Tyson vs Liston?

Assume the pre-Patterson version of Liston? If Tyson can't back up Liston, then Mike isn't going to float like a butterfly, and will be in trouble.

 

Liston stops Tyson, though Liston catches some leather early from an intimidated Tyson looking to end things early

 

This. I remember Johansson in an old interview giving a very similar take on how Patterson-Liston was going to play out. Johansson said that if Patterson didn’t get his shots off and get Liston’s respect early that Liston would run over him. Tyson unfortunately has a lot of the same flaws that’s Patterson has.

 

But Tyson has a much better chin, a harder punch and is 30 or so muscular pounds heavier than Patterson. Surely that counts for something?

 

This one is up there on my list of fantasy HW clashes. I think that Liston has a 50/50 chance of surviving the initial Tyson onslaught against a mid to late 90's version of Mike, allowing Liston to take him into deep waters before possibly coming away with a late stoppage victory (that is providing Liston doesn't gas out as he rarely went the distance with his opponents.) If we're talking about an '85-'88 version of Tyson then I think Tyson very likely puts any version of Liston away within the first couple of rounds.

 

Liston has the stylistic edge here.

I lean towards the idea that he would win.

 

Sonny for me ,though Tyson's handspeed would mean he would take some hits before he got him on ***** street.

 

Young liston should be slightly favored here for reasons most here suspect...I t end to think listens measured pace and power helps him in middle rounds as tyson losses his confidence.......Tyson was limited in ability to wear his opponent down...and he knew it...I think listons left hook would decide matters somewhere along the line.....perhaps

 

Narrowly favor Liston.

 

I agree with your concerns, but to be more accurate: realize that Floyd bulked up to the 190's, he was 194 1/2 in the rematch with Liston.
So Tyson at between 214-221 at his peak was about 20-25 muscular pounds heavier than Patterson, not "30 or so".
Patterson was taller but Tyson had bigger bones, so tthat roughly evens out, so those numbers are likely represent all muscle.

 

The pre-Patterson version of Liston would survive the early onslaught and then get rid of Tyson quickly. Liston was a bad dude and was mentally stronger than Tyson. Liston was very strong and had arguably the best heavyweight jab of all time. Tyson would be brutally KOed before the end of the sixth round.

 

The notion that Liston was mentally stronger than Tyson is downright comical.

How????

Did Mike put an illegal substance on his gloves to try to blind his opponent, and when that didn't work, shameless quit on his stool?

Then follow-up that by once again quitting in the rematch.

Liston was a bigger mental midget than Mike, its time for apologists to come to terms with that.

It would be a war, but Mike had a better chin, more firepower, and a lot more speed.

Tyson in 6.

 

Well first of all I said the pre-Patterson Liston.
Secondly to use your line of reasoning:
Did Sonny Liston ever bite the ear off his opponent when he was losing?
Did Sonny Liston ever lose to the caliber of an opponent like Kevin McBride? And lose by quitting? How many levels better was Ali than McBride?
Tyson lost his marbles several times in the ring (Norris, Botha, Holyfield). Liston quit and took a dive but did he ever implode in the ring like Tyson?

Tyson was mentally weaker, and more of a bully, than Liston.

 

Can we use pre-Tokyo Tyson? Pre-Bruno Tyson?

That Tyson trained hard and fought downhill the whole way. I think it is Mike who wears out Sonny and finishes him. Or at least I am willing to shade it in that direction.