Reading some threads on here and apparently all you had to do was stand up to him and game on. Personally i see a h2h monster in prime Sonny. Thoughts?
I also see him as a H2H monster. It's funny how his stock rises and falls around here as posters come and go. Some people on here now were already declaring Wilder as an ATG if memory serves me correct. SMH
No he was not just a bully. He was pretty much the complete package head to head. He was prepared to absorb a lot of physical punishment in order to win a fight. His weakness, was that he failed to hold it together, when everything was going A over T for him.
I think one of Liston's greatest strengths was his ability to intimidate, and I think he gets overrated due to his fights with Patterson (in the same light that Tyson gets overrated due to his fight with Spinks) That being said, Liston is a H2H monster. Top 10 staple IMO, great puncher and could take a hit too
He must be up there with the very best when comparing allround abilities. Stay on the outside and that jab ruins you. Mix it up and he willingly obliges.
He could box, he could fight, he was a master ring general, and an intuitive fighter. That is a powerful combination!
I think there's a bad tendancy to take things to the extreme here. If someone has a bit of something, then that becomes all they were.
He was a top ten ATG imo...I used to rank him in the 10-20 range till I started looking at his record and hearing the arguments. Although 1 title defense hurts him he was basically avoided for awhile and beat the contenders anyway in their primes. Hard to argue his resume.
Sonny didn't have enough champion in him. Fearsome in many respects but those who lacked fear obviously did pretty well with him.
I really tire of the Tyson/Liston trope that they were just bullies and, if you stood up to them, they would cower and retreat. My retort has always been... Go ahead, then, and stand up to them.