BRAZIL'S EDER JOFRE: BEST BANTAMWEIGHT EVER! ...
Boxing fans and historians have always discussed and argued about who were the best fighters of all time.   While it is surely impossible to prove the best ever by comparing fighters from different generations,  it makes for interesting conversations while debating the merits of the fighters considered the best.   When the discussion involves the 118-pound Bantamweight division’s all time great fighters,  one name that is prominently mentioned is Brazil’s Hall-of-Famer Eder Jofre, nicknamed  “O Galo Do Ouro”  (Portuguese for “Golden Bantam”).   During his ring career, Jofre’s accomplishments certainly support those who believe that the great Brazilian is among the division’s best fighters ever.  His excellent boxing ability, outstanding power with either hand and an indestructible “iron chin” made him a dangerous opponent, and carried him to the pinnacle of his profession. 
After representing his country in the 1956 Olympic games,  Jofre’s illustrious professional career spanned 19 years,  and in the process captured world titles in two different divisions with many victories over the top fighters of his era. 

SONNY LISTON: TURBULENT LIFE AND MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF A HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION...
The only certainty about Charles “Sonny” Liston was that he was one of eleven children born on an Arkansas cotton plantation to Helen and Tobe Liston, who were farm workers on the plantation.  His exact date of birth remains uncertain, as Helen Liston claimed her son was born January 8, 1932  while “Sonny” later listed the date as May 8, 1932.  However, it was often speculated in boxing circles that he may have been born several years earlier and was indeed older than he claimed. 
At a very early age, Liston joined his many brothers working on the plantation, and had very little, if any, education.  Surrounded by poverty, hunger and little parental guidance, trouble always managed to find the young man, and as a result he was subjected to terrible beatings from his father.  When the father died, the 13-year old Liston joined his mother in Saint Louis, Missouri where she now worked.   
A young Liston tried his hand at menial work and may have attempted some schooling, with little success.  However, just like his early years in Arkansas, he was involved in petty crimes, and eventually joined a local gang.  The troubled youth soon graduated to the more serious crimes of robbing stores or gas stations.  In January 1960,  at 18 years of age, he was convicted of armed robbery and sentenced to a stint at the State Penitentiary in Jefferson City, Missouri.

JIMMY ELLIS: FROM ALI SPARRING PARTNER TO HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION..
Thousands of people lined the streets of downtown Louisville, Kentucky to enjoy the festivities as the city honored one of its own with a well-deserved parade.  The local High School band played on as the new Heavyweight Champion of the World rode with his wife in an open convertible, proudly acknowledging the cheering crowd.   The city’s Mayor proclaimed the special day in honor of the newly crowned champion. 
On this day, the celebration was not to acknowledge the accomplishments of Cassius Clay (later to be known as Muhammad Ali),  the city’s most famous native son.  The recipient of this day’s accolades was Jimmy Ellis, the recently crowned world Heavyweight champion.   Ellis was being honored after completing an improbable evolution from being Clay/ Ali’s  main sparing partner to winning the top prize in the Heavyweight division.   Quite an accomplishment for the skinny kid who ran around the streets of Louisville with his childhood friend, the self proclaimed  “Greatest of All Time” Cassius Clay.