The whole Liston – Cassius Clay gun incident was a publicity stunt. Clearly, Liston was in cahoots with the eventual Muhammed Ali during all the pre-fight taunting, to gin-up ratings. As for Ali’s decision to run like hell when Sonny went ballistic, we turn to a contemporaneous celebrity: Jimmy Hoffa. After an assassin attempted to rub out the union boss (in court no less), Hoffa famously recommended that one should run from a knife, charge a gun. Take that as you will. Meanwhile, godspeed champ. And, while we’re at it, Ali’s endlessly entertaining foil and inveterate truth teller Howard Cosell.