Floyd Patterson vs Eddie Machen 1957- substitute Tommy Jackson Nino Valdes 1958- Zora Folley 1959- Substitute Brian London Cleveland Williams 1961- substitute Tom McNeeley does Patterson make it through?
I think he takes Machen. I think he takes Valdes. Floyd was just better than them. Folley will be a tough night for him. I think a lot of prime Folley. But it’s a winnable fight for Floyd. Williams would be a very dangerous fight for him. Williams would come at him with guns blazing and could absolutely take Floyd out quickly. But Floyd was more skilled than Williams, had more endurance than Williams, and Williams didn’t have the intimidating menace of Liston. If it goes past 3 rounds I pick Floyd with increasing confidence with every round that passes. IMO Cus D’Amato didn’t NEED to protect Floyd the way he did.
I would favor him over Machen & Folley, but Williams & Valdes may have had too much combined size & power for him.
Keep in mind William's best achievement is a draw with Eddie Machen whom Patterson defeated. Williams never knocked out a contender and the one good fighter he beat, beat him once he got more experienced. Williams probably knocks Floyd down but gets destroyed handily once Patterson starts landing. Go on boxrec and check William's record, then go on Ring Magazine ratings and check who the contenders were around that time period.
He competed pretty well with Liston, it was an early win for Liston but I think thats due to their styles. It was never gonna be drawn out. He competed that good against a Liston who probably wouldve been able to replicate the feat he did on Patterson(twice) in a first round knockout. Also, pretty sure Williams is more aggressive than Liston, which is not good for Patterson.
You can't use the Liston fight to make an assessment for Williams V. Patterson because they were both outclassed. You have to look at their performances outside of the Liston fights, and Patterson fares significantly better. Williams is severely lacking in good wins, Patterson isn't.
I mean, a comparison can still be drawn. Fair enough I guess, havent watched their fights outside of Liston.
The Machen who Patterson defeated was a shell of himself. Very little bearing on a prime for prime matchup between the two, though I'd still favor Floyd over a peak Machen.
Machen fought Patterson two years after fighting Williams. Machen probably deteriorated but by how much is debatable, considering he won the fights between Williams and Patterson (plus the respectable performances later on against Quarry and Frazier). Edit: also take into account Patterson had suffered three knockout losses by that point, so it evens out somewhat. Patterson nearly shut him out so we agree that he would outpoint even the two years younger version.
It wasn't the years, it was what happened in those years. Immediately after fighting Williams, Machen was institutionalized into a mental health facility, and upon his release was not the same since. "He had no zip, no reflexes. He was just pushing his punches. He had nothing... He wasn't even 25 per cent of the old Machen. He looked like a guy who was sleep walking... It wouldn't have drawn more than $15,000 or $20,000 any place in the United States. Patterson says he's willing to fight his way back to a title fight. I think he should fight someone like Doug Jones or Cleveland Williams." https://pasteboard.co/WDCHykdimwSy.png
Machen being put into an asylum straight after getting out of the ring with Williams doesn't look good for Williams either though, moreso considering the fact that this was his highest achievement. Though, if the report is anything to go by, Machen was at least better offensively for Williams than he was for Floyd. Edit: I forgot to mention, the link in your post doesn't work. I also made an amendment to my previous post for Patterson's ko losses before the Machen fight, I don't know if they were there when you read it.