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. 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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