I actualy think that Schmeling could give Liston a fair few stylistic issues. I guess that ultimately Liston would probably figure him out and stop him late.
sonny Liston is not Joe Louis. I think to beat Liston a fighter needs to move out of the way a bit more than schmeling used to. Max had a good chin and a well timed right hand but he is not giving away quite the size advantage Liston enjoyed against patterson. willie besmanoff (around schmelings size) stood in front of Liston, he took a beating but was cut and not put over. whitehurst did make liston stumble a bit with an inferior right hand to Herr max so there is hope for schmeling here. I think Liston deserves to be favourite here, but schmeling deserves a fair chance of causing an upset.
Yeah..mobility would be a requirement to beat Liston..even to hang in there with him...as Machen showed.
Zora Folley was a fine technical fighter as Schmeling was, but he got caught and destroyed because he wasn't a mover..same with Schmeling. Of course the man in my avatar would have turned the trick with Sonny...but that's for a different thread, lol.
Don't like this match for Schmeling one bit. Max was crafty and a truly great fighter, but going up against sonny is just too dangerous.
Schmeling managed to go toe-to-toe with Baer for a while, and actually beat Joe Louis the first time while standing in front of him. Granted, Liston has the long, scary jab, but I don't see Schmeling getting blasted out here.
Sonny's jab would give Max the countering opportunities he preferred. Foreman would be much worse for Schmeling because George would shove Max upright and backwards. But Liston tended to stand his ground and box from range when the occasion suited. With his jab, he didn't usually have to press. Schmeling's hand speed is much superior to Sonny's, and he wasn't too small to hand with Liston. I don't think his right would be enough to force a stoppage, and he might have to for any chance at prevailing. I think Liston's jab builds up an early lead before he fades, then reaches the final bell before Max catches up. This would be a satisfying match to watch, an entertaining chess match. I actually think Schmeling would land the harder punches here with his right, but it wouldn't be enough to offset the volume of Sonny's jabs.
Interesting match-up here...Schmeling gets routinely underrated at times on this forum. Without a doubt Liston would be the odds on favorite going into this fight, and deservedly so...but to not give Schmeling a shot would be IMHO a huge disservice. I imagine Liston would build an early points lead, and likely stop Schmeling late.. I do think max would find and take advantage of some good countering opportunities, and I would not be shocked to see him take a close points win here...I wouldn't pick or bet on it...but I wouldn't call it out of the realm of possibility either
Liston by KO over Maxie...... Max boxes well for 4 rds, But Liston comes on strong and halts the German with a barrage of wicked shots..... Sonny boy by middle rds KO over Mad Max... MR.BILL
It wouldn't surprise me to see Max come out on top against Liston. The Joe Louis rematch immediately comes to mind for those against Schmeling but that was just one fight. Both would land serious shots, and the longer the fight goes, it favours Max IMO.
Liston would completely control the distance here. Max has to find a way to get past that gargantuan reach. Come forward?? OK...just don't forget the lesson learned in that famous Russian winter....