More intimidating fighters: Liston, Foreman, or Tyson?

Clean his clock? Like in a street fight or what? Sonny was a trained fighter and legitimate tough guy.

 

I dont know. Your view of Liston seems to be quite a bit different than the one I have. The only Sonny Liston I know of was a certified bad ass.

 

Basically in a street fight. Sonny, indeed was a legitimate tough guy, but there were others that could take him, or at least, give him hell. Larry Holmes, for one.

 

He was a certified bad ass, but he wasn't going to whip everyone's ass like many think.

 

I don't know. Liston was a street thug who knew how to fight. Not many are going to take him in this world, unless one of the Gracie's tried to break his arm. Or in your case, Holmes wanted to execute a flying dropkick off the top of a car. Liston wouldn't see that coming!

 

The heavyweight boxing champion of the world is not the only bada** in existence, either today or back in Liston's day. I'm sure there were other trained martial artists or even fighters who could have given Liston a scare or even beaten him.

 

Ronnie Kray certainly gave Liston a scare!

 

No point trying to debate with him, he seems to have it in for Liston.

In a previous thread he commented that Mitch Green would have handled Sonny.

 

but beneath that surface was a genuine nasty *******

 

No doubt, but I'm guessing only a handful. Liston could knock you out with one shot. Like I said, there were some Gracies alive back then. I think one even challenged Joe Louis to a match.

 

I don't know. I've read that when he was a kid growing up in Texas he was a bully. But a lot of kids who are assholes, sometimes grow up and turn out to be pretty decent people. Of course I never knew the guy personally, but I really haven't heard or read anything which points to him being nasty in his adult life. What have you come across about him?

 

alot of what ive read, most people say the whole good guy thing is an act.

 

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Don't have it in for Sonny, but all this" He's going to whip everyone's ass mentality", not going to cut it. Personally, in an all out fight, I think Jim Brown had a chance to beat Sonny.And if you know Mitch Green's background, you can see why I stated what I did.

 

i do know about Mitchs background however i feel Liston was higher up the food chain than him.

 

Yeah, apparently Helio Gracie did. But who can blame Joe for not accepting?

Here is this completely unknown (in the US) guy using some strange, foreign style, challenging the Heavyweight Champion to a fight.
Joe had nothing to gain and everything to lose.