Might be interesting. Liston was not known to go the distance, or even go very long period. Tua could remain very, VERY consistent, and stopped more then a few fighters late. Liston was never a invulnerable fighter, and Tua had an unbelievable chin. Thoughts?
Tua is said to have a granite chin BUT Lennox rocked him and had him hurt but didnt capitalise. Would a more aggressive Liston be able to KO Tua? Possible. Listons more compact punches get there first and open up a lead and maybe a KO. Even if it goes the 12-15 Liston survives and proves the better boxer
Great matchup! I think the Liston jab would really be troublesome for the short, squat, compact Tua. Tua I believe is really about 5-9 and that ramrod jab of Sonny's would move him back. Tua's durability could make him go the distance but I doubt he would win any rounds. Liston busts up the New Zealander enroute to a virtual shutout win. Liston UD
Tua couldn't get past Liston's jab. If Liston kept this a fight on the outside, he would win easy. Liston UD
Meh, I think some people have seen too much later career Tua where he was 25 pounds overweight for years on end. He literally fought at a little over 200.
To those who say Liston does to Tua what Lewis did to Tua, when did Liston ever fight off the backfoot behind the jab for longer than 10 seconds?
Liston would beat Tua. He's got a better jab, although Tua's left hook would be a very handy weapon. It would be the punch he'd need and its really the only weapon worth talking about in his arsenal. Tua comes towards his opponents in straight lines and lacks the all round ability to deal with a great as accomplished as Liston.
A very interesting match up. few things to note. sonny liston has been backed up by lesser oppositions (george 'scrap iron johnson) he was also 5'9, very tough without deadly power. also liston is no lennox lewis either, he de may have the reach but he doesnt have the height. i dont see this fight going the distance. one thing i like about tua is that not only does he have a great chin, he has great composure. he doesnt make any facial expression when tagged, he stays focused on the job with a professional like attitude. i dont see tua getting sparked in this fight. the problem for tua will be sonny's ramrod left jab. oh my what a jab it is. tua struggled with rahman's ramrod jab, so no doubt sonny will trouble him with the jab. i see a knockout early for either fight, imo most likely tua, or after a war of attrition, a UD to liston.
The think is that he generally didn't need to for more than 10 seconds. Liston was not a mover like Lewis but a master of milling on the retreat in the mold of Joe Louis. He would back up just enough to plant his feet keep his opponent coming towards him and walking into his bombs face first. While he would put himself at greater risk than Lewis he would get a more impressive turn on his investment. If you were prepared to play that game with either Louis or Liston you generally thought better of it after a very short period. Like Max Baer after he tried it against Louis ant thought better of it- "OK so what the f*** do I do now??"
The Rahman/Tua fights might not be a bad guide for this one. Sonny was probably weaker and more fragile than Rahman, but more skilled, and somewhat comparable in general.
no he wasnt and why would we compare rah why is that always a name brought up son would lose he was to basic and slow defense was trash
Because they are both lineal champion punchers of similar height with good, hard jabs that they nevertheless tended to let hang out too long after throwing them, probably. Neither guy was a speed demon, either, and some people would also add that both could be vulnerable psychologically (Liston quitting, Rahman's tendency to lose focus.)
