Is Sonny Liston A Top 10 ATG Heavyweight?

[MeccaOfBoxing]

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[JAB5239]

!. Louis
2. Ali
3. Holmes
4. Johnson
5. Lewis
6. Foreman
7. Tyson
8. Liston
9. Holyfield
10. Marciano
11. Dempsey
12. Frazier

[MeccaOfBoxing]

!. Louis
2. Ali
3. Holmes
4. Johnson
5. Lewis
6. Foreman
7. Tyson
8. Liston
9. Holyfield
10. Marciano
11. Dempsey
12. Frazier

Wow, Jab. Reasons 4 having Liston over Marciano, Dempsey & Frazier? All had better wins & better title reigns than Liston.

[JAB5239]

Wow, Jab. Reasons 4 having Liston over Marciano, Dempsey & Frazier? All had better wins & better title reigns than Liston.

Much like Ali, Liston thoroughly cleaned out the heavyweight top 10 and did it in devastating fashion before finally getting his shot at the title. Neither Dempsey nor Frazier can say this and I believe he beats both and Marciano in h2h match ups. Jmo of course.

[Jim Jeffries]

No, but he's certainly somewhere between 11 and 15, IMO of course. Without all of those years in prison and had he not been avoided for a couple years before finally getting a shot at Patterson, he'd definitely be higher.

[JAB5239]

No, but he's certainly somewhere between 11 and 15, IMO of course. Without all of those years in prison and had he not been avoided for a couple years before finally getting a shot at Patterson, he'd definitely be higher.

Im of the opinion the man makes the title, not the title makes the man. Even if Liston had become champion earlier he still would have beaten the same fighters in the same manner.

[StarshipTrooper]

Hell yeah!

01. Muhammad Ali
02. Joe Louis
03. Jack Johnson
04. Jack Dempsey
05. Larry Holmes
06. Sonny Liston
07. Evander Holyfield
08. George Foreman
09. Rocky Marciano
10. Mike Tyson
11. Joe Frazier
12. Harry Wills

In his prime Liston was an absolute beast with legit one-punch KO power, a granite chin, and a top-three Heavyweight jab. He just had the misfortune to win the title right as the best-ever Heavyweight was coming into his own.

Poet

[Suckmedry]

Yeah, I don't have a fixed list but I'd figure him to be somewhere around 7-10.

Liston would beat every single current heavyweight by stoppage, I know that.

[Obama]

At first I had him in the top 10. Then I didn't. Now I do again.

The only reason I initially took him out was because of his short title reign and a lack of knowledge of most of his resume. (not the best of course, but the minor fighters that are more than capable of upsets). Man beat a hell of a lot of good fighters...in a dominant fashion. Plus he's really like 4-5 years older than his official age, so losing the title at an advanced age against the "Greatest" really is nothing to hold against the guy. Hell had he beaten Clay I'd have to rate him #1.

[sonnyboyx2]

Hell yeah!

01. Muhammad Ali
02. Joe Louis
03. Jack Johnson
04. Jack Dempsey
05. Larry Holmes
06. Sonny Liston
07. Evander Holyfield
08. George Foreman
09. Rocky Marciano
10. Mike Tyson
11. Joe Frazier
12. Harry Wills

In his prime Liston was an absolute beast with legit one-punch KO power, a granite chin, and a top-three Heavyweight jab. He just had the misfortune to win the title right as the best-ever Heavyweight was coming into his own.

Poet

great Top 10 List identical to my own.. excellent post leaves me nothing to add