Rocky Marciano vs Sonny Liston

liston would bang rocky out of there.
for all of marciano's legendary courage,it wouldn't be enough,liston probably has the most powerful left jab of all,with a left hook to match.
none of the shorter fighters such as marciano,frazier and indeed patterson would last very long with the bear.
sonny would probably cut marciano a couple of times too,before stopping him.
i know pontious isn't a liston fan but this really is a no-brainer

 

the difference between ali and marciano is that ali fought at long range. marciano wants to fight at close range. very dangerous against a bigger puncher like liston. ali wasn't there to be hit, marciano would be.

 

Don't count out heart in this fight...and Marciano had a HUGE one.....I'll take The Rock by KO in this one...

 

people are underrating marcianos durability and listons style. liston was NOT foreman. liston was actually smart. he loved nothing more than to sit back on the outside an box his opponents ears offf. marciano will engage liston on the inside, but not recklessly. rock will pick his spots to move in, take a couple big licks but return some of his own. I defitley see this fight going the distance, this would be a 15 round WAR.

Liston by dec

 

Believe it or not, this battle would be a lot more technically proficient than you believe. both fighters will slip alot of punches in this fight. Listons goal was not to pounce and take his man out...his goal was to relax in the ring staying on the outside and casually jab his mans face into pieces, only if the man pursued him would liston engage. Now Marciano was not a non stop moving forward motion like frazier was...Marciano would slowly and surely make his way in sometimes getting low in his crouch and even leaning back putting alot of weight on that right foot. Marciano did not just swarm in, he would sometimes wait for the other mans mistakes. I can see marciano not moving in in this fight until he times listons jab and gets underneath then the two boys will exchange some big blows.

Ultimatley both of these fighters are VERY durable, I see them taking some HUGE punches and staying on there feet, both welts all over. I see liston winning because he cuts up marciano more, lands alot of jabs, and outboxes marciano most of the fight. Liston had the inside fighting skills to neuatralize rockys leverage in close. Early on Listons jab scores cutting rocky below the ey lid. However by round 3 the action picks up, rocky slips listons jab and Rockys hurts liston a couple times with big looping overhand rights and hammers liston to the head and body on the inside but listons gets his own good licks in with very hard short uppercuts that mash marcianos nose in. this is a continues pattern in the middle rounds as liston makes rocky pay dearly to get inside with long straight blows from long range, but at times rocky equalizes the exchance by getting inside and making liston miss and countering with leaping left hooks and volumes of hard punches. Both very strong fighters, they both try to manhandle eachother in the clinch as both fire rabbit punches. Liston, so strong actually seems to control the hercules rocky in the clinches.

By round 12 liston is well ahead on points....but Marciano comes on strong in the end. Liston doesnt seem tired but mentally seems unfocused and marcianos relentless pressure finally seems to be taking its toll on liston. both fighters go toe to toe in the 15th round taking huge leather as the crowd is on there feet cheering them on, HUGE PUNCHES LAND. A left hook from liston freezes rocky in his tracks, one of the best punches of the fight. the bell rings, both give eachother huge gugs. "Your the best man I have ever fought your a great champion" rocky says to sonny. Sonny huffing and puffing says "Rocky they told me you were easy to hit, them reporters are liars! you hit me harder than cleveland williams". Scorecards are announced....


Liston 144-141 on all 3 judges cards in a war.
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It's hard to find a fight where Marciano was not somewhat busted up when facing quality opposition ... I think Sonny cuts him up and stops him inside of seven rounds ... Liston was bigger, stronger, harder hitting , faster, had a tremendous jab ... just a bad match up for Rocky ...

 

SQ, you might want to make a few paragraphs in that to make it more eye-friendly, i.e., readable.

Like i said in my last post, it's a hard fight to call but i'd give a small edge to Marciano. So, i surely regard Liston as an elite-fighter.

I think Liston's jab, while very heavy, is too slow to consistently land on Marciano. I don't see Liston's jab as that particularly great; Machen and Ali completely neutralized it. Of course they fight nothing like Rocky, but Rocky isn't defenceless, either. Rocky had no problem dealing with Louis' jab, who may have been old, but let's not pretend that Liston was much faster than him. And while his wingspan is larger, most of that is wide shoulders. Plus, Louis is 2 inches taller.

I see Marciano slipping and/or stepping in below that jab and countering with hard shots, on the inside where his shorter arms give him the advantage.


About Liston's punching power, yes, of course this makes him dangerous, but this goes both ways and one can say exactly the same about Marciano's power.

I don't think this is Marciano's worst nightmare stylistically. I'd say a Tyson or Foreman, who goes all-out early on is. Liston went for the kill when he smelled blood, but wasn't as aggressive and was just as comfortable boxing, unlike the former two.

Yes, Marciano is going to get hit, but what makes you think Liston is not going to get hit? He isn't Pernell Whitaker, either.

 

I am very displeased no one agrees with me that this fight goes the distance. We are talking two EXTREMLEY durable fighters here who were not straight forward bull like aggresive, but picked there moments very calculative and promptly got aggresive only at the right times.

THIS FIGHT GOES THE DISTANCE

 

i agreed with you i can see it going the distance i just cant pick a winer

 

God I get so emotional in a thread like this. two of my favorite fighters, I hate having to bad talk one of them.


* I will say this, Marciano was one of the best infighters ever, but liston was one of the few ATG heavyweights who was a master at fighting at long range AND inside. Liston would neutralize rockys effectiveness with his superhuman strength and solid inside fighting skills. Also Liston had a deadly uppercut and rocky when he missed could be countered with a short quick uppercut(Louis and Walcott got off some nice uppercuts on the inside )...I think listons uppercut is a key punch. You can bet this battle in the clinches will be two of the strongest heavyweights of generation mauling eachother tossing eachother and hitting with rabbit punches. This will get physical

 

Despite what keeps getting repeated on here Louis stood 6 ' 1 1/2".Thats in his Autobiography so it should be right .Liston was 6' 1" ,so a negligible difference,I know I'm being pedantic but Louis keeps getting referred to as 6' 2" and 217 lbs, the heaviest Louis weighed as Champion ,was 213 1/2lbs in his last defence against Walcott.

 

louis' best weight was maybe just over 200lbs,listons 212lbs,with half of it in his fists.
his fists were ***kin huge.being hit by one of his left jabs must have been like stepping in front of a moving train :bbb

 

good post

 

boxrec and most sources list joe louis at 6'2. Liston was 6`1