Evander would eventually trade and that would be his downfall. Don't get me wrong this would be a close and competitive fight on the scorecards and whilst Holyfield boxoes smart he'd stand a chance, but I think Sonny would stop him in the latter rounds.
Yeah, a 6'0 204-212lbs man would make a 6'5 235lbs'er make like a teddy bear right? Sorry for ending your wet Liston-is-a-giant-dream. Tessitore is a ****** anyway. Liston was knocked down by Marshall, a mediocre lightheavy who was boxing part-time, by Willis Earls and out cold by a single punch from Martin. Furthermore, he was staggered by DeJohn, sent reeling across the ring by King in Miami, and stunned on film by Whitehurt. Certainly, Holyfield has the power to keep him honest, or a little more. Just like did with Tyson. It's not a fact that Holyfield would brawl. Since '93 or so he became a smart fighter who could box a tactical match and he's proven that in the Bowe II and Tyson bouts, both opponents who have the edge on him in more departments than Liston does... on paper. Holyfield is also a lot more proven against 210+lbs boxers, Liston barely is.
Sonny Liston was not invincible, and could be hit and staggered by men who were certainly not bigger punchers than Holyfield. Howard King had him stumbling into the ropes, Bert Whitehurst knocked him off balance with a right hand over his jab. Having said that, Liston had a great chin. Holyfield was a terrific counter puncher in his prime and used a fair amount of lateral movement and foot speed and threw his punches in accurate bunches, and obviously had intense competitive spirit. And he hit hard enough to hurt anyone. Liston can win if he establishes the jab, and if he fights smart and is prepared for Holyfield's intensity and Holyfield's attempts to change the pace of the fight. Holyfield can win if he's sharp with his counters, doesn't rely too much on brawling with Liston (but I wouldn't write him off in instances of toe-to-toe exchanges even against Liston), and fights smart and mixes up the tempo a bit. Both guys can win this, IMO. Both were great heavyweights.
Maybe. But I think Holyfield's "brawling" was rarely a problem for him. He certainly had discipline when he needed it against Foreman. And his strategy in the first Bowe fight was bad IN HINDSIGHT but going into the fight it was reasonable to think that if he kept pressure on Bowe and if he could take Bowe's best shots for 8 or 9 rounds there's no way Bowe would cope. Again, the Bert Cooper fight was understandable too, he was out to impress and overpower a fighter from the opening bell, and had him down with a body punch in the first. No one gets it 100% right every fight. Joe Louis was perhaps the greatest fighter ever and he had trouble with lesser fighters on several occasions. I think Holyfield was always a smart boxer. But I also think his "brawling" was often the key to him winning fights, and rarely his downfall. The second fight with Bowe his brawling helped him win, but he mixed it up with his in-and-out hit-and-move stuff. I think a bit of brawling versus Liston would be in order.
I will add to this that Holyfield and Bowe had sparred often before their initial match, and according to Evander, Bowe started good but always gassed after 4 rounds..... except when they fought. Maybe a bit of an excuse from his side (as he has plenty), but given Bowe's eating habits perhaps not without credence.
Bowe carried with him a reputation (perhaps an unfair slur?) for lacking heart when he was a top amateur and all the way into the pro ranks. He erased any doubts against Holyfield, but the nonsense about not fighting Lennox Lewis made it linger. I think Holyfield's claims about Bowe here are honest, but it's no excuse. He took Bowe for granted a bit, not acknowledging that the kid had improved and was going to raise his game even more for the title. Every champion should assume their challenger is going to surpass themselves to get that title ! Interestingly, Bowe can be seen in Holyfield's camp after Holyfield's win over Henry Tillman in February 1987.
Weight/Height means nothing if you aint gotta knockout punch. If Holyfield gets into a brawl with Liston like he did with Bowe hes gettin knocked out. The dream lives on....lol