Sonny Banks

Lucien "Sonny" Banks (June 29, 1940 – May 13, 1965) was an American boxer who is famously known for being the first boxer to ever knock down Cassius Clay (later "Muhammad Ali") in a professional match. In the early 1960s Banks was regarded in the sport as a rising prospect known for a lightning fast left hook, but his career was cut short when he died from head injuries sustained in the ring in 1965 against Leotis Martin.