Interestingly, forced overdoses were a popular form of execution employed by the mob during this time as it did not draw as much attention from police as a traditional gang-land style shooting. Plenty of people also believe the mob did it since Liston was quickly turning from an asset to a liability.Įven though everyone believes Liston was murdered, there was no evidence of a potential homicide other than the needle marks. He pointed the finger at Cage and his desire for revenge, though it is slightly odd Cage would wait two years to enjoy his dessert. Gandy was no angel and committed plenty of crimes, both in uniform and out, but when interviewed by Assael denied being involved in Liston's death.
Journalist Shaun Assael was gifted a police file from an anonymous source that indicated former LVPD officer Larry Gandy was hired to kill Liston. The interim coroner, who had very little experience, ruled the death one of natural causes. But there were no needles present at the crime scene. Police quickly developed the theory Liston had OD'ed on heroin based on needle marks in his arm and a balloon of the junk in the kitchen.
His wife found him dead upon returning from a trip to visit her mother for Christmas. Towards the end of Liston's life, those in the know in Las Vegas knew it was only a matter of when someone would take out Liston. Further, Liston was involved in an incident where he was at a known drug den that was raided and all went to jail but for Liston, leaving the head of the operation (Earl Cage) with a need for revenge on the only obvious snitch. He also was talking too much about Ali allegedly screwing him out of his cut of Ali's earnings, which upset the Nation of Islam. First, he turned on the mob for not taking care of him and may have threatened to expose some information the mob didn't want public. Liston became bitter and started making enemies. Liston was known to serve as hired muscle and deal cocaine in Vegas to supplement his legit income, which was appearing at casinos and shaking hands at conventions. Shocking, the mob took advantage of this uneducated man and managed to skim every dollar they could from him. He ended up moving to Las Vegas and immediately fell in with a bad element to make some extra cash. But this loss essentially ended Liston's career.
Liston apparently understood that by taking a dive, the theory goes, he would earn a percentage of all of Ali's future purses. In their rematch, Ali won by KO that many people believe to this day was a dive ordered by the mob. Liston eventually becomes the heavyweight champ, and then loses his title to Muhammad Ali. Besides, the mob controlled boxing during this era (1950s-late 1960s) There is also some evidence he may have provided a few non-boxing services for the mob too. With the mob's backing, Liston quickly developed a reputation as a fearsome, almost unstoppable warrior.
SONNY LISTING UNSOLVED WIKI PROFESSIONAL
He needed a professional manager to make a career of this sport and soon found one - in the mob. No one wanted to be in the ring with him. But he had a tough time finding opponents. When Liston was released, he immediately turned to boxing. So Father Stevens began training Liston to become a professional boxer. He used that time to box, and the prison gym's sponsor, Father Stevens, noticed the kid had talent. It was the first time in his life he didn't have to worry about food or clothes. In a very real way, this was a blessing for Liston.
He eventually was sent to prison for five years after being convicted of armed robbery. Being black, uneducated, illiterate, and dressed in rags meant he had no legitimate job options. He wasn't able to go to school so he could try to help support his huge family (he was the 24th of 25 kids). Here's a brief summary of what I learned. I recently covered this case on my podcast - yes, shameless plug - and found it to be a fascinating case. I noticed this case has never been discussed on this forum (at least according to the search I ran), and thought it deserved some attention.
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