In the early 1960s, Sonny returned to the Walls at the Missouri State Penitentary in Jefferson City, Missouri to give a boxing exhibition. Sonny was incarcerated there on a robbery conviction in the early 50s and learned to box there. One of my clients - a grandson of one of the guards - gave me a copy of this photo. As far as I know, its never been published in any format. It is also one of the few pictures anywhere in which Liston is actually grinning.
My client's grandfather stayed in contact with Sonny over the years until Sonny's death. My client told me that Sonny was one of the few inmates that his grandfather liked. His grandfather also believed that Sonny was murdered because, even at the Walls, Sonny was deathly afraid of needles.
