NOTABLE ARKANSANS
He was born in St. Francis County and grew up the illiterate son of sharecroppers. When he was 13, he ran away from his abusive father and joined his mother in St. Louis. He became the leader of a gang that committed armed robberies. Because of the distinctive shirt he wore during robberies, the police referred to him as the "Yellow Shirt Bandit." By the age of 20 he was in prison, where he learned to box. The prison chaplain contacted boxing promoters, who liked what they saw. When he was paroled, he entered amateur competition and won the 1953 Golden Gloves title. A year later he turned professional. In 1961 he was ranked the No. 1 contender to fight World Heavyweight Champion Floyd Patterson. A year later the two men met, with Patterson being knocked out in the first round. A rematch lasted four seconds longer than the first and the new champion from Arkansas looked unbeatable. Then he fought young Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali), whose footwork confused the slower champion and the fight was stopped in the seventh round. The defeated champion fought for another 6 years, but died in Las Vegas in 1971 under mysterious circumstances at the age of 38.
Notable Arkansans is written by Steve Stephens and produced by Clyde Snider
Who was this Arkansas boxer?
Answer on Page 6E
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Style on 07/22/2018