Apr. 24, 1963 - Arrangements were completed today for a return match between the heavyweight champion, Sonny Liston, and Floyd Patterson. The bout will be held in the Las Vegas Convention Center, according to Al Bolan, promoter of Championship Sports Inc. Jim Deskin, chairman of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, said Championship Sports Inc. would be granted a license to stage this one bout in Nevada on June 27. The Convention Center can seat only slightly more than 8,000 persons, but Bolan said the bout would be carried on closed circuit television. The rematch originally had been set for April 4 at Miami Beach but was postponed when Liston suffered a knee injury swinging a golf club for photographers. With the promoters feeling that it was too late in the season for a Florida bout, a new site was sought. Las Vegas proved acceptable to both Liston and Patterson, and the resort town’s comparative isolation from other large cities left it open for theater television. Liston won the heavyweight title from Patterson last Sept. 25 on a first-round knockout in Chicago (pictured). He was bound by a return-bout contract to make his first defense against Patterson or forfeit $100,000.
