Sonny Liston versus Lennox Lewis who wins?

[billeau2]

I picture death a process where I am in a white light room, I feel a great overwhelming sensation of love and connectivness... I hear a voice, "Bill, before departing into a wonderful spirit rhealm I, your Most High always grant an answer to one question... What is your pleasure? "Life after death?, the nature of all reality? The meaning of life and taxes?" Harp Music plays... "Dear Lord, those are wonderful questions indeed, and I sure would love to kow I will see people again, though I hope my old man is in a good mood... But I just have to ask... "If Liston fought Lennox lewis, prime for prime... "

[The D3vil]

I got Liston in his prime.

If Lennox thought Oliver McCall & Hasim Rahman hit hard, he'll be even more surprised by Sonny's 15 inch fists.

[JAB5239]

Lennox at his best i think stops snny late
no esy task, but Liston will keep coming forward and a Lewis uppercut will land. I'm not a fan of size differentials in a fight but Sonny is going to plow ahead against the best version of Lennox. He'll by caught coming in with Lewis being smarter (not necessarily tougher) and eat to many big shots. Jmo.

[Willie Pep 229]

I like to look at the ATG's run-ups to their title shot. Some are extraordinary, E.g. Tyson, Dempsey, Liston, etc.

Liston's run begins with Cleveland Williams in the spring of 1959 and runs until Paterson in the fall of 1962. 12 wins, 11 by KO with only Eddie Machen taking him the 12 round distance, but not winning a round.

No wonder people didn't think Patterson had a chance, even before their first fight.

[QueensburyRules]

I picture death a process where I am in a white light room, I feel a great overwhelming sensation of love and connectivness... I hear a voice, "Bill, before departing into a wonderful spirit rhealm I, your Most High always grant an answer to one question... What is your pleasure? "Life after death?, the nature of all reality? The meaning of life and taxes?" Harp Music plays... "Dear Lord, those are wonderful questions indeed, and I sure would love to kow I will see people again, though I hope my old man is in a good mood... But I just have to ask... "If Liston fought Lennox lewis, prime for prime... "

- - Sonny was a physical specimen in his day beating up lesser physical specimens. Lewie was a bigger, stronger physical specimen without the baggage of childhood abuse Sonny endured, so mentally and physically he's the fav.

[billeau2]

It is a suprisingly tough fight to predict IMO. On the surface I think Liston wins easily, but when you start to break it down... What I want to call the "could be" list:

1. Lewis could be chinny, but took the shots of Vitalie while out of shape and Vitalie hit very hard.
2. Lewis could be careless but had the capacity to also be very very cautious (HOlyfield fights)
3. Lewis could be tired and listless but always showed up big for big fights... He occasionally dropped the ball on lesser opponents like Rahman and McCall.

Ultimately I think Liston wins this fight because of one crucial difference: Lewis could hurt Liston and would have to be able to finish. Liston threw lots of shots so outpointing him probably is not an option. Lewis would be forced to fight at a good pace as well... Liston if he hurt Lewis would finish the job with fast feet, unrelenting aggression off the fighting line, etc. In other words, only one guy would finish it when he had his guy hurt.

Lewis fought a lot of excellent fighters but he never quite fought a man who could use size and skill like Sonny. Vitalie hit hard but Lewis could avoid him... Even if we give Tyson props at the condition he fought Lewis in, Lewis was bigger, stronger. Liston may have not weighed what Lewis weighed but was a fellow big heavy weight. I would be willing to bet if Lewis could have gotten into better shape? he would have weighed about what Liston did.

[billeau2]

Liston. As great as Lewis was, Liston is in a different class. That's not to say Liston is invincible: I'd pick Joe Louis over him and I think Larry Holmes would outpoint him big.

Lol I really agree with this when allowed to have my own biases.

[Anomalocaris]

Really tough to pick.

Both truly outstanding at their very best.

I might just sit on the fence.

[solidman]

I would pick Liston to bust lewis up with that great jab.

[billeau2]

I would pick Liston to bust lewis up with that great jab.

Offhand I cannot think of Lewis having fought a heavyweight with a great jab. Ruddock HAD a great jab until he became a one armed fighter. Bruno had a decent jab... but it is true that lewis would be in deep water against a jab like Liston's one of the very best.