George Foreman vs. Sonny Liston prime for prime.

Great slugfest, which Foreman wins. He takes Liston out in 5/6 imo, both go down, both get hurt and land bombs on eachother but imo Foreman's are harder and would take more of a toll on Liston than the opposite.

Listons jab wins the rounds and sees Liston clearly up on points before the stoppage

 

Prime Liston had power, telephone pole jab, chin, and in my opinion was meaner and tougher than Foreman. Liston by TKO in a hellacious fight.

 

Prime Sonny Liston fresh after his knockout win over Floyd Patterson, on Sept 26 1962, sees Prime George Foreman on television talking about his quick knockout of Ken Norton, in 2 rounds. Sonny, tells his Manager Jack Nilon, Get Me A Fight With That Flag Waving Kid. Liston then changes the channel to tune into his favorite program, The Beverly Hillbillies. The next day negotiations are under way, the two are scheduled for Oct 30 1974, in Madison Square Garden. Foreman tells his manager D. Sadler, I Am Not Afraid Of Sonny, It Took Him Twelve Rounds To Defeat Eddie Machen, I will Give Liston A Beating Within 5 Rounds. These comments worry his trainer Archie Moore, because he fears George may have stamina issues, and may be too overconfident. George has been instructed to do more roadwork. Meanwhile Sonny tells the press, I will Beat That Guy Like If He Was In My Yard At The Penitentiary. The fight begins with George coming out swinging, as he did with Joe King Roman, Liston ducks and weaves, stabbing his face with a pole like left jab, Foreman then tries to match with his pawing left jab. Both fighters begin to fight very cautious, looking for an opening on the other. Moore tells his fighter, Pace Yourself, Do Not Try To Knockout This Guy, He Does Not Scare Easy. In round 5, Liston wobbles back after taking a crushing right hand from George, and covers up in the corner, through the whole round, Foreman angered, cannot pull him away from the ropes, he then appears gassed, with his mouth wide open. Liston comes out, the fresher of the two, establishing his jab on the tired George's face, causing swelling around the right eye. Trainer Willie Reddish, tells Liston, He Is Dead Tired, He Is Yours For The Taking. Sonny then pursues Foreman, punching him and pushing him all over the ring. In round 8, Foreman swarms all over Liston with his last gasp, strikes Sonny on the nose, it appears to be the same injury that Cleveland Big Cat had inflicted on him, in their 1959 fight, as blood gushes from Sonny's nose. Liston then uncorks a thunderous right hand that just about decapitates George, he twists, and falls to the canvas taking the full count from referee, Arthur Mercante. Foreman tells the press, That Kid Can Sure Hit, But I Have Been Hit harder In The Streets Of St. Louis. Foreman states to the press, I Learned A Big Lesson, Not To Underestimate A Fighter Who Can Go The Distance With Another.

 

Who said Foreman hit harder? All their common oppenents say otherwise (Ali, Wepner, Scrap Iron). He'd also beat Foreman to the punch because he's MUCH faster, and unlike Foreman who stood in front of you like a wall Liston had an excellent defense.

 

I'll take a prime Charles Sonny Liston everytime over George, he was a better boxer than George and probably meaner. George aint intimidating anybody here

 

Agreed, if George thought it was rough to run outta gas against Ali, try it with Liston!

 

Fight Advantages:

Hand Speed-Liston Boxing Ability-Liston, KO Power-Liston (based on common opponents testimonials) Chin-No Advantage, Size-No Advantage, Defense-Liston, Endurance-Liston, Adaptability-Liston (huge advantage here) , Foot Speed-No Advantage, Strength-No Advantage, Jab-Liston, Cuts-No Advantage, Reach-Liston 84”, Foreman 82”, Body Punches-No Advantage:



By Jim Carney, Author and Boxing Expert:
An ironic matchup. These two were once stablemates and became friends of sorts. Foreman was one of the few people Liston trusted to read to him. Sonny was somewhat of a hero to the younger man, who would sometimes carry his gear for him. Foreman noted that although he was taller and, in his opinion, stronger, Sonny was the one man he could never back up. Liston was somewhat past his prime when they sparred but still was formidable. George was somewhat short of his prime but already formidable – so perhaps things were evened out.

If the two met in a real bout in their respective primes, it would be an awesome clash. In my opinion, George has a slight edge in overall punch and strength and maybe a small one in durability. There’s probably not much to choose from in hand or foot speed. George is slightly taller and heavier but Sonny has a longer reach. Basic skill is about even with Sonny perhaps being a better ring thinker. Both are killers and finishers. Neither cuts easily.

The two land bombs from the beginning. Liston is floored twice and George once. Going into the eighth, Liston is tired but Foreman is exhausted. George goes down for a second time in the eighth and is knocked out in the ninth. George’s lack of stamina ultimately cost him this fight – as it did in his battles with Ali and Jimmy Young.

By Moontan, Heavyweightaction.com Boxing Expert:
This would be a classic confrontation with two of the most awesome fighters to ever enter the ring in their prime. They both dominated the heavyweight division until Ali defeated both of them in great matchups. Once again I will repeat the fact the both of Foreman’s losses while in his prime were under very humid and hot conditions which led to two master boxers being able to avoid Foreman rushes to survive and win the fights. Liston’s losses to Ali were unusual as well as Liston sat on his stole in the first fight against Ali claiming an injury and taking a dive in the second fight. Neither fighter would be intimated by the other one in this fight and neither would back up a great deal. Liston however could change plans and box at a higher level than Foreman and because of this I would give him the edge in the fight. His ability to pace himself and box from a distance would be a big advantage as well as his fabulous left jab. Liston also had better head movement than Foreman moving back and forth. Big George’s favorite tactic of extending his arms to push an opponent off balance would not be affective against Liston because of Liston superior reach. The fighter’s size and build were very similar. I see the fight with a lot of fireworks and blows but both men took such a great wallop I can’t imagine the fight going the distance. I would give Liston a hard fought decision.



Bill Gallo- "These were two very strong and determined fighters. Liston really was a very good fighter. because of his negative personality, and the bizarre outcomes of the Ali fights, he isn't given as much credit as he deserves. He had a great jab, and knockout power in both hands. His mean persona made him appear bigger than he actually was.
The old Foreman was always going forward. I don't recall him ever taking backward steps. He thought he could knock everybody out. But he didn't have one-punch knockout power. His punches were usually heavy, thudding blows that wore guys down. It usually took Foreman several successive punches to knock a guy out. And when he wasn't successful, he was usually the one who would run down, as in his fights with Ali and Jimmy Young.
Foreman would come and go after Liston the way he did against Ali. But Liston was cagey. He would bide his time, slowing Foreman down with his jab. As the fight progressed, Liston would do more scoring. I see Liston coming on in the later rounds, taking control, and stopping Foreman sometime after the 10th round."

Bill Gallo is a veteran boxing writer and cartoonist from the New York Daily News.

Ernie Terrell- "Oh boy, it would have been something to watch! We're talking about two very tough men, not just tough fighters, Liston was a very good boxer in his prime, which was the late-50's and early-60's. I sparred with him, but since I was much taller, and was a boxer, his jab, which was one of his best weapons, didn't affect me the way it did most other fighters. Physically, he could do more in the ring than Foreman.
It's a shame Foreman couldn't combine the power and speed of his youth with the improved defense and maturity he shows today. Still, he was a very strong guy. Most of the men he knocked out he hurt first. Foreman had a great chin, but even greater determination. Getting up from those knockdowns and coming back to beat Ron Lyle proved what he was made of.
The fight would flow the same way Foreman-Lyle did. Both men would connect with big punches. But Liston was a better all-round boxer, and he was certainly a better puncher than Lyle. By no means would it be an easy fight for Liston. But I see him coming on as Foreman weakens, and scoring a knockout around the 11th round."

Chicago based promoter Ernie Terrell is a former WBA heavyweight champion.

Chuck Wepner- "I fought Liston in his last fight, and Foreman when he was on his way up, so I speak from experience when I say they were two of the hardest punchers ever. it would be hard to match two harder-hitting heavyweights. Even though I though Liston was at the end, I thought he was still a very good boxer. He took a good punch, and he had a lot of savvy. In his prime, he could do it all.
When he was younger, Foreman's most impressive quality was his awesome brute strength. He liked to push people around, but he could be wild with his punches, and that cost him against Muhammad Ali. He was alot like Liston then. Both liked to intimidate their opponents, but you couldn't intimidate either one of them. With George, though, it was an act; he's always been a good guy.
It would be an action packed fight. Both had good, hard jabs, and didn't hesitate to open up and throw bombs. But Liston was a much better boxer. I don't believe anyone could have beaten Liston in his prime, including Ali. I see Liston stopping Foreman in six or seven rounds

 

I really enjoyed your posts, Liston did win a unanimous decision over Eddie Machen, in 1960, George did have stamina issues. It is like a football team playing in the snow and using it as an excuse, after a loss. I am sure it had an effect on both teams, who had better preparation. If I was George's trainer, I would have prepared him well in that humid stadium, to make him accustomed to that climate. As an ex military sergeant, Excuses are like what everybody sits on, everybody has one. Liston was a better boxer than George, who knocked out his opponents early. Liston could go the distance, if needed. It is like the old saying, You Live By The Sword, You Die By The Sword. It is good to have the intangibles that you need, to be complete, not everybody has it, some do.

 

Also it should be noted Sonny fought with a broken jaw, during his decision loss to Marty Marshall, in 1954. He does have a better jaw, just my opinion.

 

Foreman all the way.

 

I think Liston's straighter more compact punching and skill advantage would be the difference. At their best both can take it and both can dish it out.

 

Let’s be honest. This could be the most entertaining match in all of boxing. Two guys who won’t back down and would throw and take bombs.

I believe Foreman is the better overall fighter by a slight margin, but I pick Liston to win this match.

Liston and Foreman’s strength and power were not too far apart. They could both throw big punches in combinations from every position. But Liston had the more dynamic footwork and defense. And I think that makes the difference in this fight.

Liston KO 8

 

Sonny Liston by a knockout. Bout the 6th round.

 

Im picking Foreman. They are both overrated but Foreman less so.