Floyd Patterson In The Lightheavyweight Division

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by TipNom, Aug 6, 2020.



  1. TipNom

    TipNom Active Member Full Member

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    Had Patterson decided to stay at light heavyweight, what do you think he could've accomplished?

    How would he have done against the other Lightheavyweights of his time such as Torres, Pastrano, Johnson, Tiger and Foster?
    Could he have beaten Maxim in a rematch?
     
  2. George Crowcroft

    George Crowcroft Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    He smash them IMO. Patterson would've been exceptional at light-heavy, he'd beat Moore at any point once he'd matured IMO. Only Foster beats him at light-heavy, but he'd beat everyone else up to that point. And he'd beat Foster in real life, at heavyweight.
    Yeah he definitely could've, Maxim was on the slip and prime for prime Patterson seems to just be a bit better.
     
  3. Girlfighter

    Girlfighter New Member Full Member

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    In his actual time he would have had too much trouble making weight, due to same-day weigh ins. He lingered in an odd stage where he was too big for LH, but was too small for the growing Heavyweights of his day. Today he'd be perfect at that weight. He could probably even make 168. In either case, Patterson easily hangs with the top of those divisions.
     
  4. lufcrazy

    lufcrazy requiescat in pace Full Member

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    It's hard to say imo.

    In 56 he'd become a champion, that's for sure. Moore was too far past his best by this point and we know Patterson smashed him at HW.

    We also know he beats Slade and Durelle.

    Johnson has a good chance against him, a great jab can offset the quick peekaboo style Patterson employed. If anyone is going to establish that jab it's Johnson. But Moore beat him by basically walking him down so Patterson probably catches and knocks him out at some point.

    Given his issues with durability, and how big he was growing by 1960, I don't think he beats Pastrano, Torres, Tiger and Foster. He would have been too drained by this point imo.

    So he probably sees out the last 4 years of Moores reign before jumping up and getting sent back down again by Liston.

    Gets remembered as a great LHW who couldn't quite cut it at HW.

    Probably like Foster.

    As for the Maxim fight, it was an 8 rounder. 8 round decisions mean nothing. Moreover Patterson was a teenager. Teenage losses mean nothing. Its fair to say Patterson wins very wide on points against Maxim.

    So 56 - 60 LHW champ victories over Moore x2, Anthony, Johnson x2, Durelle x2, Maxim x2, Slade.

    That's definitely enough to call him an ATG LHW.
     
  5. Charlietf

    Charlietf Well-Known Member Full Member

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    Patterson was a natural cruiser,too big to make 175 pounds in the day of the fight
     
  6. Johnny_B

    Johnny_B Well-Known Member banned Full Member

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    This post makes no sense whatsoever. If you think Patterson beats Foster at HW, why wouldn't Patterson also beat him at LHW ?!??
     
  7. Richard M Murrieta

    Richard M Murrieta Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    You see nack then thee were no catch weight or nonsense like that, heavyweights were over 175 lbs. No steroid use like today with all these jolly green giants all over the cable channels. Floyd Patterson was not a tall heavyweight, but he was very quick fisted. He would have suffered to make the light heavyweight limit. In the 200's range that was normal for a big man, at 175 lbs Floyd would lose to Moore, who he beat at heavyweight in 1956, Bob Foster who is taller would easily out box him. This over weight no muscle definition was created by these fighters who do not like to train, but like to eat and party.
     
  8. George Crowcroft

    George Crowcroft Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Because Foster was awful at heavyweight. He was much, much better at 175, and would force Patterson to trade hooks with him. I have no confidence in Foster taking a heavyweight Patterson's shots, but I have full confidence in him taking a light-heavyweight Patterson's shots, who didn't hit as hard at 175.
     
  9. Johnny_B

    Johnny_B Well-Known Member banned Full Member

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    Patterson was around 190 pounds when he faced Liston, Foster was 180 when he faced Ali.
    That's only a 10 pound difference, not that much.
    Plus Foster was very tall, around 6.3, so I don't understand why he was so ****ing skinny. He should have been well over 200 pounds, more like 230 given his height. He should have bulked up, he had the frame of a HW, that's the weight class he should have competed in.
     
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  10. George Crowcroft

    George Crowcroft Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Foster was very skinny. He was like a praying mantis. He actually admitted himself that he had problems with putting weight on. Light-heavyweight was absolutely his perfect fit. His frame was way too skinny to move up, hence why he got his clock cleaned every time he did.

    10lbs normally isn't much above light, heavyweight but Patterson grew into his power above 180, whereas Foster's fragile chin and skinny legs only got worse as he put on weight, and took shots from bigger guys.

    The long and short of it, is that Foster was a beast at light-heavy who couldn't translate it up to heavyweight. Whereas Patterson's power and chin picked up at heavyweight, and I think the difference is enough to change the outcome. I'm sure most would think the same too.
     
  11. Saintpat

    Saintpat Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Maxim had lost 3 of 5 in his previous two years before beating Floyd.

    All three losses were to Archie Moore, so I’d have to assume that Archie probably also beats Floyd.

    And one of Joey’s wins in that span was over Sugar Ray Robinson, who had him outpointed until falling out in the intense heat (while being outweighed by probably 30 pounds by the time he had sweated off the excess baggage while dehydrating in that heat). And Joey also got knocked down by Danny Nardico in his other win.

    At best he was pedestrian at the point Patterson lost to him. I cannot, from this, extrapolate that Floyd Patterson was some kind of beast at 175 — we’re not talking Ezzard Charles or Gene Tunney or even Billy Conn here.

    Maybe Floyd wins a belt over an aging Archie Moore and from what we know about how Cus D’Amato protected Patterson he’d probably hand-pick enough daisies to give Patterson a run with that title for a while (who won the Olympic light heavyweight title — maybe he could have been the 175 Pete Rademacher and gotten a shot). But I don’t see greatness stamped on him in this division.

    EDIT: I looked it up and Jim Boyd won gold in the Olympics at light heavyweight. He went 2-2-3 as a pro so I think Floyd could have taken him if Jim had gotten a title challenge without having a pro fight, and perhaps could have even avoided getting knocked down.
     
    Last edited: Aug 6, 2020
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  12. Richard M Murrieta

    Richard M Murrieta Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    As much as I liked Floyd Patterson as a man and fighter, he was very well sheltered by Cus D Amato, he waited for Rocky Marciano to retire in 1956. It was a shrewd move, but what would have happened if Floyd had been given that chance after Rocky stopped Archie Moore? History might have been different.
     
    Last edited: Aug 6, 2020
  13. InMemoryofJakeLamotta

    InMemoryofJakeLamotta I have defeated the great Seamus Full Member

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    I don't know but I do know that Floyd Patterson would have made a great Indian chief.
     
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  14. mattdonnellon

    mattdonnellon Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    Patterson was just gone 19 when he lost a very disputed decision to Maxim(I thought Maxim deserved the decision) , Billy Conn had 7 defeats at that age, Even Charles was losing to Kid Overlin at that age and Tunney was fighting nobodies, so explain how losing to Maxim proves that Floyd was no Conn, Tunney or Charles?
     
  15. Saintpat

    Saintpat Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    At light heavyweight he wasn’t. Compare their resumes. He lost the only meaningful fight he fought at that weight.