1971 Joe Frazier v 1962 Sonny Liston ?

Frazier gets pummelled and stopped in the early rounds horrible stylistic match up for Frazier.

Liston has the physical strength to push off Frazier like Foreman did he also has the power like Foreman to seriously trouble Frazier. Not to mention Liston has an even longer reach than Foreman and is a better technical boxer than Foreman.

I don't see Frazier having much success vs Liston at all.

 

50/50 fight, Liston is not as strong and aggressive like Foreman, he also could not push his opponents the way Foreman did, Liston is more like boxer puncher than a slugger and this is a FOTC Frazier we are talking about.
Liston is not Foreman, and FOTC Frazier was much better than washed Frazier who faced Foreman.

So Liston mid rounds TKO or Frazier by late KO in 14th round after exhausting battle that would retire him.

 

I would pick Liston to win, but I wouldn’t make him the overwhelming favorite that I thought he’d be in years past. Joe Frazier was just about the best in the business when it came to slipping the jab and working his way to the inside. He had incredible workrate, fast hands, upper body movement and decent power. There was also no quit in the man. In the end I think liston’s crippling punches and elite left jab would prevail in breaking down Frazier but this would be a very hard fight and a win for Frazier isn’t impossible either

 

Liston IMO was possibly just as strong as Foreman, perhaps even stronger. Foreman said that Liston was the only man to put him on the backfoot.

I think it would be a similar fight to Foreman V Frazier but in Liston's favour. I think Frazier would really struggle dealing with Liston's physicality.

 

Frazier would come right at Liston from the opening bell.

THATS SUICIDE.

You NEVER take the fight to a Prime Liston.

That's a guaranteed Vicious knockout loss for Frazier but unfortunately that's the only way Frazier knows how to fight.

So With that said .

Frazier get knocked out in 4 rounds ( Maybe even quicker than that )

 

Liston stops him late, it's not a blowout. Frazier has more to offer than light heavyweight Patterson

 

Styles make fights, Joe's style gets him killed against Sonny for all the reasons already mentioned. I wonder how many times Joe gets up before the ref waves this one off?

 

Frazier i knew guys who sparred both and said the same thing

 

Why do yo think Frazier will beat Liston?

 

It would be a coin flip

 

I think people forget Frazier wasn't a small man, Sonny was usually around 100kg, Frazier was about 4/5kg more. He fought small, quick, explosive movements from a constantly bobbing, feinting crouch. Im a huge fan of Sonny, and Joe and really wonder if Sonny would keep Joe off him. Joe was a master of slipping the jab and closing the distance, Sonny had a masterful jab but was not known for his infighting. This might be an absolute war with both men stung. Im going one fight a piece, distance fights, with no deciding match.

 

Liston's bigger than Frazier. The majority of his best wins are around 212-215. Holmes target weight at his peak was about 212. Frazier's peak weight was around 203-205 pounds.

 

Yup, on reflection Frazier may have weighed as much as 104 but was mostly under 100kg. Still not a small man, and I will stand by the rest of my post. I think he can get past Sonny's jab and make it very uncomfortable for him...

 

No Liston isn't Foreman, he is a much better boxer,and his primary weakness ,no lateral movement ,would not be a factor because Frazier would be right in front of him. If Sonny could choose a style of opponent for him to face,it would be a short, come forward slugger.
At range his jab busts up Frazier's face,in close his strength and uppercuts would neutralize Frazier's one handed power,and his chin would take any hooks that managed to get through
As Liston remarked,"it would be like shooting fish in a barrel" .
Yancey Durham wanted no part of an Old Liston,he would certainly give a miss to a prime Sonny.