After the Fall: Floyd Patterson on the Comeback Trail

Machen, IMHO, would have been a better opponent than Folley....if inspired, may have gone the distance.

 

Absolutely agree that Floyd had his best fights against his best opposition post title without D'Amato using his own legit and fictionalized campaigns to manipulate him .. look at the post title competition and his results .. Floyd was a great fighter without question. He just was a small heavyweight with a prone to knockdown chin but his recooperative powers are vastly overlooked. His speed in combination punching was as fast as Ali's or Tunney's and he was a better puncher than either.

 

No discredit to Clay (at the time) but, like most fighters, they are moved to the top slowly and methodically. Doug Jones fought a surprising fight against Clay (losing). IMO (and dare I say, Angie's opinion) Machen would have been all wrong for Clay circa 62-63.

 

It likely ended up being a good thing that Ali was moved up as slowly as he was. He got to get experience while he was still physically maturing. When he turned pro in 1960, I think it would have been a bad idea to rush to get him in the ring with say Liston, Folley, Machen etc

 

Ali fought for the title in his 20th fight .. he was actually moved pretty fast .. pure risk reward ..

 

If Patterson were around in more modern times, he likely would have captured the super middle, light heavyweight, cruiser and against a handpicked opponent like say John Ruiz, a version of the heavyweight title.