Sonny Liston (1959) vs James J Jeffries (1904) - who would have won?

Liston by KO. I think liston's power and reach would be too much IMO

 

I take Liston in this one. Jeffries is described over and over again as having trouble with left jabs. Not a good thing with Liston.

 

I think Liston would really focus on his left jab in this fight. Really emphasize early in the fight, that in order for jeffries to get inside he is going to have to take tremendous punishment from his left jab. Once jeffries get's inside, I like Liston's uppercuts and solid inside fighting skills to carve jeffries up. This would be one opponent Jeffries would not be able to wear down with his size and strength. If jeffries tries to slug, he gets overpowered by the more powerful two fisted puncher. Jeffries is beat at all cylinders here. I see Liston slowly and systematically taking Jeffries apart, pouring on the pressure when jeffries engages him, and slicing him up on the outside when jeffries stays back. By the 7th round, Jeffries will not be able to see out of his eyes, and liston will trap jeff into the corner and pummel him into submission.

Liston TKO 7 Jeffries

 

I realise Jeff was a very powerful fighter and his endurance and ability to take punishment great, but I have a hard time seeing him being able to outlast Sonny which is the only way he could win to me. By the championship rounds I see Jeff being a well beaten and even slower fighter.

 

This is one of my favorite fantasy fights.

I give it to Liston by UD 15, with him winning at least 10 rounds

 

Depends on what rules. If they're fighting with 1900 rules, i.e. 25-45 rounds, with tiny gloves, a lot of wrestling and a sadistic referee/corner, then Jeffries has a decent chance. But under modern rules, it's Liston all the way, by cuts or TKO otherwise.

 

Jeffries would be meeting a man as big as him for the first time ,a man with better boxing skills,better power,and the key here,a terrific jab.
Taking that pole of a jab to get inside ,Jeffries would be walking into uppercuts and hooks from a heavy duty banger.Choynsky and Fitz reduced Jeffries features to mush, Choynsky was conceding 47lbs and 10 years ,Choynsky 52 lbs and 21years.

This fight would finish The Boilermaker,tko in the late rounds.

After halfway, Jeffries face would be raw hamburger

 

I think we are being a bit hasty here. a lot of great fighters died beliving pre retirement jeffries was the best HW of all time. the best footage there is of jeffries is in his last fight against johnson and his tedious but ultimatly effective neutralising job that would never be alowed under later rules. jeffries wanted to fight but johnson just wouldnt let him. this was a rusty jeffries who became exhausted far quicker than in his prime and it still went a long way in the nevada sun.

Liston would fight him and there is no doubt he hit harder than all the men whos 4oz padded knuckles jeff could walk through but this also means jeffries gets to engage in a real fight where he can swap punches also. im not saying big jim wins but he was considered the phenomanom of his peak days and deserves a beter chance here.

Its so hard to judge this but I think its close.

 

Sonny's jab and straight punching do it for him. Jeff needed to get closer to deploy his hook than Liston would allow. Jeffries wasn't really an infighter, but a mid range slugger who shoved opponents back into his preferred distance, like Foreman. That plays directly into Sonny's hands. Jeff would go the limit, but it wouldn't be close at the finish.

 

I think sonny hurts any man he hits, there is always that chance he hurts jeffries early from that far away distance he could hurt from and liston could close the show before jeffries works him out.

However liston did not flatten all the guys he hit. I have seen the besmanoff and the gerhard zech fights liston had. both guys lost but both brave guys stood with liston all night before cuts took their toll. I think jeffreis is beter than besmanoff and zech and hits harder. jim certainly never ever quit.

I still think jeffries would have to come up in listons time to have a real chance. he would need to know what he was up against.

 

2 out of 3, Would favor '59 Liston over '04 Jeffries in a '59 situation; in a '04 situation it's pretty close.

If it were a case of both coming along at the same time and developing in a manner analogous to how they developed in their own time, I expect the '59 situation would be pretty close, and would take Jeffries , 2 out of 3, in the '04 situation.

 

Just a minor point, but from the very, very limited I have seen of Jeffries, he had a long hook, like Wlad Klitchsko, so he wont have to get as write in close, like a Marciano or Frazier type hooker.

I think a lot of this may depend on whether or not he can push Sonny back, or whether Sonny will outmuscle Jeff, like Jack Johnson did when they fought. It is nothing to do with Jeffs opposition, he fought strong guys. but Sonny takes a back seat to nobody, in this department.

I would like to think this goes the distance with Jeffries chin, but with his go forward offensive style, if it does go a long time, he will dish out a lot of punishment on Liston (who doesnt have the defence of a Johnson) and there is a good chance that Liston folds as he had that bully/invincibility mentality that may have cracked when challenged.

Under his own rules, Jeff has an ex excellent chance to defeat Sonny by late KO or on points. I think it could go either way, though. this is a very close fight, but i will give it to Jeffries because of a slightly better legacy.