Larry Holmes vs Sonny Liston

Holmes would beat him.

Liston is at best an enigma. He's not one of the true great heavyweights.

 

Why is Liston not one of the true great heavyweights?

Ced ominated a definable era, despite his short title reign, and was verry dominant.

Head to head he was an absolute dreadnought.

While he lacks Holmses depth and longevity, he has something that Holmes dosn't.

Dominence vs the best of his era.

 

He also has two shameful title fight surrenders that Larry Holmes doesn't.

Holmes has the tools and not to mention the will to box to a clear UD or late stoppage against the formidable but imo physically outgunned Liston.

 

What percentiles would you score him in Shavers 1, Ali, Berbick and Leon Spinks?

I think he was on the downslide vs Cooney to be honest. It was only 12 months later this showed up clearly vs Witherspoon.

 

The call was made well before the Cooney fight in the media. It was commonly accepted. He was still respected for being a great fighter who was going to be very hard to beat tho of course.

 

All you are really saying is that Sonny Liston was, for a time, the best heavyweight in the world.
That doesn't make him a true great.
I guess you might define his era from 1960 - 1963, for about a six or seven fight streak. He beat a couple of top contenders and blasted out a vulnerable champion.

Then he lost quite pathetically to Cassius Clay.
Clay may be considered great in hindsight, but the manner in which liston performed is not excused by how good Clay/Ali was.

 

Well he was already 32 years of age for the Cooney fight, and was soon going to turn 33. I don't what people were saying about him then, but I'm wondering if the Snipes fight got people thinking that he was slipping.