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Liston Barred from Boxing after Arrest

July 14, 1961 - Charles (Sonny) Liston, the top-ranking contender for the heavyweight boxing crown, was suspended indefinitely today by the Pennsylvania Athletic Commission. The 3-man commission announced that two recent arrests of the 28-year-old fighter were detrimental to boxing. Liston's suspension automatically applies throughout this country as well as Canada and some Latin American countries. Liston was arrested on May 17 for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, a charge since changed to "corner lounging." Liston's second arrest occurred at 3 a.m. on June 12 after an automobile chase in which a Fairmount Park guard fired a warning shot. The chase started after Mrs. Dolores Ellis, 29, told the guard that Liston and another man had stopped her car and said they were police officers.



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