Sonny Banks

Lucien "Sonny" Banks (June 29, 1940 – May 13, 1965)[1] was a mid-20th Century American boxer who is primarily historically remembered for being the first competitor to knock down Cassius Clay (later "Muhammad Ali") in a professional match. In the early 1960s Banks was regarded in the sport as rising prospect known for a lightning fast left hook, but his career was cut short when he died from injuries sustained in the ring in 1965.

Sonny Banks
Statistics
BornJune 29, 1940
Birmingham, Mississippi, USA
DiedMay 3, 1965(1965-05-03) (aged 24)
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights25
Wins18
Wins by KO14
Losses7

Early life

Banks was from Lee County in North-East Mississippi. He was born in the farming community at Birmingham Ridge, about halfway between Tupelo and Saltillo.[2]

Boxing career

He fought Clay on 10 February 1962 in New York, and knocked him down for a count, although he went on to lose the match.[3]

Death

Banks died on 13 May 1965 at the age of 24 from a head injury sustained three days earlier in a 9-round bout against Leotis Martin. His body was buried at Westlawn Cemetery in Wayne, Michigan.[4]

Professional boxing record
18 Wins (14 knockouts, 4 decisions), 7 Losses (5 knockouts, 2 decisions)[5]
Result Record Opponent Type Round Date Location Notes
Loss 18–7 Leotis Martin KO 9 1965-05-10 Philadelphia Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Banks died three days later from injuries sustained during the fight.
Loss 18–6 Cleveland Williams KO 6 1964-07-21 Houston, Texas
Win 18–5 Don Warner KO 1 1964-05-18 Philadelphia Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Win 17–5 Lee Batts KO 2 1964-03-16 Philadelphia Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Batts knocked out at 1:08 of the second round.
Loss 16–5 Lee Batts SD 10 1963-11-29 Battle Creek, Michigan
Win 16–4 David E. Bailey SD 10 1963-10-18 Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Win 15–4 Jim Jones UD 8 1963-07-06 Madison Square Garden, New York City
Win 14–4 Freddie Mack SD 10 1963-06-05 Graystone Ballroom, Detroit, Michigan
Win 13–4 Leroy Roker TKO 6 1963-03-15 Graystone Ballroom, Detroit, Michigan Referee stopped the bout at 0:40 of the sixth round.
Win 12–4 Lou Bailey KO 1 1963-02-09 Graystone Ballroom, Detroit, Michigan
Win 11–4 Gene Jackson KO 3 1962-07-28 Graystone Ballroom, Detroit, Michigan Jackson knocked out at 2:02 of the third round.
Loss 10–4 Young Jack Johnson KO 5 1962-05-26 Graystone Ballroom, Detroit, Michigan
Loss 10–3 Cassius Clay TKO 4 1962-02-10 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York Referee stopped the bout at 0:26 of the fourth round.
Win 10–2 Clay Thomas KO 2 1962-01-27 Graystone Ballroom, Detroit, Michigan
Win 9–2 Tunney Hunsaker KO 2 1961-10-16 Detroit, Michigan
Win 8–2 Willie Coleman TKO 5 1961-08-07 Graystone Ballroom, Detroit, Michigan Michigan Heavyweight Title.
Win 7–2 Joe Shelton KO 2 1961-06-06 Graystone Ballroom, Detroit, Michigan
Win 6–2 Herman Wilson KO 1 1961-04-25 Graystone Ballroom, Detroit, Michigan
Loss 5–2 Chuck Garrett PTS 5 1961-02-06 Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois
Loss 5–1 Joe Shelton KO 3 1960-10-11 Graystone Ballroom, Detroit, Michigan
Win 5–0 Rufus Handsome KO 1 1960-09-23 Detroit Olympia, Detroit, Michigan
Win 4–0 Chico Gardner KO 4 1960-08-31 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Win 3–0 Ted Davis KO 1 1960-08-18 Graystone Ballroom, Detroit, Michigan
Win 2–0 Lloyd Washington KO 1 1960-07-12 Peace Bridge Arena, Fort Erie, Ontario
Win 1–0 Ernie Berthet, Jr. PTS 4 1960-05-19 Detroit, Michigan

References
  1. Boxing record for Sonny Banks from BoxRec
  2. Source: Rick Cleveland column.
  3. "Poet and Pedagogue," A.J. Liebling, New Yorker (Feb 1962). https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1962/03/03/poet-and-pedagogue
  4. Entry for Banks' grave in Findagrave (2019). https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/111532160/sonny-lucian-banks
  5. Boxing record for Sonny Banks. BoxRec.com.
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