biography
| sex:
| male
|
| lived:
| (1935– )
|
| biography:
| Boxer, born in Waco, Texas, USA. He grew up in New York City, ending up in a correctional institution, where he took up boxing. Clever rather than hard-hitting, he won the gold medal in the middleweight class in the 1952 Olympics. Turning professional, he knocked out Archie Moore in 1956 to become the youngest holder of the world heavyweight title. He successfully defended it four times before losing it to Ingemar Johansson of Sweden in 1959. He then knocked out Johansson in 1960, thereby becoming the first heavyweight champion to regain his title. He defeated Johansson again in 1961, but lost the title for good to Sonny Liston in 1962. He continued to box for another decade. |
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