Joe Louis vs Sonny Liston primes

I would cheer for Louis to win and I believe that he can. But I would also be biting my nails the whole time. Sonny is a very dangerous fighter and an upset here is certainly possible

 

Louis can definitely win this, Liston was more susceptible to overhands/right-handed based attacks, especially with long men.

I'd still have to go with Liston though, I think a prime 59' Liston was explosive, aggressive, and technical enough to get Louis out of there.

 

Liston tears him with the jab, beats his body and stops Louis after he's taken too much punishment. I don't think Louis would be able to find Sonny past his physical imposition, jab, and mental warfare. I think it's a bad matchup for Louis and if Louis opens up and tries to throw in longer strings, he would be caught and hurt in my opinion. Would be a hell of a fight and Joe was a tough man.

 

Frightening an opponent into defeat seems to be pretty rare in boxing. It's so rare that multiple threads have only confirmed a few instances. On top of that, Joe Louis is one of the most consistent heavyweights in history. If anything, he scared other fighters.

I don't know what "mental warfare" Sonny could deploy to beat Louis. What kind of things are you talking about?

 

The only upset would be if Louis makes it past round 1.

 

Your usual approach of favoring modern fighters over older ones doesn't make much sense here. Louis and Sonny were from similar eras, and are similar in size. Both are pre-Boomer, pre-modern sports science.

 

That only worked on slow stiffs from Louis's era.

 

Era? Are you aware Liston made his debut less than two years after Louis retired?

What do you think caused this seismic evolution between the 1940's and late 50's/early 60's?

 

Liston was a seismic evolution, and overall you get evolution in eras almost 2 decades apart

 

I think Louis is No. 2 all time behind Ali, I have Sonny at No. 7, so I pick Joe but it's going to be an absolute war and is another one I wouldn't bet a penny on. Whomever gets in trouble is not getting out of trouble with either of these two.

 

What did the seismic evolution consist of, and what do you attribute it to?

To me -- and here I part company with @swagdelfadeel, @JohnThomas1, and some of your other opponents -- Sonny doesn't look like he has the speed or athleticism of the heavyweight cohort born in the 40s / early 50s. He looks like he came from the same world that Louis, Walcott, Marciano, and Charles came from.

 

Liston is one fighter. One fighter can be an outlier, but you mentioned "stiffs" (plural) from Louis's era.

The top 6 p4p fighters, as per the ring magazine, 20 years ago were RJJ, Hopkins, Mosley, ODLH, Mayweather and Pacquiao. Has boxing evolved to the point they would have no chance against their counterparts today?

If not, what was the scientific or technical reason for boxing evolving from 1940 to 1960 to the extent world class contenders would be nothing other than stiff? I'm hoping, but not expecting, an answer that is more intelligent than the name of one fighter.

 

I think this is quite possible, with Louis in most danger early on.

I see Louis surviving a knockdown, then both of them earning each others' respect with their amazing jabs.

If it goes 15, I think Liston wilts around the 13th or 14th. If 12 Joe wins a tough decision, either way both men are swole up as hell and it would be quite the fight to watch.