Liston over Marciano - Can Anyone Sanely...

When was Liston ever forced to work at a high work-rate? I'd say never. He was always in his comfort zone, picking people off and battering them. He never really had to show a high octane, and while he doesn't appear to be Foreman when it comes to stamina, I doubt his engine is that much better. All this is thrown out the window if he can ice Marciano or just beat up him so bad that there's no fight. I just don't see this scenario play out, though. I see Liston tiring and breaking first if anything.

 

Liston will concede space. Liston actually fights well off the back foot and he would be advised to do so. Slugging with Marciano would be more of a mistake if anything.

 

come on this is starting to get silly. Its turning into one of those Vitali beat prime Lewis ones.

It should be clear now that Marciano has a chance but Liston would probably win.

 

Yes, it's quite like that. Because an older Liston nearly made prime Marciano a cyclops. Why argue the match-up at all, considering that, yeah? :blood

 

i belive the exact opposite

 

Whats belief got to do with it, Liston has all the advantages.

Marciano doesnt have the edge, Liston has it. On the other hand Rocky cant be ruled out, he has some chance of getting a KO or points decision, but the evidence suggests he gets stopped despite taking a MASSIVE battering bravely. And after that battering he might just catch up with Liston.

But theres limits to the human will alone. The mind might be willing when the body has long given up, ask any geezer in hospital.

 

Marciano's right hand that destroyed Walcott 2X,Ruined the 34-1 career of Rex Layne and almost killed Carmine Vingo the left hook that destroyed Moore and Charles and Matthews and the combo that left Joe Louis helpless was a little bit more than human will alone.....Compare that arsenal to the best that Liston faced Big Cat Williams, Leotis Martin, 180lb Marty Marshall and it is quite more than Human will alone.

 

INteresting nuggets about bad blood between the two ... never heard it before ... I differ on a few points ... the going got very rough v.s. Williams and Sonny took the shots well and fired back. To gage him as a 34 year old plus fighter, highly inactive, fighting a physically prime Ali is not an accurate measuring stick to compare how a physically prime Liston would do against a completely more favorable stylistic match up like Rocky ..

 

Marciano was hit , on film, often and hard by Walcott, LaStarza, Charles, Cockell and Moore ... while I agree he was not a plodder like a Ron Stander he was a bruiser and he was no defensive genius ... he would have to come to Liston and get inside and that is a stylistic nightmare for Marciano against a much bigger, stronger , murderous punching guy of Sonny's skills set and abilities ..

 

Frazier was a rhythm fighter, Marciano was a rhythm breaker.

 

Marciano beat all his opponents and 92% were bigger than he was. how about answering my questions? did Liston top marciano for heart, durability, stamina, did he have the capacity to beat men bigger than he was and was sonny slick enough to neutralise Marciano’s awkwardness?

Sonny was great viewing winning one sided fights but he gets a competitive fight against rocky what ever way you look at it and Liston's back catalogue of competitive fights wasn’t quite so cool to watch.

 

Sure. The points of the Liston-Williams example was not to question Liston's durability but his mental fortitude over the course of a long fight. The potential exists if Marciano can make it an interesting fight, and it's interesting to imagine Liston enduring throughout a long fight. Could really dispel the preconceptions about him being either a bully, or just a misunderstood, great fighter.

Concise and simple breakdown, Chris.

Liston was a devastating puncher, but he was a comfort boxer-puncher type of fighter in my opinion. Which makes a Marciano-Liston fight a little more intriguing than a Frazier-Liston fight in my eyes.

 

A point Liston fans simply can't ignore. Liston either ices Marciano early (Unlikely), or beats him up from a distance over a sustained period of time with Marciano getting no offensive or way into the fight. I see a more competitive fight scenario, and there are question marks with Liston in this scenario over a long course of a fight.

 

exactly. we never saw Liston do 15 rounds. He did 12 good ones against machen but there would be more give and take against rocky. would Liston be able to control the pace? having just watched povetkin v huck it makes you think.

 

on this very thread you said it irks you that people use foreman v frazier as a measuring stick. But apparently using huck v povetkin as a measuring stick is perfectly fine

I apologise for taking you seriously.