Liston - Is his size...

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Indeed he wasn't that big at all, mostly it's exxagerated. He's the same height and weight as Chris Byrd who is seen as a small guy today. 200 pounds was just as much in the 60's as it is right now.


People usually put Liston in the same category as Foreman in terms of size and perception of it.

Old Fogey made the excellent point that Foreman is to Liston like how Liston is to Marciano. You'll hear many people say "Liston is just too big and strong for Marciano" but you won't hear many say "Foreman is just too big and strong for Liston", while all three of them have similar great power & chin.


Watch how Wladimir Klitschko completely dwarfs Byrd. Seeing Lennox Lewis in the ring with Sonny Liston would look similar, the difference being that Lewis outspeeds Liston despite his size. Liston was awefully slow, also p4p.

 

Charles was 217 for a lot of his career and not that much larger than 6 ft 1 as you say, Than often made him a lot more fearsome because that made him appear compact and lethal. His bicepts and chest were rock solid and he had dead eyes , showed no remorse or emotion and his notoriety superceeded him. Sonny could knock you out with that jab, and he never seemed to be troubled by a lot of punches from anyone.. Like Tyson , it was a lot of that mythical thing that made him what he was..

I love anything about Sonny, I have spent an awful lot of time in Toccos gym in las vegas where Sonny trained for a lot of his fights.. I used tp sit in the dark at night in the bag room, picturing him drilling the heavybag. Sonny was someone iwould have loved to have met, he was awesome..

 

Oh, don't get me wrong Mendoza, Sonny had freakishly long arms for his size, but Ali was able to hold him at bay with his extended left while waiting for his eyes to clear, and again, it was very obvious that Cleveland Williams also had longer arms, if a shorter overall reach. But Sonny wasn't quite the albatross in arm length that Willard and Carnera were. (They were two of the few who actually could box while moving straight back, although that's a tactical no-no in boxing. Carnera's overall reach was equal to that of Valuev.) With his jab, Liston could make excellent use of his reach, and probably neutralize any advantange in physical strength enjoyed by a Jeffries or Foreman.

 

Not really. His fists are massive, his chest, shoulders and biceps are huge. He's thick. Just by looking at him you can tell he's huge, no need to bother with the stats.

I mean, look at Kermit cintron..5'11" and 147 pounds, sounds kind of skinny but he's massive for 147.

 

Sonny had a 44inch chest which ,if you are around 6 1 is pretty big by any standards

 

Patterson's weight was 24lbs below Liston's.

 

Yeah, I don't understand how Sonny Liston was always talked about as if he were this huge, imposing guy. And the thing is, there were alot of big heavyweights back in Sonny's day and prior. It might have had something to do with Floyd Patterson being the champion that Liston twice defeated; Patterson was a fairly small heavyweight and next to Sonny Liston, he looked small! I remember watching a replay of the Larry Holmes/Ken Norton fight, and I remember thinking that Holmes looked like a light heavyweight compared to alot of todays fighters.

 

Sonny Liston aand young George Foreman,were in the 215-220 range.Sonny was big enough to do the job aginst anybody.

 

Sonny seems to be about the 212 - 215 range and i agree, he had enough size to do the job vs most anybody. Tyson was about 216 vs Holmes, Biggs and Tubbs and his size at that point would not hinder him vs anyone in history. Dynamite.

 

Sonny Liston in his prime was physically the perfect heavyweight. He was a genuine athlete, with as well-rounded proportions as you'll ever see. Strong, flexible, agile and endurable. His speed wasn't bad either, and anyone who challenges that notion should watch some of his earlier fights. Liston at 220lbs was a gargantuan clubber rather than the muscular sharpshooter he was at around 212.

His physique was flawless. A short, bullish neck to withstand heavy bombardment. Enough height to stand tall, enough shortness to stand small. Long arms to beat an opponent to the punch or keep him at bay. Thick legs, strong arms and a muscular torso to protect the vital organs.

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Liston in his prime was about 6'1 1/2" and 215 pounds. However, he was a guy who was, you might say, big for his size. With his broad chest, extremely long reach and huge fists, he was effectively bigger than what his height-weight numbers would tell you.

 

Funny thing, but Liston was only about 1" taller than Joe Frazier. And Frazier is considered short for a heavyweight.

 

Liston was 6'1 1/2", and Frazier is 5'11 1/2". That seems like two inches to me.