World heavyweight titles
1
Professional wins
50
Knockouts
39
Career losses
4
First-round title knockouts
2
Category profile
- Dominance
- 82
- Peak
- 90
- Longevity
- 74
- Honours
- 76
- Statistics
- 84
Career timeline · Form index per season
Editorial season form index (0–100), not raw goals or points. Raw season-by-season statistics are shown only where fully verified.
| Season | Form index per season | Share of career |
|---|---|---|
| 1958 | 4 | |
| 1959 | 4 | |
| 1960 | 3 | |
| 1961 | 2 | |
| 1962 | 2 | |
| 1963 | 1 | |
| 1964 | 1 | |
| 1965 | 3 | |
| 1966 | 4 | |
| 1967 | 3 | |
| 1968 | 2 | |
| 1969 | 1 |
Data sources
- BoxRec
- The Ring
- International Boxing Hall of Fame
Last verified: 2026-09-14
Figures come from public records and are normalised per sport. See the methodology for category weights. Method
Why Sonny Liston ranks #203 in Boxing
Sonny Liston ranks #203 in Boxing and #1800 of 5087 across all sports. The verified GOAT Score is 81.1/100.
The verified career covers 1953–1970 and 12 documented seasons. Peak is 90/100, with Peak the strongest category at 90/100 (20% weight). Key metrics: World heavyweight titles 1, Professional wins 50, Knockouts 39, Career losses 4.
Nearest context: ahead James J. Braddock (81.4); behind Savannah Marshall (81.0). Rankings update whenever verified records change.
Sonny Liston GOAT Score explained
- Dominance82/100 · weight 25%
- Dominance: 82/100, based on the verified career record.
- Peak90/100 · weight 20%
- Peak: 90/100, based on the verified career record.
- Longevity74/100 · weight 20%
- Longevity: 74/100, based on the verified career record.
- Honours76/100 · weight 20%
- Honours: 76/100, based on the verified career record.
- Statistics84/100 · weight 15%
- Statistics: 84/100, based on the verified career record.
Top Liston comparisons
Sonny Liston — frequently asked
- Is Sonny Liston the GOAT?
- According to GOAT Rank's current data model, Sonny Liston ranks #203 in Boxing with a GOAT Score of 81.1/100, behind Sugar Ray Robinson (94.3).
- What is Sonny Liston's GOAT Score?
- 81.1/100, calculated from the verified career record: Dominance 82 (25%), Peak 90 (20%), Longevity 74 (20%), Honours 76 (20%), Statistics 84 (15%).
- Where does Sonny Liston rank all time?
- #1800 of 5087 eligible athletes across all sports and #203 in Boxing.
- Sonny Liston vs James J. Braddock: who ranks higher?
- James J. Braddock ranks higher at 81.4 versus Sonny Liston at 81.1, a margin of 0.3 points.