Liston by 11nd round KO
I don't think we ever saw Liston in his prime, he was much older than stated.
Liston had a great jab and could box, unlike his reputation.
If it goes 15 rounds then Liston wins, but even in his prime Foreman did not have the stamina to go 15 rounds so similar to the Ali fight if it goes beyond 9 or 10 Foreman is too tired to stand up.
Big George always has the punchers chance and could very likely stop Liston in less than 6 rounds. This is one of those fantasy fights I would like to see.
You know outwardly I would pick George on this. It would be based on his punching power and shear size and strength. However Sonny Liston was Georges idol. So with that said George may be somewhat in awe of him. Also the early George could be intimidated and outthought. He was not intimidated by Muhammad Ali as a fighter he never had a big punch or was a one punch knockout artist. He did however get into Georges head which I think effected his performance. Sonny was just as mean and intimidating as George. The later George was much more relaxed and a better all around fighter. This fight would depend on the timing. The later bigger George I think would have a better chance against the Liston of Muhammad Ali. However the earlier Liston may prove a menace to the young George. The very best possible George defeats the very best possible Sonny.
Hmmmm........Godzilla vs King Ghidorah .
The real question here is whether it would be safe to attend the match.
These are two of the titans of boxing history, and either one would give any champion in any time period nightmares.
Of course, Liston has been written as the bum who was crushed by Ali, but the truth is otherwise. in his prime he was feared as much or more than Foreman. He could take a punch, and hit like a freight train.
If he were alive today, no one in the division would last five rounds with him, and if they did, they would be on ICU for a month afterwards.
Foreman.....we all know, he was simply a formidable fighter.
I think I would lean towards Foreman in this one due to his freakish size and long career(s).
But who knows....it would be a close match. If I attended this one, I sit far from ringside in case to avoid being crushed if one fell through the ropes.
Foreman sparred with Liston and stated more than once Liston was the only one that could back him up with one punch. All the old timers will tell you that Foreman was a kitnergardener compared to Sonny. Liston with the longer reach and better jab scores a TKO stoppage on cuts by 10.
Both are noted for their knockout power in their best youthful prime although Big George showed more vulnerability as seen in his fights with Gregorio Peralta, Muhammad Ali, Ron Lyle and Jimmy Young although Liston himself struggled against Marty Marshall in their three fights series where Liston lost the first bout by decision in 1954, his only defeat before losing to Ali by TKO7 in 1964 and again in 1965 by KO1.but by that time he was no longer spring chicken.
Youthful prime per youthful prime therefore,I would favor Liston over Foreman by KO or decision.
I would however take the older, wiser Foreman to beat the post-Ali Liston by decision or TKO.
In their prime both hit hard, both had a solid chin, both were hittable and both had stamina issues.
With that said styles make fights. I think Listons reach would let him get off first. Liston set things up with his jab while Foreman liked to start off with hooks.
I see Liston landing first. Similar to Lyle vs Foreman but Foreman getting counted out.
Foreman by KO. RD 8.
george
