Lucien "Sonny" Banks (June 29, 1940 – May 13, 1965) was a mid-20th Century American

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

who is primarily remembered for being the first boxer to ever knock down

Cassius Clay Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...

(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.

Early life

Banks was from Lee County in North-East

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

. He was born in the farming community at Birmingham Ridge, about halfway between Tupelo and Saltillo.

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.

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 Wayne is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 17,593 at the 2010 census. Wayne has a long history of automotive and transportation related manufacturing. Ford Motor Company currently has two plants in Wayn ...

.Entry for Banks' grave in Findagrave (2019). https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/111532160/sonny-lucian-banks

Professional boxing record

References

* West Side Boxing News
"15 Round: The True Championship Distance"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Banks, Sonny 1940 births 1965 deaths Boxers from Mississippi People from Lee County, Mississippi Heavyweight boxers Deaths due to injuries sustained in boxing Sports deaths in Pennsylvania American male boxers African-American boxers 20th-century African-American sportspeople