Joe Frazier, 1971 vs Sonny Liston 1960.

The fight has two possible beginnings and three possible outcomes imo:
1) Liston comes out fast, and since Joe has always been vulnerable in the first 3 rounds esp., Liston might stop him.
2) Liston comes out fast, but Joe is a very tough guy, and can bob and weave to nullify Liston's attacks, and survive the beating, apply pressure starting in the fourth, and gradually take almost full control of the fight to win.
3) Liston starts out merely jabbing. While Liston had a jackhammer jab, I have never thought it is wise to start slowly against Joe, who himself is slow. However, if Liston starts slow, he will likely keep up much more closely with Joe in which case the contest would be close to decide, but still go to Joe based on superior stamina.

It goes without saying that the longer it goes, Frazier is the favorite. It might be possible (though I highly doubt it) that Frazier could knock out Liston very late, but I don't go with that idea since Liston looked pretty good after 12, so I have him lasting 15.

While I think any of the 3 outcomes are possible, I think 1 and 3 are the most likely to occur. In any case, these two monster punchers would produce a war for the ages.

 

Thank you Richard.

 

On March 8, 1971....you would have to have kill Joe Frazier that night in order to beat him...he wasn't going to lose that fight. He left everything he had in the ring that night. Went and saw the fight in Boston on close circuit TV. He was never the same again! Sonny "s**t the bed" in the 2 biggest fights of his career.....take Joe in this one!

 

I go with Frazier by late tko.

 

Providing Joe's still around by the seventh or eighth,he stops a tiring Sonny sometime after the tenth. Frazier would be wading through hell in the first few rounds in particular.

 

Frazier's made for Liston for mine. Too strong and too powerful in both mitts just like Foreman. Liston TKO over a brave Frazier in 3-5.

 

Tough fight to call and I like William's analysis of how it could go. I lean towards 1960 Liston by early to mid rounds stoppage in a fire fight. The longer the fight goes the better it is for Frazier.

 

Joe is my favourite heavy ever (between him and Holyfield) but I can't see him in this one. Liston's style is awful for Joe. His huge strength advantage and square feet means he can push Joe off him, which few others have that privilege. His long, heavy jab which he hooked off so well, would catch Frazier on the way in. It'd be a Foreman-esque fight but with the lack of George's uppercut.

Liston TKO4

 

Liston was nothing like Foreman.
They fought different, Liston used the jab and fought like a boxer-puncher not like a savage slugger like Foreman did, plus George pushed him back constantly and frustrated the body work from Joe.
However Frazier would avoid the jab with his bobbing and weavingamd would destroy his ribs.

Foreman was bigger,stronger than Liston and did hit harder with both hands.(i give a crap about 2 tomato cans said, the facts proved that Foreman was stronger and harder puncher).
Foreman had the better chin and more balls than Liston ever had.

It is funny because some fanboys are interested in saying that Liston was like Foreman when they argue in favour of Liston against Frazier but when they opine in another fantasy match like Liston vs Holmes etc then automatically Liston was nothing like Foreman lmao

 

Sounds nice, but two points:

1) Ali was never a big puncher, not in his prime 1964-1967, not in his second career 1971-1981.
On this night on March 8, 1971, Frazier was not dealing with a heavy KO puncher like Foreman or Liston.

2) Even if Sonny "s**t the bed" in the 2 fights with Ali, he met the fastest version of Ali, a version that Frazier and Foreman never met. The guy was simply too fast for him.



I say Liston stops Frazier in the later rounds. Yes Joe had a better chin and heart, but Liston was almost as much of a puncher like Foreman.
Foreman himself stated LIston was the only guy that he ever stood in front of who did not run away from him.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/p...kBF60QMLgtVsVF9DS_MG7XaVaXxBBXP0MUmBouADo0dYg

 

What a trash prediction, Liston could win early but if Joe lasts until the last rounds then he would win sure,he had much more stamina.

When? When Foreman was 18? Lmao

 

This is a fight I've thought of many times in my mind.
And I can't get past how many punches Frazier made
Ali miss in the FOTC. Of course Listons punches were
much harder than Ali's, but he wasn't near as fast,
even in his prime.
Nor did Liston fight with the physicality of Foreman,
though according to Foreman, Liston was the only
heavyweight he couldn't move/manhandle

Last issue I would see for Liston is lack of foot speed,
and angles, Frazier would always know where Liston
was.
Those reasons I see see Frazier winning this fight.
Liston may have had the hardest jab in heavyweight
history, but Frazier was able to slip most of Ali's jabs
and they were much faster, I see no reason Frazier
wouldn't be able to slip/weave and fire that left hook
counter almost every time Liston missed.
Liston was primarily a boxer-puncher with average
foot speed. He wouldn't be able to move his feet
fast enough to make Frazier re-set or miss entirely.
If Liston doesn't catch Frazier cold with something
out the blue, Frazier eventually would grind him down
stop him between 8-14 rds.
Regardless of who won, the fight would be epic,
the biggest winners would be the fans that watched
it live.