15 Rounds
Sonny Liston who looked like he was moving in slow motion against The Boilermaker, of whom we have only one fight film material.
Sonny had that very long and strong jab. But when Cleveland Williams could land his best shots at Sonny's face, Jeff could do it too. Jim Corbett said about Jeffries that he were the fastest big fighter he had ever seen. From the footage I've seen of Big Jeff he must've been even faster than Cleveland Williams. And we all know how slow Liston was. Yes, he had that powerful jab, but that was useless against much faster fighters. He could only win against Williams, because he knocked him out first, not because he could keep him away with his jab. Williams could land his best shots right at Listons jaw and Sonny couldn't do anything about it, because Cleveland hit him so fast that he wasn't able to counter his shots with his jab. The same wouldn't work with Big Jeff too, who hit similar hard as Williams(both weighed around the same and Jeffries was famous for knocking his opponents down with one shot!), yet was probably faster and had an iron chin. Plus Jeff wouldn't let Liston go, he had so much stamina that for every punch Liston throws he gets ten back.
Jeffries by 7th round TKO, after breaking Liston's jaw, closing one eye of him and making him bleed
This is a great question because both Jeffries and Liston fall into many of the same categories when paired with other top heavyweights.
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The key to this fight would be Liston's jab. Simply put, he doesn't win this if he doesn't use the jab. Lennox Lewis and Vitali Klitschko are probably the only two boxers who can stop Jeffries before the end of 15 rounds. This is because both have the ability to combine the power of Foreman with something just short of the boxing ability of Larry Holmes.
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Not even the mighty Joe Louis would stop Big Jeff inside of 15. Louis would win but it would be on points. Dempsey and Marciano would both lose to Jeffries.
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If he uses his jab, Liston could win this. If he doesn't, he won't win. It's that simple. Liston has the hardest jab in history. Holmes' is overall better. ALI's is faster. Louis' is more accurate. If Liston could use the form of Holmes, he'd win fights with his jab alone.
Because neither man has much in the way of foot work, there would be no search. The fight would take place at ring center for the most part. However, again, Liston MUST use his jab. If he doesn't, then at some point, he will run into one of Jeff's sledge hammer right hands.
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If this happens, the difference will be in which man takes the better shot. In this case, it's Jeffries, although both men can take a shot quite well. Marty Marshall broke Liston's jaw. Jeffries could certainly hurt him. To his credit, Liston fought on and lost a decision to Marshall.
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The pick here is Liston. Again, IF he uses the jab the entire way. That is the only way he can keep Jeffries from knocking him out. I can see Jeffries scoring a knockdown somewhere within 15 rounds because he'd never give up or stop trying to stop Liston. However, by the time that happens, Liston would be comfortably ahead on points. Liston would rise from a 13th round knockdown and be relieved to hear the final bell.
Liston W15 UD
Sonny Liston is not given credit for his boxing ability, but he had a very good jab, extremely long arms and that big right hand.
However, Jeffries is one of the toughest men in boxing history and prime to prime I am giving him the edge. Jeffries is down graded because of his loss to Johnson after being retired for 6 years, while Louis is not down graded for losing to Marciano after he retired.
I would pay to see this fight.
Jeffries who was undefeated during his first career his to be the favorite.
Liston beat all prior to the Clay/Ali controversial fights. The jab and uppercuts alone would cut up Jeffries who routinely fought out of a crouch lowering his 6'2" frame. Liston by 10th round stoppage by the referee.
I havn't studied Jeffries enough to give a educated answer but what a matchup!
I pick Jeffries
Both at their prime.
15 Rounds
Sonny Liston who looked like he was moving in slow motion against The Boilermaker, of whom we have only one fight film material.
