The stupidity of this thread is only surpassed in stupidity by Mr Magoo`s answer above. Liston KO3 Cooney. Thread closed.
With all due respect, I think I'll post anyway. Sonny Liston is highly overrated around here. His best win(s) were against Floyd Patterson whom he outweighed by 20 lbs. When he got in against someone close to his size and skill level (Clay), he looked for a way out of the fight twice. Unless we anoint his victories over Cleveland Williams as all time great wins, I don't see the resume to back the hype. Cooney, on the other hand, gave a near prime Holmes a tough fight and at least had the heart to take the ass whipping (unlike Liston) for 13 rounds. I tend to think the bully Liston would win the fight because Cooney didn't quite have the skill to bring out the punk in Sonny. I'll say Liston by stoppage around the 11th.
The thread is not stupid or closed. Cooney had height, reach, and power. I am looking at it from an interest and style perspective. I am NOT rating Cooney high up on any boxing list, just discussing what might happen as (again) a point of interest (only).
Interesting thought....Cooney vs. Liston. However I cannot see Sonny losing this bout. I think it Liston would have won in one or two rounds, in devastating fashion. Watch Liston's beat downs of Cleveland Williams for some insight here.
And Cooney really has a great amount of wins right Cleveland Williams weighed the same as Liston, and was taken out before the 4th started twice.
You missed my point. I was responding to the claim that the originator of the post asked an absurd question (Liston vs. Cooney). The point is, what did Liston really do to merit such acclaim? Cleveland Williams? Yeah, I know he fought Cleveland Williams and noted it in my post. Pretty good fighter. I don't think 2 wins over Cleveland Williams are that epic. I'm no great Cooney supporter. Facts are facts though. He stood up against a near prime Holmes for 13 and gave him a pretty good fight. When Liston fought an ATG, he quit once and looked for a soft place to lay down the second time. I can prove Clay stopped him twice. Liston worshipers can only speculate that he took dives. Sorry, I just don't think he's an ATG. I also don't think Liston could blow Cooney out of there much quicker than Holmes did. I said 11 rounds tko for Liston. Seems reasonable to me. If a guy gets blasted every time he asks a reasonable question, we won't have much to talk about.
Yes, natonic, it's just a fun look at a matchup, nothing more. Different eras and styles can make for interesting outcomes. This isn't a debate on whether someone is an ATG or a tomato can. Just fun speculation.
A wild opening two minutes but once Liston hits him it's a different fight ... I'm no big Liston fan as I believe he was a quitter and is a bit over rated but I like Sonny her ... Gerry lacks the chin ...