Sonny Liston vs Evander Holyfield 15 Round Dream Fight: Who Wins?
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
In recent memory, individuals on Facebook and various internet boxing sites have pondered what would happen if Charles ‘Sonny’ Liston fought Evander ‘The Real Deal’ Holyfield. The matchup is not unlike Muhammad Ali versus George Foreman and Rocky Marciano.
Everyone will vouch for Evander’s hard work training ethic. Liston, on the other hand, remains a timeless mystery, with three of his four world heavyweight title bouts ending in the first round.
Factor One: Length of Bout
Real Combat Media is the first boxing site to consider Liston versus Holyfield at 15 rounds. This differs from the current 12 round format. Liston, 50-4 with 39 knockouts, Saint Louis, Missouri, is now considered to be of unknown age when he died in 1970. While one census record supports an age of 38, other records support a fighter named Sailor Liston in the 1930s who may very well have actually been Sonny when he was not in jail.
Holyfield, 44-10-2 with 29 knockouts, Atlanta, Georgia, fought in 26 cruiserweight and heavyweight world title bouts. Holyfield went 12 rounds in world title bouts enough to justify he could win a 15 round technical war with Liston in their primes.
Factor Two: Size and Reach
Holyfield had height advantage at 6’2 ½” but a reach of only 78 inches
Liston had reach advantage of 84 inches, but stood shorter at 6’1”
Holyfield’s technical skill over a 15 round battle is his keen advantage. Sonny had power, but moved slower than George Foreman against a fighter with legs. The key bout was Sony’s knockout loss to Leotis Martin. Sonny surprisingly got knocked out late by Martin, a superior technical fighter. Sonny did not fare well against Ali’s speed and timing in their first bout. Sonny has a better record than Holyfield, but never fought a fighter of Evander’s caliber. Floyd Patterson could hardly be called a threat to Sonny, but Floyd, who went 12 with George Chuvalo and Muhammad Ali after Liston, simply could have fought Liston the wrong way.
Factor Three: Overall Experience
Similar, though in different eras. Holyfield had more experience with world class opponents. Most of Sonny’s bouts were mostly against weak ‘B’ caliber opposition. His last win was a late round stoppage of Chuck Wepner.
Prediction: Evander Holyfield TKO 11, 12 or 13 over Sonny Liston in a 15 round bout.
Liston would probably not reach the final bell in round 12 even if the bout were 12 rounds, against either Holyfield, Rocky Marciano, the Klitschkos, Anthony Joshua or Deontay Wilder. Holyfield and Wilde move too well for sonny to catch up with them. Marciano’s work rate was just too superb for Sonny to overcome. Sonny would have fared better against Mike Tyson, Michael Dokes, David Haye, Tommy Morrison, Riddick Bowe or Mike Weaver. Smoking Joe Frazier or Joe Louis versus Sonny Liston would be a tossup, with the game plan determining the likely winner.
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