditorium , Los Angeles, California , U.S.
1968-07-06WHenry ClarkTKO7Cow Palace , Daly City, California , U.S.
1968-10-14WSonny MooreTKO3Veterans Memorial Coliseum , Phoenix, Arizona , U.S.
1968-11-03WWillis EarlsKO2Plaza de Toros, Ciudad Juárez , Mexico
1968-11-12WRoger RischerKO3Civic Arena , Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
1968-12-10WAmos LincolnKO2Civic Center , Baltimore, Maryland , U.S.
1969-03-28WBilly JoinerUD10Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
1969-05-19WGeorge JohnsonTKO7Convention Center, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.
1969-09-23WSonny MooreKO3Coliseum, Houston, Texas, U.S.
1969-12-06LLeotis MartinKO9Las Vegas Hilton , Winchester, Nevada, U.S.
1970-06-29WChuck WepnerTKO9National Guard Armory , Jersey City, New Jersey , U.S.

Showing 54 of 54 recorded fights · last updated 2026-10-11. Imported record tables are not independently verified and may be incomplete. Early-era logs include newspaper decisions (NWS), which are not counted in the official totals above.

Record notes

Fight record last retrieved: 2026-10-11. Title histories remain subject to archival review.

Historical-era totals differ between record-keeping conventions (newspaper decisions, exhibitions).

Compare with another fighter