Picture of Sonny Liston and Rocky Marciano

Most of Rocky’s opponents were heavier taller and longer reaches...what’s your point?

 

Carnera had huge advantages over joe Louis too. You just can’t always write ATG fighters off on just pounds and inches. Things like opposition, greatness and consistency count. Sonny was a great fighter too but there are factors that count against Sonny as well.

 

Even today if Anthony Joshua met Mike Tyson in a gym he would have no business telling Tyson he would have had no problem with Tyson if they were both around at the same time.

If Tyson challenged Joshua into a ring to spar him to “find out” if he really would have had no trouble of course Anthony would have the advantage, but even now, the first 30 seconds or so AJ would find out he was in with a once great fighter. A once in a life time fighter. And he would respect the hell out of Mike with that instant realisation.

And this is exactly what we have with this photo. Sonny, though the active champion, would have found out too. You just can’t disrespect former champions.

Sonny and Rocky both fought in the same decade. They were not so far apart.

 

My point was in reaction to a poster who seemed to be diminishing Liston's physicality and suggesting that it was not "hulking". That was the point.

 

Priceless !!!

 

Again, will anyone hold their breath waiting for the next slow, sub-70 inch reach, sub 6-footer, sub 190 pounder to dominate the heavyweight division?

Or let's put it this way... Will the next dominant heavyweight look more like Liston or Marciano? Wanna bet your mortgage on it?

 

Liston given his size & the slugger advantage over swarmer would have to be clearly favored even in gtheir primes.
Some housekeeping:

Liston was a little under 6' 1", & photos seem to show that Marciano was not the 5' 10" 1/2 listed...The photo here likely reflects disparities in footwear &/or stance. Looking at Rocky in his computer fight with Ali when both had the same shoes he is absolutely dwarfed.

I never saw Liston's fists listed at 16", if they were that is an exception.
Though they may have been 14" instead of 15".
Some do think Liston had an 84" reach, & the length of his hands & breath of his chest mean it is a possibility, occasional others have a +11" or so "ape factor".
But him being listed around 79" in at least another occasion means that there is a good chance that it was overstated.

Why anyone would comment that a "balding" man could not beat a guy with a full head of hair...Senseless. because it is correlated with age? In itself it means nothing. In fact whether a Jordan or one of numerous young guys shaving their head against baldness but still could be the very best in their sport, or someone balding due to the unfair/cheating advantage of using certain steroids...
It is irrelevant & foolish to mention it.

 

Goddamn Italian food is good, too. I just made a Neapolitan ragu yesterday.

 

Agreed, Ali towered over the both of them in equal (ish) measure. Liston could of been 5 11.5 to Rockys 5 10”

 

I rarely comment on Marciano threads because both him and the entire heavyweight division of the 50's are puzzling anomalies, and I'm not confident I understand what explains those anomalies.

 

Uh... So, either you or this 32 year old Japanese guy are going to dominate the heavyweight division? I don't get your point.