Sonny Liston vs Oscar Bonavena 1969/1970

Prime for prime I go Liston every time. However, this was a creaking Liston and this strong-as-an-ox Argentine has the wrong style for a Liston win at this age. They'd both get in their shots but that maniac wouldn't let up on Sonny and I see the tires slowly deflating as the bout wore on.

 

Liston UD if the referee didn’t stop it. A few years earlier and Liston destroys his face.

 

I’ve got Bonavena by decision here. If you watch Liston’s KO loss to Martin very late on, he is able to do damage still, but what wins Martin the fight is the ability to hang in there & bang back. He was determined, & that was enough against this Liston. Bonavena was many things, none of them more prominent than obstinate. Combined with his youth & power I see him getting off the floor early to outwork Liston over twelve rounds. He might even stop him.

 

Do you see Bonavena out pointing Liston here?
I also use the Martin fight to judge Liston of 1969 but if he hadn't been knocked out, Sonny would have inevitably won on points. He was too far ahead at the time of the stoppage on my scorecard.
How did you score that one?
I think Bonavena wins this but only by knockout.

 

Bonavena would have worn Listons old ass out but Liston wouldnt have fought him at that point. He was being way to picky about his opposition.

 

Bonavena late KO, but I think Liston gives him a pretty bad beating early on. Oscar would probably be a bloody mess by the fight's end.

 

Pics or didn't happen

 

God help your town if Liston and Bonavena become friends and decide to paint it together.

 

I think Liston would still have a good chance of winning a decision. An old Floyd Patterson out pointed Bonavena. And Sonny still had a good jab and power in that right.

 

Sonny doesn't have Patterson's endurance, especially not the Martin version.

 

It took nine rounds before Martin was able to land that colossal bomb ( an exceptional punch ) on Sonny. Prior to that point Martin had visited the canvas and also sustained a torn retina which would make this his last fight.

 

I don't know if the retina was from this fight, Martin's daughter is in the comments on YouTube though so she might know, but Liston was majorly out pointing Martin before the 9nth.
The fact that Liston was out of steam in the 8th and then in the 9th despite being so dominant means that his stamina simply couldn't have been as good as Patterson's who went the distance and outworked Quarry, Ellis and Bonavena in competitive bouts.