Sonny Liston vs Rocky Marciano - Who wins?

Rocky wanted no parts of this fight for a reason. Sonny anytime during the 50s was at the peak of his game. Unlike when he fought Ali. Rocky would've been touched up for stoppage by the 13th round or sooner..

 

When do you think Liston turned pro?

 

Sonny would stop Rocky no later than 8 rounds.

 

1953 or 54..

 

Rocky fought tweeners who came up from lower weights.

 

I don't see how Rocky overcomes the vast difference in reach to consistently hit Sonny. 84" to 67" is a ridiculous reach advantage to deal with. That's a foot and a half in Sonny's favor. Add to the fact that Sonny employed a punishing jab to go along with that reach and Rocky would be in for a long night....or a short one for that matter. Sonny would enjoy the luxury of doing damage from the outside while Rocky would have to figure out a way to get close while avoiding Liston's power shots and ramrod jab and that may prove to be too much for the Rock regardless of his heart and never say die attitude.

 

Agreed, and even if the Rock managed to get on the inside he's in trouble as Liston is arguably the strongest heavyweight ever. He might even eat him.

 

sorry but Liston was only tested by one fighter with the heart and power of Marciano and that was Ali so it would be hard to speculate that arm reach and punching power alone could do it. Liston was about the same height as Walcott and Charles, thicker but not a sharp,quick and accurate of a puncher. Liston was dropped by 179lb Marshall and KO'd when old against 190 lb Leotis Martin so I am not so convinced he could handle an elite puncher. Ali dropped him with a right hand in fight 2

 

Did Marciano hit harder than Cleveland Williams?

Prime Liston's chin was tested more than Marciano's!
Valdes,Dejohn,Williams x2.
Wow! An ancient Liston was kod by 190lbs Martin
Marciano was dropped by two old men, one whose best weight was175lbs the other was never classed as a big hitter.
Marciano was never tested by an elite heavyweight puncher, Liston was .
You need to elaborate how Marciano slip's Liston's jab and evades his uppercut,then you need to explain how Marciano gets inside without getting absolutely battered to pieces trying to do so.
.Then you need to convince posters how he beats Liston inside when Liston is bigger and stronger and hits just as hard if not harder.
Just picking out a novice Liston losing to Marshall,[ whom he battered in every subsequent fight,]and trotting out an ancient Liston running out of gas to Martin isn't convincing anyone.
Whose to say a Marciano of the same age and condition as Sonny was against Martin wouldn't have been kod too?
In his prime Liston took the punches of the Big Cat without once going down.Marciano never faced that, he was dropped by two punchers not in Liston's class .
He was badly marked up by an old Louis's jab, what would a prime Liston's jab have done to his suspect skin tissue? [Marciano was cut in 5 fights that I know of.]
Marciano fought in a crouch," it would be hard to nail him some say ? It isnt half as difficult punching down as punching up and that's a fact.
These are the questions you have to counter.
Or you do if you have any aspirations to convincing anyone.

 

The question is could Liston handle the heat if he couldn't put Marciano away, that's a very big ask of him.

 

Liston fought on with a broken jaw [Marshall,] he continued with a broken nose ,[ Williams].
The question for me is ,could Marciano handle the power ?
Because he never faced anyone who was as stong or could hit as hard as Liston.
Then there's the matter of an 84" jab smashing into his face evrytime he tries to get in range.
Stylistically a short armed, slow footed swarmer with suspect skin suits Liston to a T.
Stylistically a big powerful monster 30lbs heavier, who hits like few men can and who possesses a telephone pole of a jab,is murder for Rocky.

 

I assume we are talking prime for prime and not some 1958 bout...

Marciano was never tested against a puncher remotely like Liston. Louis was a one-handed, shuffling mummy by the time Marciano got to him. Even reports of the Bivens fight show he was primarily just a jabber by that stage of his career. He just couldn't pull the trigger on his right. Walcott had Marciano down and in the 10th or the 11th had him stung pretty badly. Moore obviously dumped in their fight. So, no, Marciano did not have a chin that was proven at the highest level.

More protean to the argument is the stylistic angle. How is Marciano going to get in range and not take terrible heat from Liston, who had a complete ****nal of punches... and as mentioned repeatedly punched with great power. Marciano had sly upper body movement, dipping deep and to the side but was not quick. Floyd was quick with his peek a boo movement but got bombed out before he even got in the action.

I am siding about 65/35 for Liston.

 

None of those fighters could bring the relentless pressure like Marciano could, well Rocky was never in any serious trouble in his career so who knows. If Liston couldn't get him out of there early he'd be in for a long night IMO.

 

It could equally be argued that bringing relentless pressure against Liston is a recipe for disaster for a short, stubby armed, swarmer who was not quick, evasive, or hard to hit.
Marciano HAS to attack, Liston has choices, he can meet him toe to toe, or wait for him to come in , busting him up with his jab as he attempts to do so and club him groggy when he manages to succeed.
Marciano leant to his right as he came in ,this puts him into the path of Liston's best punch, his left hook.