Would Sonny Liston rule the HW division now?

I just hate the fact that some people think size is everything in boxing, when it clearly is not. Look at even recent fights, Chagaev/Valuev, Chagaev is maybe 6'1, and Valuev is said to be closer to 7'1, look who won that one. Bryd 6'1 vs almost anyone he fought, McCline 6'6, Vitali 6'7 and half.

I dont know how many of you actually boxed in a gym, but 2 I been part of, always had Middleweights sparring with Heavyweights, Lightweights sparring with Middleweights, and so on. It wasnt a big deal, it taught you that being bigger has it's advantages, and that being smaller has it's advantages as well. I guess I just dont get why some posters want to throw out certain fighters just because of their size, when most of the smaller boxers people are looking down on, are alot more skilled than the bigger boxers there comparing them to.

 

Yes, it can be an advantage, but so can being smaller and lighter. Take your guy in your avatar, 6'0 tall, around 215, I'm sure he wouldnt of been as great, if he was say 6'3. He used his size to his advantage, he got under punches, he stayed low and kept his head moving, and when he seen his opertunity the hook was soon to follow. Theirs advantages of being bigger, and theirs advantages to being smaller, you learn that early in the boxing gym.

 

:good Exactly, thats the point I was trying to make. I just think some posters on here think size means everything, when in reality it doesn't.

 

It doesn't mean nothing, either. The best small HW's are either swarmers with a punch, or defensive wizards with great speed. Either style takes advantage of the fighters' size by giving the opponent a smaller target to hit.

Liston's problem, as it relates to current heavyweights, is that he's a small heavyweight who fights big. Relying on the jab (and a great one at that), not especially fast or mobile, utilizing a reach advantage and a great punch and physically wearing out his opposition. This puts him at a disadvantage when you're talking about jabbing someone 7 inches taller than himself, especially someone who throws a straight right because he'd be open for it.

When he runs into a bigger fighter who has a dominant jab, better mobility, a great punch, and very good reflexes, he's going to be in trouble. There's always the chance he could pull out a KO against Wlad, but more often than not, Klitschko would TKO him.

Guys like Frazier, Dempsey, Marciano, and Tyson were small guys who used their small stature to their advantage at their best. I don't think Liston's got the versatility to change his stripes, which puts him at a stylistic disadvantage today.

I'd say he could capture an ABC belt here or there and get a couple defenses, but Sonny wouldn't dominate the entire HW landscape.

 

Very good post, I cant disagree with you. I was just upset at a few posters who thought being smaller always put you at a disadvantage, when in reality, some of the smallest Heavyweights wouldnt of been so great if they were bigger in stature.

 

I don't recall anyone saying that. I know for one, I have been saying the exact same thing for days now.