BoxRec

What would happen if Sonny Liston face any fighters in his times that he never fought:
Joe Erskine
Brian London
Henry Cooper
Dick Richardson
Ingemar Johansson
George Chuvalo
Jerry Quarry
Karl Mildenberger
Oscar Bonavena
Jimmy Ellis
Buster Mathis Sr.
Ernie Terrell
"Smokin" Joe Frazier

..liston was something of a front runner..so bonavena's toughness might have discouraged him if it got into the late rounds. bonavena himself, though, was a "might have been"....natural gifts but never learned how to use them and the liston jab and hook probably would have won it for him.

frazier could be hit and hurt with a right uppercut.....the most effective weapon against his wide left hook. this punch wasn't in liston's repertoire....he mostly clubbed with the right when he had his guy on the ropes. i think liston's overall talent was superior to frazier's so i'd make him the favorite. i would not be shocked though, if frazier's constant boaring in and ability to take punches would get to liston if the fight got into the later rounds.

..as for the others.....i'll take liston over all of them.

kovit wrote:What would happen if Sonny Liston face any fighters in his times that he never fought:
Joe Erskine
Brian London
Henry Cooper
Karl Mildenberger
Dick Richardson
Ingemar Johansson

I would favoure a prime Liston to stop all these inside 6 rounds.

kovit wrote:Jimmy Ellis
Ernie Terrell
Buster Mathis Sr.

Their boxing skill may give Liston a few problems at times but I still see Liston the winner most likely by mid to late round stoppage.

kovit wrote:George Chuvalo

Would be a tough fight for a few rounds, but I see Listons ramrod jab and clubbing right cutting up and stopping the ultra tough Canadian on his feet in about 6.

kovit wrote:Jerry Quarry

If the Quarry that beat Ron Lyle fought Liston then I honestly think Quarry could give Liston one hell of a fight. I think a mentaly right Quarry had the style and Boxing skills to counterpunch Liston with great effect. I edge towards Liston on points.

kovit wrote:Oscar Bonavena

Another tough bruising affair but pick Liston on points.

kovit wrote:Joe Frazier

Frazier was a bit of a slow starter for the first 4/5 rounds I would heavily favour Liston to win in a simular way to Foreman.

However if Frazier could make it relativly unscathed into the middle rounds I see his relentless pressure and iron determination being too much for Liston and over 15 rounds Frazier may even stop Liston sometime after the 12th.

I agree. Liston was not a front-runner as his fights with Williams and Machen illustrate.

I think he beats them all but Quarry would give him hell before he got stopped and Frazier I'd give a 40/60 chance. Frazier wasn'ta fast starter but Liston, who actually prefered boxing to slugging, wasn't either. As neither fighter would blow their load early it would be a match decided in the middle rounds. It's hard for me to see Frazier surviving more then a few of Liston's left hooks and he could send them in there very short and quick, so I favor Sonny but Frazier is very live as if he does survive those shots the fight in the later rounds is his.

kovit wrote:What would happen if Sonny Liston face any fighters in his times that he never fought:
Joe Erskine
Brian London
Henry Cooper
Dick Richardson
Ingemar Johansson
George Chuvalo
Jerry Quarry
Karl Mildenberger
Oscar Bonavena
Jimmy Ellis
Buster Mathis Sr.
Ernie Terrell
"Smokin" Joe Frazier

I think he would be able to beat all of them pretty consistently except for Johansson, Quarry, Bonavena, and Frazier, and I'd still make him a favorite over all of those except perhaps Frazier.