Picture of Sonny Liston and Rocky Marciano

Not a flattering pic of Rocky. He looks older.

Not a markedly large size disparity in this photo, though.

 

Not the size difference I imagined

 

5'11"?
Did Marciano grow an inch or two since he's been dead? Either he wearing some big heels in that pic or maybe Liston's official height, like his reach measurements is exaggerated?

 

Marciano would definitely make Liston respect him especially, since knowing Liston he’d underestimate him and like many others would find out once they got in the ring with Marciano that looks can be deceiving. Walcott and Moore also completely underestimated Marciano and paid dearly for it on fight night.

 

I don't think Marciano's tender face would get beyond Liston's jab.

That said, I don't think Rocky feared any man.

 

It would be my same assessment for a prime Marciano.

 

Marciano struggled with much more shopworn and lesser athletes, none of whom had a jab near as good or powerful as Liston's. I think Marciano would get exposed against Liston.

 

Yes even as old as he was, for a round at least, an old fighter can always show somewhat of his former class in sparring. Sonny would absolutely have been forced to respect Rocky. And within moments. Liston would have had his hands full. A former champion is not somebody to insult in a gym.

However, Sonny was the active fighter here. If a serious gym fight broke out between them, there is no way Rocky had the condition to maintain anything more than three minutes with a current champion. But that won’t take away from the fact Sonny would have been the one learning a hard lesson. Not Rocky. At least initially.

Prime for prime I have always favoured Rocky against Sonny. Liston was a great fighter though and better than the guys Rocky fought. You just can’t confuse Rocky for Floyd Patterson or Joe Frazier. He was better than those two.