yesterday was the 50th anniversary of mysterious death of Sonny Liston...what are your final thought

I do think that he was rubbed out by members of the underworld. He was no longer valuable to them, he did not bring in large purses. Also to anyone that would listen, like my co worker in my home town that arrested him for assault, Sonny claimed that he threw the both fights against Muhammad Ali in 1964 and especially in 1965. A FBI agent investigating the both fights confirmed that it was a fix. I think that Sonny Liston was given a Hot Shot, and drug paraphernalia was left to make it appear that he had overdosed on his own. He started to talk too much. And the underworld silenced him for good.

 

With all due respect, I used to work as a Special Security Officer at a local hospital in 1985. I was training a former police officer that was a Watch Commander for 27 years. He told me that he had arrested Charles Sonny Liston in the fall of 1969 in an area known as South Park Las Vegas, men would gather, play cards, even gamble away Food Stamps back then. It was a rough neighborhood in my hometown. Liston beat the two guys he had played against. The two men tried to assault Sonny, who in turn assaulted both good size men. Liston gave one a severe concussion. The police officer, his name was Pete, he responded and arrested Sonny. Both victims refused to press charges. During the ride to the police station, Liston told Pete that he had thrown both fights against Muhammad Ali. He told Pete that he was in training for his bout against Leotis Martin. Sonny was released from custody. Pete was very reliable and I did not suspect a touch of senility. Pete was not that old, later he became my supervisor because of his law enforcement experience. As far as strangling someone, it does happen but I do not think that anyone had the courage to do that to Sonny, but it could have been a hit, in my hometown, mobster have used the Hot Shot method. They were confirmed mobsters.

 

Yeah apparently he was drinking heavily which led to him talking too much about touchy subjects?

 

It's a mystery for sure. I love the story's surrounding his death.