Jack Dempsey beats Sonny Liston

I would actually favor Liston in this one. He was bigger and wouldn't have been intimidated.

 

Id go with Sonny on this one

 

Jack's speed would trouble Sonny in the early going. I think he would elect to move in and out on Liston as much as he could. I wouldn't expect him to look like Oscar de la Hoya did versus Bernard Hopkins, but that fight does have some similarities in the way I see this fight going.

Expect Dempsey to take the first 3 rounds with his speed, and catching Liston with some clean punches. Liston's size will start becoming a factor more and more in the 4th round and onward, and his jab will start finding its mark. By the 6th round, Dempsey's fast twitch fibers will have been greatly depleted and Liston will assume full control.

I could easily see this over before round 8. Liston by ko.

 

maybe a later dempsey-above-but the dempsey that beat willard-the untamed dempsey would not lose to liston in his actual prime he would destroy liston he ate big guys for brunch dempsey was the lighter taller tyson of the 20,s with more heart and slightly better boxing skills,yes he did slug at times but when he needed to he could box inside outside as good as anyone,he would easily slip listons jab threw the hole fight ,if he didnt ko liston within the first 2 rounds destroying listons ribs and staying inside his wild swings dempseys boxing skills and power are always underrated people never seaing more than his first 2 rounds at willard

 

So, Mr. Magoo, we are having a Sonny Liston fest. Good.

Well, I pick Liston in this one. Simply, too big and strong. Expect Dempsey to have his moments in the early going, though.

 

50/50.

 

i really like sonny he is prob. in my top 10 heavys but he didnt back peddle or hold and against dempsey i dont care how big u r the almost 400 pnd valuev would crumble

 

Liston TKO4.

 

Dempsey might actually have the perfect style to defeat Liston. Johansson emphasized after watching Liston on film that Liston's style was to get off first, and that Liston looked faster than he was because he was always coming forward, but when opponents such as Machen or Besmanoff attacked him, he was awkward and not that defensively adept. Other than perhaps Williams in a round or two, who attacks Liston on film? Dempsey has both the mobility to avoid and slip a lot of Liston's jabs and superior speed, and he would attack Liston.

Most modern analysts make the assumption that Liston would be as effective against a swarmer as Foreman was against Frazier. But is this true? What happens if Sonny is attacked before he can start his bull like rushes? Would that long jab be effective against a fighter who bobbed and weaved rapidly inside?

Dempsey would be an entirely different kettle of fish from the box at a distance opponents Liston dominated. Whitehurst said the key to fighting Liston was to get inside. Patterson, Harris, Folley, and Williams were all periphery fighters. Dempsey is going to be on top of Liston.

I take Dempsey in an upset as having the style and punch to upend the slower moving Liston.

 

We tend to forget how dangerous 1919 Dempsey was.

This is one fight where Liston's ponderous style may cost him. I would expect that Liston would bumrush the smaller Dempsey as he did Floyd, but Dempsey's bobs and weaves were as much leverage builders as they were evasions. Dempsey would land coming out of those weaves and there would be zero intimidation here. It would probably be a furious fight, but if Dempsey fails to hurt him, Dempsey will be in trouble.

I'd favor Liston, very slightly and only because I'd count on him to survive the Dempsey attack and eventually repel it. Where ever Liston lands on Dempsey, it's going to hurt and eventually slow him down.

 

Interesting fight but I would favor Jack in this one.

 

Yes its true, floyd patterson a top swarmer came in on liston and last 300 seconds in 2 fights.


Sonny Listons record against FAST handed sluggers who come into him is 4-0(4kos) Williams 2x and Patterson 2x. if theres one thing you cant critisize liston for in his career, its his ability to destroy swarmers coming into him

make no mistake about it, unless ur name is joe louis you cannot come into sonny liston and win. hes too strong and powerful. to beat liston you have to be able to dance circles around him.



I still cant get that firpo fight out of my mind where dempsey came into a man with listons size and he got floored 3 times and nearly knocked out. firpo was nothing compared to liston in terms of strength power and ability. perhaps jack was more vunerable against sluggers than we thought. I would also like to mention while jack did well vs tall guys, liston was not tall he was shorter than ljack, so dempsey might find this kind of ackward.


Dempseys will bob and weave nicley and perhaps slip his jab, but when he gets into midrange he will either get caught by terrific uppercuts, or mauled and overpowered once he gets to the inside. I like liston by early TKO. Dempsey liked to start early but unfortunlety he gets sent home early. In a matchup like this where both come forward, you pick the bigger man whos stronger more powerful and more durable. while you do have to take ring science into the equation, you will see no one has a significant edge in that over the other fighter, and liston was a rare long armed fighter who could fight from the inside and outside, a dangerous combination. so it boils down to foreman-frazier type thing.


Ironically i think jack does far better vs ali than liston does.

 

"I am invincible. I am Sonny Liston. I am Jack Dempsey".

Mike Tyson

Liston was the ultimate aura of menace.

Jack Dempsey took so many beatings in bare knuckle fights as a 14 year old that he was afraid of nothing.

These are the two men who Mike tyson wanted to be.