A 12 rounder this time..as I don't think these two could be in the same division for a title bout. It would be the mercury-fast, lightning jabber Pastrano vs the clever spoiler in Machen....opinions?
Eddie had some issues with speed and a great jab. Willie had both in spades, and was comfortable dealing with heavyweights. Pastrano's highest competitive weight was 192, Machen's, 200. Both were six feet tall. Eddie would be the aggressor, playing right into Willie's comfort zone. Pastrano gets the UD.
Yes Duodenum, i agree...Willie would have waltzed to a decision in this one..using that great rapier jab and dancing the night away. When in shape, Willie Pastrano was a beautiful fighter...highly underrated..and I suppose that's because of his having virtually no power..but he really didn't need it, with those skills and that great chin and speed of his. Oh, he had the power, as Terry Downes would testify to, but only as a last resort.
Machen probably had more problems dealing with the smaller, more skilled fighters than the big heavyweights because he didn't really impose his size or strength but rather used his technical skills to win. Having said that, he boxed all the way with Harold Johnson, with the judges not appreciating Machen's work. I think he would have more luck on the scorecards against the often negative and overly cautious Pastrano and win a decision, which could go Pastrano's way if he manages to fight the perfect fight without being intimidated by Machen's greater size and power.
I felt Willie deserved the decision over Johnson. Yes, Pastrano was running, but he was also initiating the punching by firing off first with his jab, much as Young later did with Foreman. Thus, Willie largely relegated Harold to body shot counters, quickly abbreviated by timely clinching. Watching Eddie go after a retreating Ingo prior to getting ambushed, I'm convinced he'd have fallen into the same trap with clever veteran Pastrano.
Pastrano got caught with plenty of good punches by Harold Johnson though, but Johnson didn't carry the power of a heavyweight. Pastrano could be doing too much running against Machen, although he does match better against technicians than swarmers. Neither Machen or Johnson were at their best while chasing their man.
Of course nobody was more of a technician than Johnson, and Willie had a major heavyweight chin. Harold did make him dance a wild jig early in round 13 before he was able to clinch and make a quick recovery, but I've often wondered how much trouble Pastrano might have given Liston with his speed and mobility. (We know he never would have attempted what Patterson tried, and his strategist was the same one behind Sonny's overthrow.)
Pastrano could take a punch but he didn't exactly like getting hit. If you hit him hard, he got cautious, and this cost him several fights. Against Liston he would probably go into a shell and be happy to survive.
I believe Pastrano would have joined a monastary, and taken a vow of celibacy before he would stepped into a ring with Sonny Liston.
