Which Of The 80 s Alphabet Boys, Would Liston Have Pulverised..?

Well I think he'd have a difficult time with Tim Witherspoon. It would be an interesting match up with Sonny Liston and Bonecrusher Smith both big tough guys hard to wear down.

 

Prime Pinklon Thomas at his best would have been a tough opponent. Great jab, solid chin, durable and pretty quick, he’d give Sonny a few things to think about. Not that he’d sidestep him though, he’d have enough in his armoury to beat Thomas and most of the 80s crowd.

 

I see Witherspoon and a peak Tubbs giving Sonny the biggest fits, but I think he handily beats the rest. I'd like to see how a fight between him and John Tate would go

 

A lot of the 80's best would give Liston trouble, mostly because they're bigger and more technical than him. These guys I think would give him the most trouble,

Tim Witherspoon
Tubbs
Bonecrusher
Pinklon Thomas
Berbick
Late 80's Holyfield
Spinks, if he's not intimidated that is
Tillis, assuming he decides to show up to fight like with Tyson
Douglas, when motivated
Bruno

 

The names mentioned in these posts is a reminder of how very talented the 80s
guys were.A terrible waste of talent from so many potential ATGs.
Yes Tim Witherspoon at his best could give Sonny a real fight.Tim's career was
ruined by his disputes with Don King but Tim was so talented.
Angelo Dundee compared the left jab of Pinklon Thomas to Liston's own jab.
High praise indeed.Thomas was another gifted underachiever who could have
troubled Sonny.
Make no mistake,I would still expect the great Sonny Liston to beat either guy but
Witherspoon and Thomas on their best form could give just about every heavyweight in history
plenty of grief.

 

I think he should be favored to beat them all. As far as which ones he beats the easiest, that I’m not sure. I can say however that both Mike Weaver and Trevor Berbick would be sitting ducks for him with their type of fighting style

 

I don’t know about Buster, but Tokyo Douglas would give anyone a run for their money and beat his fair share.

 

I think even regular Douglas could've given Liston fits. He gave fits to Tony Tucker before the stoppage, and he had a style that would frustrate Sonny.

 

Tony Tubbs,Tim Witherspoon,Michael Dokes and Greg Page would have been problematic for Sonny.

 

Beat them, sure, but I doubt he'd be pulverizing them. In Liston's day a typical heavyweight was 6' and weighed 190lb. In the 80s a typical heavyweight was 6'3 and weighed 220lb. Sonny would be in the unusual position of conceding height, weight and reach to most of his opponents. Be interesting to see how he dealt with that. Tubbs would give him fits IMO.

The one he'd be most likely to pulverize would be Truth Williams, who was always vulnerable against powerful left hooks. Doesn't bode well when you're facing Sonny Liston.