(PRIME) Sonny Liston vs. (PRIME) Oleksandr Usyk

Usyk competitive decision, maybe tko

 

Today we've got a forecast of a hundred posts of heresy. Please divert to the classical forum if you want to avoid that storm which is going to last for a few days.

 

Liston at his very best would beat Usyk

 

Usyk, clear points decision.

 

Usyk would school the **** out of Liston. Probably pour it on late and get the stoppage. Too smart, fast and footwork would give Sonny fits.

 

The disrespect shown to old fighters continues

Sure I favour usyk, but he didn't run through lesser men, so why does he do it to Liston?

Give Liston modern 'supplements' and make it fair. He has a freakish reach, ramrod jab and a fist the size of a head

I vote Liston if he was at his peak now with the supplements

 

Usyk didn't get a clear points win over breidis and struggled with sloppy chisora, so we are led to believe he clowns a prime Liston?

Wasn't Liston older than usyk when he was champ?

 

I could see Usyk winning a close decision, but the chances of him getting a TKO seem very very slight to me.

 

Easy Usyk win. Liston struggled against movers, and he’s up against one of the best in heavyweight history—who’s also bigger, stronger, and much faster. Usyk wouldn’t just evade Liston’s attacks; he’d systematically take away his jab, which is the foundation of Liston’s entire offense. Without it, Liston’s ability to set up his power shots collapses.

Liston never dealt well with opponents who didn’t stand in front of him, and Usyk’s constant angles, feints, and superior foot speed would keep him turning, missing, and second-guessing. Usyk’s style isn’t just elusive; it’s designed to nullify slow-footed, jab-dependent punchers like Liston. He’d control the distance, beat Liston to the punch, and keep him off balance all night.

I don’t see how Liston wins. He’s up against a bigger, stronger, smarter, and much faster opponent whose style is the perfect counter to his own.

 

People in here are injecting Liston full of steroids to get him competitive with Usyk.
The title is PRIME Liston and TH A T Liston wasn't injecting PEDS as far as I know. So Sonny isn't going to bulk up to 240 pounds.

Usyk 12 round UD.

 

Liston's best opponents don't have the size to make a good comparison to Usyk's:

USYK'S BEST OPPONENTS
Glowacki- 6'0", 199, WBO Cruiser Champ
Mchunu- 5'11", 198.5, #12 WBO, #14 IBF
Hunter- 6'2", 199.25, #9 WBO Cruiser
Huck- 6'2", 198, #9 WBO, former champ
Briedis- 6'1", 199, WBC Cruiser Champ
Gassiev- 6'3.5", 198, IBF/WBA Cruiser Champ
Bellew- 6'3", 199, #1 WBO, , #4 WBA cruiser, former champ
Chisora- 6'1.5", 255.5, #8 WBO, #10 IBF, #11 WBA, all at heavyweight
Joshua- 6'6", 240 IBF/WBA/WBO Heavyweight Champ
Joshua- 6'6, 244.5, #4 WBO, #4 IBF #4WBA, Former Champion
Dubois- 6'5", 233, #8 WBO Heavweight (and mando somehow)
Fury-- 6'9", 262, WBC Heavyweight Champ
Fury- 6'9", 281, WBC #1, WBO #1, WBA #3,

LISTON'S BEST
Patterson- 6'0", 189, World Champion
Patterson- 6'0", 194, #1 NBA contender
Foley- 6'1",198.5, #3 NBA contender, #1 Ring Magazine
Williams- 6'2", 215.5 Unranked
Willlams- 6'2", 210, # NBA 10 contender
Machon- 6'0", 196, #2 NBA Contender, #3 Ranked Ring Magazine
Valdez- 6'3", 211, #2 Ring Magazine
Summerline 6'1", 201, Unranked
Summerline 6'1", 206, Unranked
Marshall, 6'0.5", 18, Unranked
Marshall, 6'0.5", 179, "Honorable Mention" at LHW
Wepner, 6'5", 228, Unranked
Clark, 6'3", 215, #5 NBA contender
Rischer, not listed, 200, Unranked
Bethea, 6'0", 204, #8 Ring magazine
Westphal, 5'7.5", 195, Unranked
Besmanoff, 5'11", 201, Unranked
Harris, 6'0", 195, #6 NBA, #7 Ring Magazine
Dejohn, 6'2.5", 202, #9 ranked NBA, #8 Ranked Ring Magazine

 

In all fairness, he didn't have his jaw broken by Marty Marshall, either.

I get your point...I think it's a hard-fought fight, but I'll pick Usyk.

 

There's a common pattern with all these nostalgia heroes from Murica particularly, and that is half their record is filled with no-hopers or 'cans'. Turns out when you don't just watch the highlight reel, they had terrible opposition in a 'sport' that was even more corrupt than it is now.

Liston is an early prototype of media hype pushed around the globe from Murica. Films and books and even songs written about this character.

Usyk utterly smashes Liston into oblivion. It isn't competitive at all. It's a joke fight where he wonders why he's even doing it. It would be one of the most lopsided fights you've ever seen. The difference between the competition Usyk has faced and this old prizefighter from an era of clumsy brawls and no defence, an era of tiny HW's that Groves would rehydrate bigger than and spark out too, it's night and day. My god how laughable all these matchups would be with Usyk. If only we had that time machine and could end all the delusions.