Would anyone pick Wilder to beat Liston??

Do you have any idea how hard it is to land your super chemical punch into the eyes of such a tall, discombobulated man?

 

This might be the bias talking cuz I hate Liston but I think Wilder flatline KOs him.

 

He'd have a punchers chance but seeing how Liston survived bombs from a big puncher like Cleveland Williams.

My money would be on Liston due to being the much more refined skillful fighter who also had dynamite in both hands to get Wilder out of there.

 

About as much chance as I have.

 

Only those people who believe boxers from the 60's were primitive. You know, the boxers who came around 72 years after gloved boxing was developed. Apparently 72 years isn't enough time to develop all possible techniques in a sport.

The idea that sports evolve endlessly is absurd. Yes, they do for the first 3-5 decades. Then they stabilize. Evolution isn't endless.

Liston stops Wilder.

 

If they fought tomorrow prime for prime, and people had real money riding on the outcome, I think you'd see a lot of people betting on Wilder.

There's nothing outlandish about people believing that the #1 guy from one snapshot in time might lose to the #2/#3 guy from a later snapshot in time. Especially when it's a collision between two punchers, and the #2/#3 guy routinely stopped a much bigger (albeit less good) field of men than the #1 guy did.

I'm not going the other extreme and Wilder crushes Liston like a bug here, but the idea that it's not even conceivable that someone could pick Wilder goes a bit far.

 

Liston is the only fighter who weighed over 177 pounds that Ali ever knocked out in the first round, he is not likely to survive Wilder's right hand. Wilder is too long, quick, and hits too hard. Wilder wouldn't be there for Liston to "box." He'd keep distance and let Liston win a few rounds while he waited to time Liston or for Liston to make a mistake. Then Wilder would knockout the Ali knockout victim.

 

In la la cuckoo land yeah

 

I think this is a really interesting one because both Wilder and Liston have such different strengths and weaknesses, and the result could depend a lot on how the fight actually plays out on the night.

Liston in his prime was a very complete fighter. His jab alone was like a weapon, heavy, accurate and capable of disrupting an opponent’s entire game plan. He also had great fundamentals, decent hand speed and was brilliant at cutting off the ring. If he got close, he could work the body and take the sting out of a taller man’s punches.

Wilder is almost the polar opposite. He’s extremely unorthodox and doesn’t rely on classic technique, but his power is ridiculous. That right hand is probably the biggest equaliser in boxing today, and he only needs one clean shot to completely change a fight. He’s also got a big size advantage over Liston, six and a half inches taller with similar reach, so he’s not going to be the smaller man like a lot of Liston’s opponents were.

The issue for Wilder is that his defence isn’t the best. He can be awkward at range but once he’s forced onto the back foot he tends to lose his shape. He’s been hurt and dropped by fighters nowhere near Liston’s level, and if Sonny could pressure him behind that jab and start walking him down, Wilder could be in trouble.

That said, Wilder’s power means you can’t ever count him out. Even if he’s losing rounds and taking damage, he has a habit of finding that one moment to end a fight. Liston’s chin wasn’t iron either, it was decent but not unbreakable, so if Wilder landed clean it could be lights out.

If I had to pick, I’d lean towards Liston more often than not. He was the more complete fighter, and I think he’d find a way to neutralise Wilder’s right hand before it lands. Probably a late stoppage. But Wilder’s power is such a wild card that I wouldn’t be shocked if he sparked Liston early.

 

Surprising and pleasing to see that nobody tries to argue Liston hitting harder because he KO’d a 5’10 180 lbs journeyman called James Jackson.

 

Liston's reach was long, but this forum's traditional longer-than-Wilder-Wlad-Bowe-or-Vitali 84" doesn't seem plausible.

I could buy around the same length as Ali or Cleveland Williams, since IIRC they outreached him a little (though he had to punch up against them).

 

The closest man Liston ever faced anywhere close to Wilder's punch was Mike DeJohn. DeJohn was 5 inches shorter than Deontay, and that's the second reason I give Wilder the edge. Intimidation wont work on a man whos 6ft7