Sonny Liston and head to head match-ups

[boxing boy]

How many Heavyweight Champions would have beat Sonny Liston head to head?

The reason i ask is i can't think of that many champions who would have beat him.

The Sonny Liston who fought Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali was past his prime.

I'm talking about Prime Sonny Liston.

[NChristo]

I think maybe Holmes, Jack Johnson and maybe a peak Bowe, would beat Liston.
Having a hard time thinking of others, Liston was an amazing boxer.

[boxing boy]

I think maybe Holmes, Jack Johnson and maybe a peak Bowe, would beat Liston.
Having a hard time thinking of others, Liston was an amazing boxer.

I love Jack Johnson,but in his prime he only weighed 193lbs.Liston was 212lbs in his prime.

Holmes "might have" beat him.I agree.It would have been a great fight.

And "maybe" a prime Bowe,i agree.

[Southpaw Stinger]

Ali, Holmes, possibly Foreman. I'd give Lennox, Holyfield, Bowe and Vitali Klit a shot too. But nothing's a cert..

[sonnyboyx2]

How many Heavyweight Champions would have beat Sonny Liston head to head?

The reason i ask is i can't think of that many champions who would have beat him.

The Sonny Liston who fought Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali was past his prime.

I'm talking about Prime Sonny Liston.

i agree not many

[NChristo]

I love Jack Johnson,but in his prime he only weighed 193lbs.Liston was 212lbs in his prime.

Holmes "might have" beat him.I agree.It would have been a great fight.

And "maybe" a prime Bowe,i agree.

Liston vs Holmes would of been an amazing fight, the 2 best HW jabs against each other, it could go either way easily but I think Holmes could scrape it on points.

The more I think about it the more I doubt Johnson, I have a feeling he could of still lasted against Liston. Problem is the jab and if he could counter it or get on the inside of Liston.

Same with the Bowe fight the more I play it out in my head the more I'm doubting he would win as well, Bowe is a tremendous fighter at mid range the problem is how many of Listons jabs he would have to eat before he got there.

[boxing boy]

So far,it looks like several people agree with me that not many Heavyweight champions could have beat Sonny Liston.

Sonny Liston is the most under rated Heavyweight Champion?

[Sugarj]

I've got a feeling that Liston would only be beaten by a select few:

I'd favour Ali and Holmes, then Bowe, Tyson, Foreman and Holyfield as possibles. Then I'm scratching my head! Maybe Johnson too.....but not at all confident there.

I wouldn't expect Dempsey, Tunney, Louis, Marciano, Patterson, Frazier, Lewis or the Klitchkos to beat him.

Ike Ibeabuchi may have become something like Liston, I really rated him while he was boxing, shame the guy was crackers! He had fast hands, great reach, excellent workrate, superb power and an excellent chin. He out brawled prime Tua and KO'd prime Byrd, great potential!

[Joey Giardello]

Former world heavyweight champions he beats! jim braddock, max bear, marvin hart, tommy burns, bob fitzimons, primo carnera, michael spinks, wladmir klitchko, buster douglas.

Former heavyweight belt holders! he beats! frank bruno, john ruiz, chris bryd, bone cruser smith, cory sanders. There are probaly some more former champions i have forgot that liston would of busted up with his sledgehammer jab!

[M26]

Sonny Liston is often overlooked when rating the greatest heavyweights of all time. This is a shame, as Sonny Liston was a marvelous fighter in his prime, a prime that came before he was champion. He could box very well, he was one of the hardest punchers in boxing history, he had that incredible reach for a guy his size, a superb jab, a solid chin and decent handspeed. It is nice to see that so many recognize his greatness.

I don't see many beating a prime Sonny Liston. The swarmers would be in for a beating, the boxers would have a great difficulty dealing with his reach and power and the sluggers would have to stand toe to toe with a guy that could both match their power and surpass their skill.

A prime Muhammad Ali would probably beat him, eventhough the fights of 1964 and 65 is by no means representative for how a prime Liston would hold up. Still, Ali was just so fast and mobile, Listons reach would be nullified and Ali would score enough to secure a safe decision win.

A prime Joe Louis would stand a decent chance. Louis would have some problems adjusting to that thundering jab of Liston, but his overall skill, speed, reflexes and power could help him prevail. I see Liston struggling against the short and accurate counterpunches that Louis surely would deliver. I am not convinced about this one, but I have a gut feeling Liston would be countered into submission.

A prime Larry Holmes would also stand a chance, eventhough both Ali and Louis would face better odds. Larry had a great jab like Liston, and he could both box and move at the highest level. His heart and stamina might help him pull through to edge out a close decision in a competitive battle. I would not be surprised to see Liston winning though, possibly in a brutal fashion.

Liston would probably also struggle against a young George Foreman, a prime Lennox Lewis and possibly Mike Tyson. Liston should beat them though.