Rate Liston's Jab

Really good. Best jab is like saying best food, so many different types.

Larry had a nice flick jab that carried power, Tyson's shotgun jab would put people down. Liston's best jab for me is his pole-arm jab when he puts his arm out and lets his elbow hyperextend, ramming his whole arm and upper body into the face of his opponent (very visible at 2:40 of the OP video). His range jab was pretty good as well. Liston was an excellent jabber, but I think it was best as a great puzzle piece to his overall game.

As far as most effective jab of all time? For me it's down to Holmes, Klitschko, or Lewis. Ali's was my favorite.

Truthfully, and regretfully, I feel like Wladimir may have the most effective jabbing game of all time when you account for everything. He could throw it from many angles and didn't need much room to have great power with his awkward pawing. The hook flowed effortlessly off of his jab, so did the right hand. His range and stability and consistency with the jab made it nearly impossible to get through and when opponents did, they ate a right hand and were promptly wrapped up.

 

I have Larry Holmes at #1 but there are a few people who come very close. Liston is certainly one of them

 

Liston>Ali>Holmes>*Foreman>Lewis>Wlad

 

I’d put Wlad’s higher, his jab is underrated and it had tremendous power. Holmes for me is the undisputed king of jabs.

 

The man owned the division for a decade based on his jab alone.

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#1 Holmes
#2 Liston
#3 Ali
#4 Foreman
#5 Wlad

 

Thomas said he had a better jab than Holmes which was why he said that he avoided him

 

A good sign of a jab is having an effect is when the opponent is forced to re- position his right hand to try and nullify it.
Look at Williams right hand, he was forced to change position and have it more of a forward position in order to " catch" or block Liston's jab.
A good idea, but if one door closes, another one opens up. It leads to Williams ko lost from Liston's left hook ......
The Klitschko video against a much shorter, smaller Haye, pales in comparison....
And " hanging jab"? Who thinks of that nonsense.....

 

I would throw the Truth Williams into the mix his jab was a thing of beauty. Bruno had a very powerful jab a real weapon.

 

One thing about Liston's jab seldom mentioned is it's versatility. He could use it as a power punch, use it to obscure the vision of his opponent, or use it as a faint. Here's an article that goes more into depth about Liston's jab Sonny Liston - Skills - Reemus Boxing

 

Question: You fought Larry Holmes in 1975 when he was starting to come up the ranks (Billy was 37 at the time of that fight). Who had the better jab: Liston or Holmes?

Billy Joiner: Oh, no doubt. Liston. If I had two weeks to train for Holmes, I would've beaten him. I hadn't been in the gym in a year. I got a call right before Christmas, and was asked if I wanted to go to Puerto Rico. I had four kids, and I didn't know anything about Holmes. So I went. I jumped on him right from the beginning. I wasn't in condition. But no, there really wasn't a comparison between him at that time and Liston at the time I fought him. Liston was much stronger than Holmes. I could walk right through Holmes, but I got tired. Had I been in condition, it wouldn't have been a contest for that particular fight.

 

What do people think about Carl “ The Truth “ Williams’ Jab? I mean obviously he fell short of world class for other reasons. But his jab might be up there with some of the best.

 

Pretty good. Hasim Rahman had a nice jab even though he was slow as ****.

 

Louis’ jab was great but it didn’t seem that he stuck with it as much as he did in some other fights.

The Max Baer fight is one in which Joe worked the jab quite consistently to great effect.

But Joe wasn’t just a savant exponent of the jab - he had a variety of punch types, powerful, fast and perfectly executed, and all blended into his overall offence.

Holmes had a fine jab but he expressly relied on the jab more the most - that in itself contributes to the perception of the quality of a fighter’s jab.

If we were talking left hooks, then Joe Frazier would be the equivalent example based on a similar line of criteria.

As @swagdelfadeel already said, Liston’s jab was multifaceted and it was driven by Liston’s high boxing IQ - a short clip on Liston’s use of the jab feint: -

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