Put a prime Sonny Liston in the 70s...

It was movement that bothered Sonny, And post exile Ali had no where near the movement he had when he toppled Liston in 1964. Definitely food for thought.

 

These are some reasonably plausible outcomes, and I agree with most of them. Liston would definitely be a force in the 70's had his prime years fallen on the decade. I could see him being a consistent top 3 guy from 1970-1975, with perhaps a brief period of even being as high as #1.

 

Frazier gets knocked out early against Liston; Frazier matches up horribly and is tailor made for Liston.

 

I could be wrong, but I'm not so sure that I agree with this idea that Joe Frazier would be a mismatch for Sonny Liston. We just never saw Sonny face this type of fighter, and frankly I think a prime Frazier is a bit tougher and more dangerous than Floyd Patterson was. Not saying that Joe beats him, but I have a hard time seeing this as an easy fight for Sonny.

 

I'm not picking one man over the other.. I just don't think that whatever the outcome, that this HAS to be an easy fight.. Liston may very well have seen some stylistic issues that led him to believe that Frazier was an easy target, but I don't necessarily feel that it makes it such. He thought Ali was going to be an easy fight too... He found out the hard way. Had Liston been in his prime around 1967 or 1968, then he might have had an easier time with Joe.. But fight of the century Frazier would have been a different kettle of fish in my opinion.

 

Liston stands a better chance against an Ali with slower feet but still loses imo. I'd expect him to KO Frazier but Frazier may just get back into it. Against Foreman I prefer his technical ability but Foreman was more intense too. Norton he blows away. Young would be a very tricky fight for him. Everyone else he should beat

 

Good points.

Although Foreman and Frazier have styles that might make them appear to be very beatable opponents for Liston, the fact is, he never faced men of that calibur. You can take two men of the exact same identical styles, and compare them..But one man may be much better than the other, and even have additional physical attributes as well.

 

Foreman had an easy time with Frazier. Sonny was just as powerful and strong as Foreman was, except Sonny was also much better technically than foreman.

 

Up to,and including 1974,Ali still had too much movement for a peak Sonny Liston.

 

I disagree that Liston was as powerful or as strong as Foreman was. George stopped 68 men in 76 fights, with many of them coming against fairly large opponents, and some of them post age 40. Liston only stopped 39 men in 50 fights, and quite a few being under 200 Lbs. Their final KO percentages were 83% for George and 72% for Liston.. In addition, while Liston may have been more skilled in certain aspects, his style differs greatly from that of Foreman's. George pummeled Frazier with a two fisted attack consisting of mainly hooks and uppercuts... Liston was a guy who liked to work off the jab, and Frazier was very good at slipping jabs... Now, nothing I've said guarantees that Frazier wouldn't lose to Liston, but the reasons that you've given don't convince me of anything either..