A fully motivated, focused, in shaped Bowe gives Sonny the fight of his life and could even pull a win. But getting the very best version of Bowe into the ring is akin to catching an unicorn. Sonny is the reliable option here.
Bowe's weaknesses abound. He was a petulant head case with a fragile ego who couldn't focus on a game plan, would enter any firefight tow which he was invited and often resorted to fouls which partial refs overlooked. He abandoned his physical advantages to recklessly infight where his defense was as porous as a colander. And he just didn't punch that hard for a guy who would wind up and overcommit to the right hand. One of the more overrated heavies of his generation.
I mean that is fair but Liston was also still the guy who couldn’t really fight inside overly well and was pretty hittable himself, in the only fight against a good fighter his own size he won he was self admittedly almost KO’d by Williams.
Liston actually holds the greater reach here and Bowe was very good at negating the potential advantages of his greater height. Liston has Riddick covered at range and in close. Riddick can try to box or bang away up close and personal but Sonny holds all the cards in all depts.
People way overrate Liston he was never very good only won because he was bigger then his opponents and hit hard for his size. Bowe eats him up and knocks him out without too much issues.
He wasn't though. Same weight as Nino Valdes, same as Cleveland Williams, Ernie Cab, Wayne Bethea, 7 pounds more than Ernie Cab... I mean, dude was 210-215 in prime. That's not exactly a weight bully. He did have that crazy reach which would be crazy in any era. Your point is not a point.
Was he really? Or just a good match-up for Bowe to be the weight bully? Patterson was pretty damn good hisself btw.