Frances Ngannou vs Charles Sonny Liston

Legalised homicide.

It’s a literal “crossing over”’fight for Ngannou.

If it’s Francis’ first foray into the pro ranks, his career starts and ends there.

 

I just thought, if anyone had access to a Time Machine, pretty crazy to use to it to make a bee line to fight 1960 Liston.

Surely there are much safer and more enjoyable things to do with such a piece of technology.

 

You got me. I did beat around the bush. I clearly have commitment issues.

Okay, <Big breath…> YES, Liston by early, brutal KO. There’s I said it! Boy that felt good!

 

In a real fight FN could rag doll him around like a child and have his way with him… in boxing? More interesting then people will admit, but Liston wins a cagey decision if he doesn’t overly engage.

 

I mean Joshua did but he was a lot bigger, faster, stronger and decently skilled himself and likely more powerful etc - Liston would be very, very small and would approach the fight with the mindset he was a “big guy” like always so it’s dangerous, if he boxed he’d win but it’d be slippery dynamite.

 

Ngannou says f this and kills Liston with a head kick.

 

Francis is an absolute beast at MMA but this is boxing.

Liston would destroy him - with his headmovement, jab and power in both hands at all ranges, long day for Francis. He either gets systematically beat down or takes a mean jab and the follow up and then when he wakes up it's back to the drawing board.

 

Ends it like AJ did. Might take Liston a bit longer because of how much bigger Ngannou is, but he'd get it done.

 

This is the most realistic answer.

 

Liston outjabs him, follows up off of the back of the jab with combinations, busts him up and stops him, but he would punch from arms length and pick his moments rather than going all out and going on the inside, because Ngannou is obviously very strong, so if Liston did try that, he would end up smothering his own work and Ngannou would get a rest, and the finish would take longer.

 

I'd give Ngannou virtually no chance. He may have a puncher's chance against some all-time caliber heavies, but Liston has a granite chin. It's one of those fights where I don't see how one guy can win.

I am encouraged that people seem to think Francis would win in a fight though. When I used to first visit boxing websites in the 90s, many Western posters would claim that all martial arts was a joke, and that martial artists had no chance versus boxers of equal caliber. So I'd point out that many former martial artists turned boxers basically needed zero transition period between martial arts to boxing and were basically "finished" fighters from their boxing debut (e.g. many Muay Thai fighters). As an example, I think I once asked if Payakaroon couldn't have beaten Fenech if he could kick, knee, and elbow in addition to punch. And I was told, no, because the kicks, kness, and elbows would not add anything to Payakaroon's arsenal.

Really. That used to the 90s boxing forum consensus.

 

Liston by UD or late TKO, but Francis is like bigger and stronger guy than Cleveland Williams so it would be a fire early and very dangerous for Liston.

Nganou is 6ft 5, 257 pounds and 83 inch reach, Liston would be facing stronger, bigger, more durable version of Cleveland Williams it would be very dangerous fight for him.