So what round would Lennox Lewis lay out Liston?

That logic works both ways.

If a blown-up light-heavy like Marty Marshall can beat Liston, then Lewis can too.

If a first-round tourney loser like Leotis Martin can flatten Liston, then Lewis can too.

And if someone with just the OK power that Ali had can twice make Liston fold (once in the very first round), then what can anyone expect from him against the power of Lewis?

 

Even the round in which he battered Bruno into a stoppage?

 

The only fighter Sonny Liston ever struggled with near his prime, was Muhammad Ali. The same cannot be said of Lennox Lewis, who struggled with quite a few near his prime including 2 losses to less than spectacular fighters.

 

IMO Lewis lost to Mercer.
Liston would have to fight the same gameplan as mercer and execute it even better seeing as he had more power and better skill and such.
We can't forget, Liston also had a longer reach then Lewis... Which would be a huge advantage.

 

Lewis could be timid and just be happy to win an uncontroversial decision over Liston. But he could have also stopped him . Depends on his mood.
Liston only gets a slight puncher's chance against Lewis.
Lewis stoppage win and Lewis decision win are the most probable and about as likely . Liston stoppage win is likelier only than a Liston decision win but is not very realistic.
Liston is about as overrated as Louis is. Very overrated.
Vitali is underrated . So is Valuev.

 

Lewis fought in an era of more very powerful punchers. Don't even debate that. Bruno, Ruddock, Mason, Morrison, Tyson, McCall, Tua, Rahman, Briggs, Grant, Golota and to a lesser extent Holyfield & Mercer... There is no equal list you can make from Liston's era.

 

Liston and Lewis are two of the most overrated heavyweights ever. Most people on this board are nuthuggers of one or the other, or both.

 

Careful, things like logic tend to confuse these people - you'll make their heads hurt.

 

Right. Some say Holyfield was past his best when Lewis beat him. That is true, but the Holyfield who first entered the ring with Lewis is better than anyone Liston beat. Liston resume of top level wins is a bit shallow by all time great standards.

 

How did Hagler get knocked down against Roldan? All you need for a knockdown is to be caught a bit off balance by a punch you didn't expect. Especially against a heavyweight. Not all knockdowns are from huge blows, check out Moore vs Marciano, or Walcott Marciano I for example - was Rocky badly stunned by those punches?

Chin is determined by how badly you get hurt by punches, not by whether you lose your feet.

 

Didn't Len get outjabbed by Mercer, Bruno at times? imagine what Liston's pole of a jab would of done.

 

Another all or nothing attitude ... you love a guy or he's **** ... no in between, no factoring for styles, nothing ..

Who did Lewis ever survive ?

He survived a very tough fight against a highly motivated and focused Bruno, adapting and coming behind with basically a one punch stoppage. He survived a brutal war against a highly motivated, iron chinned Mercer with a crowd screaming for his blood. I have watched the fight many times a feel it was a close but clear victory for Lewis. He survived some brutal shots early against a very big, strong, hard punching and fast Shannon Briggs. He survived some big shots from a much younger, very tough Vitali Klitschko. If you take away his two losses he pretty much cleanly beat everyone else. He was robbed in the first Holyfield fight and received a dull but just decision in the second.

Styles make fights. Lewis was not Cleveland Williams. He punched much straighter and from the outside, allowing him to maximize his own reach. Against Liston he would be punching down. This fight goes two ways. Lennox could possible start fast , catch Liston early and take him out. It is possible. If not, Liston carefully boxes like Bruno did with a tight defense and a terrific jab and breaks Lennox down.

In this fight I think Liston lacks the speed and gets stopped ... just a bad match up for him.

 

I would take a prime Floyd Patterson over a 1999 Evander Holyfield. Without much debate.

I am so glad your not a liston fan anymore. He doesn't deserve a klit-ite like you.