Liston Vs Foreman.

I'm going to add a question Ring had on this matchup some years ago, Could Sonny beat a more mobile version of himself?

 

That is a reasonable ****ysis, might well play out that way. But did Liston really fight that well on the back foot? Also I believe Foreman was faster and has a good chance of blasting him out early.

 

Speaking of what the fighters who faced them said, I thought it was interesting Terrell mentions that Liston's jab wasn't as effective a punch due to his size.

I've seen fans argue until they're blue in the face that it doesn't matter how tall an opponent is for Sonny's jab, as though he were Dhalsim from Street Fighter.

 

Foreman was NOT faster than Liston. Foreman telegraphed his punches horribly. Sonny was no speed demon, but I wouldn't even put George in the same category as Liston there.

 

I'd always thought Liston's hand speed is underrated.

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1:52
I think that's pretty respectable hand speed for a heavyweight.

I reckon people don't like the way Liston puts his punches together sometimes. He makes it look slow because he picks his shots well when throw combinations, also he ducks and slips and slides between punches.

To make the comparison, Tyson had great speedy combinations but they were pre-programmed, (they actually had number codes that Kevin Rooney would call out at times before Tyson threw them.) When they worked they were amazing, but often he'd missed half the shots. That was enough to land against most opponents.
Liston was less robotic, and picked those shots, and followed through.
Not as quick as Tyson, but a lot faster that people often assume.

 

Also, his arms were about 6 inches longer than Tyson's. And he threw that jab from far out.

 

You should TO think about the idea OF kill yourself

 

This is a tough one to call but put a gun to my head and I'll pick Liston. We have 2 strong HW's with power and a solid chins. One likes to throw wide clubbing shots while the other throws more straight shots. One of them tends to expend his energy early while the other paces himself and uses more sound boxing tactics. We all know who I'm talking about here when I make the comparisons. The way I see it is this....If Sonny can survive George's early onslaught, stick to boxing and sends in straight punches inside the arc of Foreman's blows then he wins it in 7 to 10 rounds. Foreman will come right at Sonny from the opening bell which should play into Liston's hands. If Foreman can't get the job done in the 1st 3 or 4 rounds, Sonny takes over, wears Foreman out and stops him due to a combination of his pacing and power and George's exhaustion. The fireworks will fly for however long it lasts though and my mouth waters at the prospect of seeing this bout.

 

Yes, if somebody came straight at him he backed up, even if he didn't really need to.

It maximised their time in the meat grinder, and he saw it as something for nothing.

 

Liston as fast as Tyson lol. I favour George, he has a height, reach and strength advantage and sonny wasn't explosive or fast, he didn't close distance quickly or exhibit much movement. George was a natural specimen and was still absorbing damage long after Sonny was capable of doing so as old men, I see the advantage with George. Sonny had an enigmatic career that is hard to ****yse. He was a strong and powerful guy, but without speed that is going to equate to a Tua, Mercer situation against certain fighters.