Mike Tyson VS Sonny Liston

[McGrain]

Ike Quartey jumps to mind....

He certainly does. Whitaker and arguably Sturm, too. Most disturbingly of all, Mosley outjabbed him for spells - that shouldn't happen to a great jabber.

But I agree that when he was on, as he was for the first five rounds against Mayweather, he looks great.

[Mintcar923]

Lots of times bullies lose their edge when they are the one geting bullied. Liston would do this to Tyson.

So Liston was less of a bully than Mike?

[Mike Tyson77]

That would have been a great fight between two very powerfull punchers. I think Tysons speed would have been the difference. Everyone talks about Tysons power, but he had great hand speed to. Tyson wins it.

[Ascended]

Mike would be in for a long night with Liston. Liston would beat him.

But it would be an explosive, great fight while it lasts.

Liston would break him down.

So liston would beat him being slow and easy to read your crazy stop trolling

[Ascended]

Liston wins this one, and I think he's the toughest match in history for Tyson. Liston has literally no difficulty with men coming to him and struggles horribly with speed going away from him (but you all know that).

The reason Tyson struggles on occasion with men coming to him (Bonecrusher Smith, Evander Hollyfield) is that he is a one-range fighter - a devastating one, but a one range fighter. He is a mid-range fighter of the highest class and a "bulling" fighter - coming from long to middle range - of very high standard. Now.

Here he is up against a fighter who is literally as adept at nearly all the ranges involved in a fight as he is at the others - that is to say, he does not have a preference at which range the fight is fought. This is due to his underated athleticism and his physical/technical tools in addition to "yeah?" attitude I haven't seen fully explored anywhere in literature or on the forums.

Liston is also a vastly underated ring general. He has made many adjustments in various fights (maybe most impressively in Williams II where he shifts to the front foot in the very first round having constructed a fight plan based on the first fight which differed) to his opponents detriment.

Add all this up and you have battleground that favours Liston. Tyson will come directly to Liston and try to hammer him. My guess is that Liston would spear him with the jab. Yes, Tyson has extraordinary head movement, and yes it is overated. Tyson did not use arbitrary head movement like Jack Dempsey did. Tyson moved in a pattern. In other words, a fighter with a very accurate jab who also had no fear - at all - of the man in the opposite corner could time him. Sonny could time him, Sonny has those things.

His jab was quite slow, I admit. But i've always felt a fast jab was an over-rated commodity generally. From a technically classical stance - which Liston employed - it's a punch that does not take long to get across. I think that an accurate, hard jab, is a better punch than a fast jab which is accurate.

So I see Liston timing Tyson on the way in with the jab and missing with his bigger punches in the first few rounds, but closing the distance with a clatter at the back of that punch. Tyson's best work smothered whilst Liston builds a lead.

A word about punch resistance - I think they have similair resistance to punishment, although Liston was basically impossible to hurt to the body. But I don't think Tyson has that "tide-turning" type of chin. I think that he takes punishment, but the hurt causes his head to drop. We saw it against Hollyfield and Lewis, and to a lesser degree against Douglas. Liston was capable of turning the tide after being hurt, and we saw this agianst Williams, who "hit him so hard all over [my] body" that Sonny became convinced he "didn't have a weak spot", and he went on to KO Williams in 3.

If Tyson slows he will be stopped. If Tyson manages to keep the pace high, he'll lose a wide decision.

Bad match up for Mike.

Bad matchup being slow and easy to read and can beat Mike being that way yet nobody who was that way beat Mike stop trolling you dummy

[IronDanHamza]

So liston would beat him being slow and easy to read your crazy stop trolling

I don't think the style suits Mike at all.

Tyson fades, his headmovent slows down drastically after the first few rounds and if he doesn't get Liston out of there early he'll be in trouble.

Is Mike going to back up Liston? I would highly doubt it.

[Ascended]

I don't think the style suits Mike at all.

Tyson fades, his headmovent slows down drastically after the first few rounds and if he doesn't get Liston out of there early he'll be in trouble.

Is Mike going to back up Liston? I would highly doubt it.

mike didnt back up others and still won that's a dumb quote to use and how wouldnt it be good mike style which destroyed slow easy to read fighters like son you must never seen son you seem like a idiot mike never was hit much by people like that they had to be fast and fight from range with movement was son that way

on video no he wasnt so no mike never faded ether from people like that stop repeating dumb quotes your a idiot

the style being slow and easy to read wouldnt be the one that suits son like I said mike had trouble with people who was fast and fought at range you idiot stop repeating dumb quotes

[The Old LefHook]

Moneytheman is none other than Tromboni in Alt, folks.

[IronDanHamza]

mike didnt back up others and still won that's a dumb quote to use and how wouldnt it be good mike style which destroyed slow easy to read fighters like son you must never seen son you seem like a idiot mike never was hit much by people like that they had to be fast and fight from range with movement was son that way

on video no he wasnt so no mike never faded ether from people like that stop repeating dumb quotes your a idiot

the style being slow and easy to read wouldnt be the one that suits son like I said mike had trouble with people who was fast and fought at range you idiot stop repeating dumb quotes

You're throwing insults around why? This is a discussion board we can discuss these things respectfully.

Firstly, Tyson never fought anyone like Liston or as good as Liston when Tyson was at his peak, so there's that.

Secondly, he did fade. Mike Tyson isn't exactly known for his stamina and work rate, is he? He's an explosive, fast puncher but he does fade as the fight goes on. He just does.

Liston can fight well at range, he had an 84 inch read and a great, powerful jab. Down the stretch Tyson would have trouble slipping it. I'd expect the jab to dictate as time goes on, again, if Tyson doesn't get him out of there early. I mean, it's possible, but, unlikely.

[Ascended]

You're throwing insults around why? This is a discussion board we can discuss these things respectfully.

Firstly, Tyson never fought anyone like Liston or as good as Liston when Tyson was at his peak, so there's that.

Secondly, he did fade. Mike Tyson isn't exactly known for his stamina and work rate, is he? He's an explosive, fast puncher but he does fade as the fight goes on. He just does.

Liston can fight well at range, he had an 84 inch read and a great, powerful jab. Down the stretch Tyson would have trouble slipping it. I'd expect the jab to dictate as time goes on, again, if Tyson doesn't get him out of there early. I mean, it's possible, but, unlikely.

Ok ill tell you this way what I said is not opinion its fact Mike never was beat or troubled by those slow easy to read types

Mike on video for a fact had trouble with the people I told you of which was people who had fast or average hands and they fought from range people like pinklon and tillis the ali knockoff they gave him trouble cause they moved alot and used the ring

Son never moved as good as them he was basic straight forward and slow of hand and upper/lower body movement and lacking of using the ring while moving smoothly like they did the man was way outdated to even be in the ring with Mike he would for a fact need to move like them not opinion this is video fact

What son did to floyd has nothing to do with Mike he was a lw couldnt take big shots and was a prototype ver of Mike's style since Mike was way more advanced them him in every area and they fought from diff ranges and his style wasnt more brawler/semi counterer
while Mike was mostly full counterer/brawler

I wont explain the differences in detail cause people should know this by now they should have known this years ago its odd to keep saying lies like mike was the same as floyd or son beat somebody like mike which is a lie since like I said floyd wasnt exact like mike so its not a good compare

Son never fought anybody like mike unless we count separate fighters like ali who had defense speedy or leotis who could duck good and counter

Mike fought mutiple people like son who was slow easy to read and basic come forward and they wasnt in separate fighters he fought people with this combo in 1 fighter in mutiple boxers doesn't matter if they were weak punchers or the ones who hit hard like Bruno they were the same easy to read slow and basic come forward which was destroyed

Has nothing to do with son only I can name mutiple people from 70s-90s who would be destroyed by mike or pinklon the ali knockoff cause of pinks advances in movement