Sonny Liston vs Riddick Bowe Who Ranks higher

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by Joeywill, Jul 15, 2023.


Who ranks higher

Poll closed Jul 22, 2023.
  1. Liston

    88.9%
  2. Bowe

    11.1%
  1. swagdelfadeel

    swagdelfadeel Obsessed with Boxing

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    Bowe was never going to fight Lewis in a million years. Not sure how he could’ve made that any clearer than throwing his belts in the trash to avoid him.

    The only thing completely false is calling someone a mental midget who preserved through a broken nose, a shut eye, and valiantly fought 6 rounds with a broken jaw, to a SD loss.
     
    Last edited: Jul 20, 2023
  2. Levook

    Levook Well-Known Member Full Member

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    I agree with the majority, Liston has the deeper record. H2H at their best, is an entirely different matter though! Maybe too close to call.
     
    Joeywill likes this.
  3. kaapa2

    kaapa2 Photo believed to be Col. W.E. Kurtz... Full Member

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    In my opinion Liston showed plenty of heart in his first fight with Cleveland Williams where Williams bloodied his nose and was hitting Liston with some hard shots trying to overpower him. Liston also reportedly went the distance with a broken jaw against Marty Marshall in his first career loss, losing by a split decision in 1954.
     
  4. Joeywill

    Joeywill Boxing Addict Full Member

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    Bowe and Lewis had a deal set for Lewis to make 18 mil and Bowe to make 13 mil for 1995.

    Lewis got Kod by McCall.

    The idea that Bowe would never fight Lewis is nonsense
     
  5. Joeywill

    Joeywill Boxing Addict Full Member

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    Maybe calling Liston a mental midget was harsh but he doesn't compare to Bowe in terms of heart. Only a select few do.

    He won a fight vs Golota solely on heart
     
  6. Joeywill

    Joeywill Boxing Addict Full Member

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    He has some heart just not as much as Bowe or most other heavyweights in the top 20
     
  7. catchwtboxing

    catchwtboxing Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Well you are the guy who thinks so.
     
  8. Joeywill

    Joeywill Boxing Addict Full Member

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  9. Joeywill

    Joeywill Boxing Addict Full Member

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    This thread actually shows how overrated Sonny Liston is cause I thought he would win this poll slightly but these results are astonishing.
     
  10. swagdelfadeel

    swagdelfadeel Obsessed with Boxing

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    1. He only technically won in the sense that Golota was dqed twice. He was otherwise getting battered so bad, to this day he isn't the same man.

    2. When you need to rely "solely on heart" to "win" a fight against Golota, it speaks volumes.
     
  11. Vic The Gambler

    Vic The Gambler Active Member Full Member

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    I like Bowe, but those two “victories” over Golota have a mighty huge asterix next to them! If he would have either outpointed or KO’d him, then Bowe would have deserved all the kudos in the world for it. Golota was a monster back then…or at least he appeared to be. I think only the ultra durable, safety first and pretty hard chinned Marion Wilson had gone the distance with AG by the time Bowe turned up to fight him.
    Golota had KO’d or TKO’d everyone else.

    Bowe was heading the way of all the others it seemed until Golota’s inexcusable and inexplicable “lapses” led to not one but TWO DQs…both times when Golota was well ahead on points. Strange business. But definitely two fights that Bowe cannot take much credit for “winning.”

    Then a year later, Lennox Lewis showed Bowe how to deal with Golota properly by dispatching him in one round!

    No…whatever else Bowe did well in his career…and i think for a short time he was top notch….
    “beating” Golota twice was not amongst them.
     
  12. cuchulain

    cuchulain Loyal Member Full Member

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    :qmeparto:


    "Apart from that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play ?"
     
  13. Dynamicpuncher

    Dynamicpuncher Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Totally agree I don't really see how ending both fights laying on your back, after being battered from pillar to post can really be called a victory.

    In the 16 rounds Bowe fought against Golota he won about 3 rounds, and was hit in the region of 650 times.
     
  14. Dynamicpuncher

    Dynamicpuncher Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Michael Grant also won solely on heart vs Golota, but the difference is his win was more legitimate. Due to the fact he floored Golota and made him quit, rather than laying on his back winning by DQ like Bowe.
     
  15. Dynamicpuncher

    Dynamicpuncher Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    I don't see why it would be though Bowe's record outside of Holyfield fights is seriously lacking.

    I mean someone like Buster Douglas only really has 1 stand out name on his record like Bowe does, but also has wins over the likes of Berbick, McCall, Page, Cobb. Is Bowe's record really that much better than Douglas's in all honesty ?

    I don't see fighters like a shot Dokes, Ferguson Hide, Gonzalez, being any better than the fighters above.