Rocky Marciano vs Sonny Liston

What's the sport called? Swarming or Boxing?

 

Win Boxing Matches.

Check Marciano`s winning % then check Liston`s.

 

Check and see if Marciano had to fight Ali twice or if he hung around till 40 to collect more losses.

 

I haven't done this one for a while but my opinion hasn't changed.

Liston is a little taller-
Liston is 1/2" - 3" taller depending on the source, split the difference it's 1 1/4".

Liston is heavier-
He weighed 211-215 Lbs. for his best wins... Williams x2, Folley, Machen, and Patterson x2. Marciano's highest weight in a HW World title fight was 189 Lbs. His highest weight in a pro fight was 194 Lbs. Liston would be 17-26 Lbs. heavier, split the difference it's 21 1/2 Lbs.

Liston has a longer reach-
Some sources say Liston's reach was 84". In some of the still photos from his fights with Ali it appears that Ali had the longer reach (I've seen Ali's reach listed as short as 78" and as long as 82"). Liston had a long reach without a doubt though. Marciano's reach was 69".

Liston went 2-2 (2) vs. Hall of Famers Patterson and Ali. He was stopped in both of the losses, LKOby6 and LKOby1 to Ali. Liston was dropped twice, both knockdowns resulted in a KO loss for Liston. 50-4 (39) overall and 2-2 (2) in HW World title fights (the Patterson wins and Ali losses).

Marciano went 6-0 (5) vs. Hall of Famers Louis, Walcott x2, Charles x2, and Moore. Marciano was dropped twice, Marciano won both fights by KO and dropped these two opponents a total of 7 times in 3 fights. 49-0 (43) overall and 7-0 (6) in HW World title fights.

Louis, Walcott x2, Charles x2, and Moore were better than Williams x2, Folley, Machen, and Patterson x2. They both went 6-0 (5) vs. their opponents. Williams is the only big man of the group but I honestly think he is one of the most overrated fighters ever mentioned on this forum. Louis would have went thru him like a hot knife thru butter and I think Marciano would have done the same. Williams didn't make it thru the 3rd round vs. Satterfield, Liston x2, or Ali. He went 1-1 (1) vs. Terrell and drew with Machen, nothing else worth mentioning to be honest.

I think Marciano wins, maybe even by stoppage. Marciano was strong, durable, punched hard, and had excellent stamina. He had a good work rate and carried his power into the late rounds. When things didn't go his way he still found a way to win. It's hard to pick against a fighter like that.

 

This wouldn't be a fight, it would be a massacre. One of the most overrated heavyweights of all time vs one of the absolute best. Some people...

 

No I said Rocky is a better boxer.

Sometimes it's not always about tangible skillset. Rocky in my mind as a boxer has superior power, durability, stamina and work rate plus he rolls with shots better and has much shorter punches.

As a fighting machine against someone their own size Rocky is superior in my minds eye. The reason I pick Liston to destroy him is the same reason I pick Foster to destroy Robinson.

 

Next to Dempsey!

 

Liston busts him and finishes him in 3

 

Why?

Early in Liston's career he had some problems vs. Johnny Summerlin. He beat Summerlin by split-decision after 8 rounds in their first fight and by decision again after going another 8 rounds 2 1/2 months later.

He went 2-1 (1) vs. Marty Marshall and suffered a broken jaw in the loss.

Bert Whitehurst managed to go the 10 round distance twice vs. Liston.

Eddie Machen gave Liston a decent fight in a 12 round decision loss.

Why couldn't Marciano at the very least match what these guys did?

 

Because Marciano was defensively inept in comparison to Marshall and Machen, he was also slow afoot and had a tendency to cut. Summerlin had 20 fights when he faced 5 fight Liston .Summerlin was only stopped twice in his career once on a cut eye and in his last fight by Nino Valdes.
Liston knocked Whitehurst right out of the ring in their second fight ,at the count of 7, he was still trying to get back in when the final bell rang and saved him from a ko.

 

I have Rocky number 36 on my ATG list and Liston number 71.

But at HW I have Rocky number 14 and Liston number 6.

I literally see no way for Rocky to won bar a perfectly thrown Suzie Q.

 

Biggest cop out of all time.

"Styles make fights" card!!atsch

It's funny that in order to make a cast iron case for Liston one has to overlook his 50-50 championship record, his knock downs from Marshal, Ali and Martin, the controversy about fixed fights, the fact that he could not emulate Ingo's performance against machen, that his come from behind win against Williams was with a guy who never bothered great fighters or knocked out a leading contender.. And accept only Listions one way trafic demolition wins of frozen fighters who in the main did not hit Sonny back.

For all that, Sonny was a great fighter. In 1960 he was about as magnificent as any great fighter can look against good fighters. He outright proved he was better than Patterson on the two worst nights Floyd ever had. But that's it. Yes Sonny was for real but it was a very short window really and there is a lot one has to excuse or imagine to make much more of him.

I think Sonny deserves to start favorite. Rocky is a real live underdog with a good chance of winning.

Nobody can make a cast iron case one way or the other. Predicting a blow out or white wash one way or the other is just silly.