How highly do you rate Sonny Liston as a puncher?

Wasn't Louis more of a combo puncher and not a devastating single puncher?
Not saying a single punch would be weak, but not ATG strong.

Also against modern people it is better to compare Louis H2H with cruisers.

 

Just so.

Fighters who can hit as hard as these guys are ten a penny.

Fighters who can finish like them, are as rare as hens teeth!

 

WOW....good points....I usally don't think of Butterbean as on par with Liston...But you have me convinced.

 

I don't say he is.
But if you get caught clean they will both finish you off.

 

second time this week i've heard that, are hens teeth a real measure of rareness??

anyway, liston had the hardest jab in heavyweight history and a damn fine left hook. I'd rate him in the top 15 at heavyweight overall for punchers...off the top of my soon to be drunk head i'd have:

Top Tier (power):

in no order...

Shavers
Foreman
Lewis
Baer
Louis

Top Tier (delivery and power):

in no order....

Louis
Lewis
2nd Foreman
Tyson
Wlad (suck it)

Liston would probably feature in my top 10/15 for the second list. Pure power no, but his delivery was spectacular

 

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_shU_rtDDPk[/ame]


The video I was talking about

 

He got me somewhat wrong, I think.

 

There was a fighter ScrapIron Johnson who had the misfortune to fight Sonny Liston in the mid `60s and a young George Foreman in the late 60s as well as a young Joe Frazier. All great punchers.

According to an article from the Ring Mag years ago ScrapIron said that Sonny Listion hit him harder than anyone.

So If he is hitting harder than Foreman and Frazier then Liston has to be at or near the very top.

 

Please define what you mean by "raw power".

 

I think he probably hit harder than Louis and Baer, better puncher than Baer too. He probably turns his shots over better than Foreman, but Foreman would outright have much more strength in his punches, same with Lewis. Tyson much more explosive puncher

He was very good with both his straight right and left hook too, which makes him more dangerous

I think he'd beat Dempsey/Marciano