One of the most replaceable HW champs? Sonny Liston?

Well let’s dust off my pitch fork and go straight for the jugular with my first statement, I think we can think of plenty of guys who could beat everybody Liston did on the way to and winning the title. SL was one of the earlier combinations of big, strong and decently skilled fighters (albeit lumbering) it’s my thought that he resided over favourable competition and plenty of guys after him would bowl over Folley, Williams, Machen and Patterson just fine? But who’d be the “worst” or least expected guy to do it? Gerry Cooney is a solid pick? Old Foreman? Rahman? “Big” James? Chris Byrd? I think you guys can come up with some names.

 

Just to tailor the thread a bit so it doesn’t get wonky with timelines, a fighter shows up in decent shape each time much like Sonny - these are solid versions of a fighter if you thought for whatever reason Buster Mathis at 235lbs would do it but the beached whale version wouldn’t I’d let you use in-shape Mathis for all the fights.

 

@Rollin

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He did do good against Patterson but plenty of guys are running through Liston’s opposition, I’d maybe pick David Haye if he showed up to probably do it in 2 years.