BoxRec

Who you got down as the harder puncher, gents?

I'm going with "Smokin Joe" on this one.

Liston

Liston, easily.

Liston, without doubt.

I would say Smokin Joe.

BarryWashington wrote:Liston by far. Dude had to have his sparring partners wear chest protectors while Sonny wore 18 oz gloves just to make sure they didn't get too hurt.

Liston has Foreman/Shavers power.

Frazier had awesome power, but, not that awesome.

As I like to say, Frazier had something akin to Trinidad power (flatten decent or below fighters, wear down good and great ones).

Liston had it closer to Hearns power...quickly obliterate nearly all comers.

I cant understand someone watching these guys and tagging Frazier as the harder puncher.

Goodnight, Irene wrote:

BarryWashington wrote:Liston by far. Dude had to have his sparring partners wear chest protectors while Sonny wore 18 oz gloves just to make sure they didn't get too hurt.

Liston has Foreman/Shavers power.

Frazier had awesome power, but, not that awesome.

As I like to say, Frazier had something akin to Trinidad power (flatten decent or below fighters, wear down good and great ones).

Liston had it closer to Hearns power...quickly obliterate nearly all comers.

I cant understand someone watching these guys and tagging Frazier as the harder puncher.

Good post. I agree. Also,theyr'es no telling exactly how the first Ali-Liston fight would've went had Liston not threw his rotator cuff out. Ko'd Patterson twice in the opening round. Pure Deadly Destructiveness in those DeathSwats.

Giancarlo wrote:Liston, without doubt.

Even this dilettante gets it

It's a bit of an awkward question because Liston definitely had a greater variety of hard punches, but Joe's Left hook is probably as hard as anything Liston could have mustered.

On a consistent basis, Liston. But that left hook Frazier hit Ali with in the 15th, would have put Sonny down for the count and then some.

Ask George Foreman.

Young George sparred with Sonny Liston and Sonny Liston fuckked him up.Of course, George was still young,but George said Liston had tremendous power.

Seamus wrote:On a consistent basis, Liston. But that left hook Frazier hit Ali with in the 15th, would have put Sonny down for the count and then some.

If it came at the end of fifteen gruelling rounds, Id agree. Liston wouldve fell for the count. If you mean early, against a fresh Liston, Id have to dispute that. Liston was a tough nut.

Syntax Error wrote:Joe's Left hook is probably as hard as anything Liston could have mustered.

My thoughts exactly.

Cus D'Amato wrote:Ask George Foreman.

Young George sparred with Sonny Liston and Sonny Liston fuckked him up.Of course, George was still young,but George said Liston had tremendous power.

But George hadn't filled out yet, he wasn't yet the big, powerful monster that he would become years later.

If we should ask anyone it's probably Muhammad Ali. Although, with that said, Liston never tagged him cleanly in their 2 fights...

Crease wrote:

Cus D'Amato wrote:Ask George Foreman.

Young George sparred with Sonny Liston and Sonny Liston fuckked him up.Of course, George was still young,but George said Liston had tremendous power.

But George hadn't filled out yet, he wasn't yet the big, powerful monster that he would become years later.

If we should ask anyone it's probably Muhammad Ali. Although, with that said, Liston never tagged him cleanly in their 2 fights...

If you have his number, maybe you could give him a call. . .

He was pretty filled out in 1968-1969. Size wasn't George's problem in 1968-1969; it was inexperience.

I would say that Frazier's left hook was as good as Liston's. But in term of overall power, I'd give the nod to Sonny.

People focus on the jab, but a closer look at Liston shows he was a specialist left hooker, and that was the blow he favoured as a knockout punch.

Though his power was well-balanced, Liston was a little more gifted overall with his left.