I pick the 1962 version of Cooney here to defeat Liston, who was way past his best by 1982. Who you got?
To be honest, I don’t understand the thread although I can see it’s meant to be humorous. Considering Cooney was five years old in 1962 and Liston was dead in 1982, then I guess the baby Cooney is the winner by default.
It's just reversing the dates used in another, far more reputable thread (1962 Liston vs 1982 Cooney.) EDIT: Being serious for a moment, Cooney's age in '62 compared to Liston is striking when you realize that he may well have ended up facing Ali in the late 70s / early 80s if things had played out just a little differently.
Yes, but to be fair, Cooney was pretty green in 1962. It wouldn't be the first time a cagey veteran overcame a younger opponent's greater physical gifts.
On a serious note do you think 1982 Cooney would have even the slightest chance against 1962 Liston ?
Probably not, since Liston showed that he could demolish another fast, left hook heavy fighter in Cleveland Williams. Had they existed in the same era, though, an old, post-title Liston would have been a fairly typical Cooney opponent, although one a bit riskier than most of the others...
Sounds logical and I agree with all of your above points. I wouldn’t completely dismiss Cooney as having a puncher’s chance, albeit a small one
Yeah, I could buy that. Cooney's left hook wasn't as fast as Williams's, but it had scary looking effects on people, and his left in general was pretty versatile.
In all seriousness it could have gone either way. I see Cooney blasting Liston out in the first round (given Liston did not face a puncher like Cooney) or Liston grinding him down for a late stoppage.
