Early 90s Tyson would wreck Liston in a slug fest

3" taller? Lol Tyson was 5"11 and Liston 6'01/2
That negates any weight difference?then thomas Hearns should beat David Tua or Marciano right?

I disagreed with a lot of things of your post ,a lot of them are simply false but i will not argue forever.

 

Mike was 5ft 10 according to Boxrec and Liston was 6ft 1/2!
But Reach advantage of Sonny clearly shows everyhing!Every fighter who had power and big reach knocked Tyson out!
Tyson reach 71 against Sonny 84 inches?
Sonny is not only taller but wider,stronger man and had bigger reach clearly!
Sonny was really 220 and Tysob was 218!
Sonny was always a bigger man!He with his jab was Douglas 3.0!
He had better power,speed and jab than Douglas which would beat Tyson!
And again style makes fights and Tyson style is suicidale and don't bring me speed....Patterson and Folley were fast but they were knocked easy!

 

Sonny would have young Tyson searching for a Woovie before the weigh-in and the first staredown.

My Lord, are people that dense about the psychology of boxing?

 

When did Mike every show himself to be scared of someone...in the streets or in the ring? Mike is a product of East NY Brooklyn and was surrounded by and respected by killers. I don’t think in the street there is man who would have stepped to Mike unless they were stone crazy...AKA Mitch Green.

In the ring Mike bit a mans ear off...and tried to break another’s arms...and almost fighter he ever fought in his prime was completely scared of him. Tyson intimidated fighters, not by how he looked...or sounded (he sounded like a princess with a slight lisp) but with how he actually KOed people in the first round brutally.

Liston did not fight like a guy who was interested intimidation as his main weapon. He was a boxer with heavy hands. If guys were intimidated I didn’t see it in ring. Even Patterson went toe to toe with him...twice.

Brooklyn don’t scare easy

 

But but but Teddy Atlas....

 

Watch the second Holyfield fight...even just the stare down. Mike had trouble meeting his gaze...big time.

 

Tyson is 5'10 and Liston 6'1.

Tyson's sweetspot was around 216 - 218. He was 215 3/4 and 218 1/4 in what many consider his greatest performances. Liston was 213 and 215 1/2 when he murdered poor Patterson. The difference between them is very close to a handful of pounds. The way you are talking anyone would think it was 20 pounds mate. Holyfield manhandled the latter Tyson at weights of 215 and 218.

The difference between Hearns and Tua/Marciano would be around 30 and 70 pounds! Spot the difference? Absurd comparison.

Yes i'd back Liston's notable height difference and immense reach advantage to negate a handful of pounds. What's next - Heavyweight X beats Y because he was consistently 5 pounds heavier? Jesus Christ mate.

Once you get over 200 a lot of weight differences cease to matter.

 

Great post. I also wouldn't say Tyson was superior in every department. I'd give Liston the advantage in the following; Reach, Jab, Chin, Power, boxing ability, adaptability, Overall skills, Inside, outside, strength, Defense (long-term), size, and endurance.

I'd give Tyson the following advantages; hand speed, foot speed, body attack, defense (short-term), mid-range.

 

I checked out the staredown.

Evander definitely won it...(his glare was great but I didn’t see a scared man in Mike Tyson.I saw a man staring back at Evander, but also taking instructions from Mills Lane.

I read Mike’s book and it was not what I expected it. I expected the ramblings of an idiot but honestly...it was clear, purposeful and professional.

I bring that up...because I think we see his image in the ring and his some of his outlandish quotes to the media but, Mike was and is street smart. A slick type who was also built to prize fight.

He won his titles and took his beatings like all great fighters before him.

 

Liston was a better combination puncher. Yes I said it. Liston when he let his hands go looked like he was demolishing a skyscraper, just hammered away and breaking a man down with clubbing shots from all angles to the head and body. Tyson followed the same old combos over and over with little variety. He was fast but you could time him. Having an 80+ inch reach will definitely allow a guy to time a short armed guy whose trying to force his way inside.

Tyson's hand speed and rapid movement is his strength and his weakness. He was not built for long wars or boxing matches where he had to actually think or pace himself. The Only war Tyson won was against the one armed Ruddock where he should have honestly been disqualified for constant low blows. Liston paces himself far better and managed his gas tank and power better than almost any slugger/boxer puncher in heavyweight history. Tyson's approach was always to try to take your head off from the opening bell, box you later if that didn't work. Liston boxed you and let the knockout come if it was there. This would inevitably lead to a major clash of styles as Liston was a stone wall and Tyson was a battering ram attempting to breach the fortress. I think it would be a safer bet to assume Liston's superior stamina and defense would survive the early onslaught and bust Tyson up in the mid rounds.

Tyson's foot speed is irrelevant since he isn't cutting off the ring or chasing down the opponent, he's coming right at Liston.

And yes Tyson would be intimidated. You guys haven't heard the dozen or so interviews where Tyson admits that he admires Liston and was always in awe of him? Sure, let's just ignore what the man says and ignore basic psychology. Tyson was a guy who cried before matches and had no confidence in himself. That's why Cus needed to brain wash and hype him up with this pseudo confidence and make him believe he was a savage killer. Tyson stole purses and got bullied for playing with pigeons. Liston ran his own gang and later worked with the mob--literally breaking peoples legs and even beating up cops. There's levels to this intimidation/thug thing and Tyson would very likely be rattled if they locked eyes and Liston had every intention of winning and not taking a dive.

Overall I'd say Liston wins 6/10 due to being more well rounded and more mentally tough with a superior jab, stamina, and ability to fight at any range. Tyson of course has a big chance with his sizzling hand speed and being a great finisher. Both are great body punchers and rarely got hit to the body so that would be the most interesting moment of the fight. Both could take quite the hit, but lacked that extra grit when they hit the floor. Whoever gets dropped twice loses either by KO or TKO and would likely mentally check out.

 

No John no, Liston was 1.84 it is = 6'0 1/2 not 6'1.
And I don't buy that Tyson was 5'10. He have been listed at 5 '10 , 5'11 and even 6'0 y some fight. I think that 5'10 1/2 or 5'11 is right.
And curiously you cherry picking weights in your convenience, you forgot to mention that he weighed 221 against Berbick.
Btw i never said that Tyson would win because he was 7 pounds heavier. I just was telling you that he was bigger (wider) than Liston

 

You implied that tyson being 7 lbs higher in one fight meant Liston couldn't out muscle him. That's a pretty ridiculous claim from a guy like you who practices BJJ.

Not as ridiculous as making a huge deal out of wether a fighter's height is off by 0.5 inches or a weight difference of 5 lbs ay heavyweight. The facts of the matter are that Liston is taller either way with a gigantic reach advantage and a sledgehammer jab. He has better stamina than Tyson, would go to the body against him more than any other opponent, had a thunderous hook to match Tyson's own hook, and would have made him crack at the weigh in. That's what you should really be focusing on.