Sonny Liston 'The Last Days'

I understand what you mean,,,,,,,,,,

One thing, Sonny was still owed a boat-load of money from I-C-P,
Championship Bouts, and Bill MacDonald (Liston vs. Clay I promoter).

The Carousel was still turning.

 

Sonny Liston did make one final gambling bet.

On Tuesday, December 15, he placed a bet on a boxing bout.
He bet on his friend Denny Moyer, who was fighting at the Silver Slipper
on Wednesday Evening, December 16.

Denny Moyer won his bout, and Sonny Liston was in attendance.
After the bout, Sonny was placed at the Silver Slipper Bar/Lounge, also with Denny Moyer and other
boxing associates.
Sonny won $1200 on the fight, and approximately $200 in the Casino later that evening.

 

Reports were, that Sonny Liston and '2' Casino guests got into an altercation,
inside the Bar/Lounge, sometime late in the evening.

Alcohol was involved, and Hotel Security and Staff were called to break up the altercation, sometime after 2:00 AM.

 

Tito,

Friday Morning, November 18, Sonny worked out with Gary Bates.
First running in the morning, along the Stardust Country Club Golf Course.
Then for a work-out at the Ringside Gym.

From what I have gathered, later that evening (10:00 PM) Sonny went to the
Silver Slipper Casino, and got into another altercation with the same '2' guys he
was involved with earlier in the week.
An argument started in the Casino, and then continued in the Lobby.
Sonny Liston was asked to leave.

Later that night, Sonny Liston hooked up with his sparring partner/work-out partner
and Circus Circus Black-Jack dealer Gary Bates.
They went out to a bar/lounge on the Westside of Las Vegas.
They both returned back to Circus Circus around 3:00 AM., where they ate a late-night breakfast.

On Saturday, December 19, Sonny slept late and was at home most of the day.
At 5:00 PM, Sonny and his Ottawa Drive neighbor, Mark Bolan, took a work-out walk to
the Stardust Country Club.

The next 2-days, (Sunday and Monday) each morning Sonny would run with Gary Bates.
Bates would meet Sonny at his house on Ottawa Drive (off the 16th Fairway of the Stardust Country Club) at approximately 5:30 AM, and they would run along the perimeter of the Golf Course.

After the 4-5 Mile run, they would head over to the Sahara Hotel Health Club for a fitness work-out at 8:00 AM.

Monday, December 21, at Noon, Sonny Liston and his wife had lunch by their in-ground pool.
Later that day, at 4:00 PM Sonny was a Golf guest at the Stardust Country Club.
At 8:00 PM, Sonny and his wife Geraldine were dinner guests at the Stardust, and stayed their until 11:00 PM.

 

On Tuesday, December 22.

Sonny cancelled his work-out plans with Gary Bates. Sonny and his wife spent the late-Morning shopping
with their adopted son, Danny.
They were home by Noon.

Later that evening, they were to be guests at Lem Bankers, for an early Christmas Party.

During the early-Afternoon at 2:30 PM, Sonny was seen at the Stardust Country Club, talking to the Club Members,
while sharing drinks.
While their, his old pal Ash Resnick and several associates showed up. The two had a meeting in the Country Club restaraunt, where a heated argument ensued. It was witnessed by several members and guests.

Both Sonny Liston and Ash Resnick left the Stardust Country Club at approximately 4:00 PM.

 

Tito,

It's in the book.
But, Sonny Liston his wife Geraldine, and adopted son Danny were at
Lem Bankers, pre-Christmas Party, on Tuesday Evening, December 22.

From all reports, they exchanged gifts. Lem Banker supposedly bought
Sonny an expensive wrist watch.

Guests at the party, did say Sonny was and had been drinking heavily.
The Liston's were there until about 11:30 PM.

Wednesday, December 23 was not going to be a 'good day'.

 

Tito,

On Wednesday, December 23.
Sonny was at home in the morning, and did his 5:30 AM, 4-5 mile run with Gary Bates.
After the run, both Sonny and Bates drove together to the Ringside Gym at
7:00 AM, for a 3-hour work-out session

After the work-out, they drove back to Sonny's for a late breakfast, which was
around 11:00 AM.
After breakfast, Gary Bates left to go home to his apartment.
Sonny Liston was at home, as he was helping his wife and son pack and prepare, for a Holiday trip to St. Louis.
They were scheduled to leave the next day.

 

Tito,

From what I've got.
On Wednesday, December 23, early afternoon.
Sonny headed out to the Thunderbird Hotel & Casino, to wish some of his friends
an upcoming Merry Christmas, sometime around 2:30 PM.

While there, he started drinking in the Casino while he was waiting for a meeting with Ash Resnick.
Sometime around 4:00 PM Resnick and several of his associates arrived, and a sit-down meeting
with Sonny Liston was held in the Hotel Lounge.
Again, another heated argument ensued, with Liston storming out of the Thunderbird Hotel at approximately 4:45 PM.

A short time after that, Sonny Liston, while driving home, was pulled over by the Las Vegas Police, and arrested for
suspicion of drunk driving on Paradise Road. This happened at approximately 5:00 PM.

Sonny's black Cadillac was left at an Esso Gas Station, as he was brought to the Police Department. After
paperwork was prepared, Sonny was picked up at the Police Department, by his wife Geraldine, at 7:30 PM.
An employee at the Esso Gas Station drove Sonny's Cadillac home, for the Liston's.

The rest of the evening, obviously was spent home at Ottawa Drive.

 

Christmas Eve, Thursday, December 24.

Geraldine and the Liston's son Danny packed in the morning, for the airline trip to
St. Louis, where they would spend the Holidays, with Geraldine's Family.
Sonny would be staying home for the Holidays, as he had business in Los Angeles
to tend to, after Christmas Weekend.

At approximately 10:00 AM, Sonny took then took them to the Las Vegas airport in his black Cadillac.
His wife and son had a scheduled flight, with Western Airlines at 11:45 AM.

Sonny stayed there, until the flight departed.
He arrived back home, sometime after Noon.
Sometime around 2:00 PM, he was seen at the Stardust Country Club.
He was last seen there around 3:30 PM, before heading home.

His neighbor, Mark Bolan saw Sonny later, around 6:00 PM, as he dropped off a small
Christmas Gift.
Sometime, in the early-Evening, his wife Geraldine talked to Sonny over the telephone, confirming her safe arrival in
St. Louis.
As per Mark Bolan, he thinks, but could not confrim, that there were several cars in the Liston's driveway
Christams Eve night, sometime after 10:00 PM.

 

Friday, December 25, Christmas Day,

Sonny Liston was at home early in the morning, as per his telephone call with
wife Geraldine.
Several telephone calls were made from the home telephone during the day.
But names of the contacts were never revealed.

Mark Bolan, his neighbor, said he waved to Sonny Liston sometime around
6:00 PM, as he was driving his Cadillac along Ottawa Drive.

No one seems to know where he went, and for how long, but this was presumed as the time, when he took his trip out towards the Westside.

The next contact, was Saturday Morning, December 26. Members at the Stardust Country Club saw Sonny there around 10:00 AM with an un-named person, as both were having breakfast.

 

Sonny Liston was seen at several Redd Foxx shows at the International Hotel,
before and during the Holiday Week.

Including, Saturday, December 26 and Sunday, December 27.

 

Tito,

Sonny Liston appeared with Redd Foxx in October 1970, at the Cobo Hall Arena in Detroit, in a Salute to Joe Louis, a benefit which raised $100,000 for Joe Louis.

Later, in January 1971, Joe Louis was at Sonny Liston's funeral.

If anything, Sonny Liston looked great at that event.

Sonny had been a stage guest at several of Redd Foxx's Las Vegas shows.