Originally Posted by
boozeboxer
I have been reading an autobiography called "By George"
by George Foreman and he talks about Sonny Liston and how he died under mysterious circumstances and how surly he was in life.
I find it fascinating and would like to get a good book on Sonny Liston. I would also like to discuss how he died. Sonny Liston's story I bet would make a good movie, if sad.
Also, does anyone know of a good Smokin Joe book? He was a mean man.
Liston was negotiating to fight George Chuvalo in Pittsburgh, when he was found dead by his wife in their
Las Vegas home on January 5, 1971. The time of death has been placed as six to eight days prior to that, and several sources list December 30, 1970 as his date of passing. Following an investigation, Las Vegas police concluded that there were no signs of foul play.
The cause of Liston's death remains a mystery. The police declared it a heroin overdose. As documented on the show
Unsolved Mysteries, authorities found a puncture wound on Liston's right arm, a syringe near his body, and small bags of heroin inside his kitchen. Authorities thus ruled Liston's death a heroin overdose, although an autopsy showed only minute morphine and codeine levels in Liston's body; too small for an apparent overdose.
Some, however, believe that the police investigation was a coverup, and the cause of Liston's death remains unresolved. To wit, Liston supposedly had a phobia regarding needles. After winning the title, Liston at first refused to go on an exhibition tour of Europe when he was told he would have to get shots before he could travel overseas.
Liston's wife also reported that her husband would refuse basic medical care for common colds because of his dislike of needles. This, coupled with the fact that Liston was never known to be a substance abuser (besides heavy drinking), prompted rumors that he could have been murdered by some of his underworld contacts.
Additionally, authorities could not locate any other drug paraphernalia that Liston presumably would have needed to inject the fatal dose, such as a spoon to cook the heroin or an appendage to wrap around his arm. This only added to the mystery surrounding his death.
A friend of Liston's also told "Unsolved Mysteries" that Liston had been in a car accident a few weeks prior to his death. Liston was hospitalized with minor injuries, and received intravenous medicine. This is believed to be the source of the puncture wound that authorities found upon discovering Liston's body.
Liston is interred in Paradise Memorial Gardens in
Las Vegas, Nevada. His headstone bears the simple epitaph "A Man."
Sonny Liston - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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