Which light heavy has the best bet of beating a Liston or Foreman

Just watching and studying the heavyweight division all my life. I think Sonny had everything it took at his absolute best to defeat them all. The sonny of 1960 was not the Sonny of 1964. I believe Sonny had the most lethal left hand in boxing history and was impenetrable at his best. I think if Ali had not gotten a hernia the Sonny would have won the second fight when it was originally scheduled. He trained like an animal. After it was postponed he had no more will for the sport.

 

I don't understand why I keep repeating.

 

Nobody would have beaten the Ali of the second Liston bout. He was in his prime, heavyweight champion of the world, superbly conditioned, superbly confident and lightning quick. It was obvious from their first bout that Liston was just too slow to catch Ali.

 

Sonny was good but was a bit leaden footed.

And Wlad had the greatest left hand in heavyweight boxing. Sonny is in the argument, tho.

 

It would need to be a suburb boxer with exceptional speed and footwork. Neither Moore nor Johnson had the movement required to avoid KO blows over the distance.

Loughran or Tunney would be the best of the light hwts to turn the trick. Tunney being the more durable.

 

Prime vs prime Ali beats Liston. While I agree with what you've said about Liston's attributes, but I think Ali gets into his head anyway. Psychologically Liston like Tyson, Like Foreman are the typical bully type. Once that aura of badass is broken they usually find away out. It's why Liston quit in the 1st fight, and refused to get up the 2nd. It why Tyson bit BOTH of Holyfield's ears. And the reason Forman fought 5 fighters in one night to regain his confidence. Ali had the style, the speed, the power and the confidence to beat Liston in his prime. Also I believe prime Holmes could pull it off. And Possibly Holyfield, each of these men would had the temperament and skill level too deal with Liston. But as Liston showed would he have the temperament to handle a skilled fighter with absolutely no fear of him .

 

Probably because Norton can't fight going backwards, and Rocky only comes forward. They will be in each others face for 15 minutes and the Rock will nail him during that time

 

Liston was a bit like Tyson...great fighter with a questionable heart.

Louis would have knocked the crap out of Sonny and stopped him in 6.
Marciano would have been floored but probably lands flush consistently and kos him by round 12.
Holmes would have boxed Sonny's ears off and stopped him in 8.
Holyfield's darting, relentless style would have stopped him in 10.
Pre-Steward Lewis get ko'd by Sonny in 3. Steward-era LL stops Sonny in 5.

 

Good luck Liston on beating even the Ali of 1970-1974. If Ali outwitted Foreman, Liston would have fared no better. Foreman >Liston (mostly for having beat more than one great figher).

 

I think the coolest Liston fight I can think of (besides a prime Holmes, who despite controlling the fight overall might suffer a knockdown) is with young or old George Foreman.

Young/Prime Foreman was already intimidated by Sonny and probably would have been stopped inside 7 (though if George lands flush, with Sonny's suspect heart on the line...).

Strangely enough, Foreman's chin got way better in the 90s and I actually see him catching up to Sonny in nine rounds. Ko, out go the lights. The first seven or eight rounds 90s George would have been having plenty on his hands, though. Liston would have probably won most of them. It's a Moorer situation, except Liston would have given George waaaaaay more trouble until the one punch.

 

I personally think no era of Liston beats the Ali of the first fight. Only thing that saved Sonny from an earlier stoppage was the liniment getting in Ali's eyes imo.

Ali was a boxing miracle at that point in time; most of the fights leading up to that point underscore the facts.