Liston isn't going in looking for the kill against Vitali, and he himself doesn't, so for me it is down to who is the better boxer. Prime Liston all day long for my money. His jab alone keeps Vitali honest.
HBO picked up Vitali complaining about an injured arm in round 3. Vitali is a boxer type who likes to engage nd counter, rarely coming full force. For him the knockouts just happen, they really were not rushed. Speculation on my part is if Vitali knew how the western press reacted, He might have risked further injury. If this was a legacy type of fight, he might have pressed it a bit more. But he was young, and had injury issues before, knowing full well he could worsen the situation. I don't really give Byrd much credit. If anything, this fight shows an injured Vitali, who had not peaked was better than a prime Chirs Byrd. This is a fantasy fight, so let's leave out the injured shoulders, shall we.