Put a prime Sonny Liston in the 70s...

Liston was 6' 1" , Young was 6' 2"

Liston was solid muscle at 215 to 218 in days without a drop of juice.
Young , even the 210 or so version was always soft . Jimmy easily could have fought under 200.

Liston had a pretty decent reach advantage.

I can understand why Jimmy gives a smaller appearance. That plus Liston could fart harder than Young could punch.

 

I think that if we swap out the Foreman who had his heads in the clouds in 1977, with the peak Liston who ripped the division apart in 1960, Young would have probably lost. I'm guessing that it would have been similar to the Eddie Machen fight, where Sonny pounds out a decision. I don't however buy this argument that Young was any less of a heavy weight than Liston was. He was very comparable in weight, had two inches more in height, and spent most of his career fighting ( and beating ) larger men than Liston did. I might be willing to go along with the claim that Sonny was stronger or had perhaps more muscle mass, but regardless, both men were true heavy weights... There shouldn't be any debate there.

 

I don't see why. Both were immensely strong and big. Both produced dominating early knockouts against top men of there era. Both knocked out fighters of all sizes. Both Blew away an ATG champion easily. I don't see the difference.

Are we talking about the 1990s foreman or the 1970s foreman? Because the 1970s foreman faced opposition no larger than Liston's.


Foreman of the 70s faced 25 men 200lb or bigger in 46 fights.

Liston faced 26 men 200lb or better in 53 career fights.


I believe the statistics show their not much of a difference here. Both faced many big fighters.

KO percentages are misleading. If we go by KO percentage, than Vitali Klitschko is more powerful and a great puncher than George Foreman. Do you believe this?


Liston was more skilled in many aspects, his style differs but it differs in a better way. For instance, Liston proved himself against a wider variety of styles than foreman did.

Yes...and Liston had one of the best uppercuts of all time. He absolutely froze a bobbing and weaving Floyd Patterson with a brutal uppercut. Liston manhandled patterson on the inside with uppercuts.

Yes. But Liston also loved to brawl with the best of em when given the chance. He tore floyd apart on the inside with brutal uppercuts, and manhandled him with his physical strength. Liston is a rare fighter. He had a very long reach, but for a long armed fighter was a highly effective inside fighter as well. It made him a very difficult style to face because of this.

How are these


1. Liston will rough joe frazier in close with a bombardment of uppercuts, short hooks, even rabbit punches.

2. He will physically maul frazier in the clinches simiiar to the way he controlled floyd.

3. Frazier was not unpredictable. He only finds one way..going forward bobbing and weaving. He will have to go right into liston to beat him, and he is going to be met by a bigger, stronger, more powerful opponent who has a lethal uppercut in store for him.

4. Most importantly, Liston was a deadly finisher. When he smelled blood, he attacked. Joe will always be in liston's face, and Liston will attack. Joe will be met by a two fisted knockout puncher with top quality finishing skills. Joe's greatness will not allow him to escape liston in this one. He will get finished the way he got finished by Foreman.

 

I would like both Ali and Foreman to defeat a prime Liston. Frazier fought Ali as one reporter stated, "Like a wild beast in a thicket." That Frazier was vastly superior to the undertrained, beginning to become past his prime Frazier who was bounced like a basketball by Foreman in January of 1973. Frazier in his prime is a problem for any heavyweight wo ever lived IMO - prime Liston included. I call that a pick em' fight.


The other men of that decade don't stand much of a chance. Oddly enough, two that I think could have some success where Quarry and Young. Jimmy Young was a cutie ala Eddie Machen who could frustate Liston and mess up his timing and rythum. Quarry was a master counterpuncher with a granite chin. His downfall against Liston would be his tissue-thin skin. He would most likely be stopped on cuts.

 

No way, I think Liston gives the slower version of Ali hell. I do, however, believe that Liston would get dominated by a young Foreman and be put to the test by a young Frazier and Norton.

 

Liston get dominated by a young foreman? how? I think Liston systematically dismantles foreman.

 

Bottom line:

If Tommy Morrison(yes, he punched harder than Liston) couldn't knock 100 year old George out(please watch the fight to see what kind of beating Big George took), how in the hell would Sonny Liston do any damage at all to a YOUNG Foreman? In a classic matchup between these two, Foreman pummels Liston into submission 7-8 times out of 10.

 

And of course, 2-3 times out of 10, Liston would find a way to outlast and outbox Foreman over 15 rounds...I'd still have Foreman as a heavy favorite though...

 

I don't really care if your tired about it. Frazier gets sparked by an uppercut, but gets up 6 times against Foreman? Sure...

 

Honestly, Frazier has a better chance against Liston than he does Marciano in my opinion.

I think Foreman is far worse due to his brutal strength, physicality, chin, and consistent use of the uppercut.

 

I've made this point before but it has gotten ignored. It's true that Liston faced better comp more early on, but Foreman fought well into his 40's and had over 80 fights. So there's some equalizer there. Clearly Foreman was more aggressive putting that power to the test, and maybe he could be due to his chin and brute strength.