Floyd Patterson in the 80's

I'd say p4p his chin was just fine, he didn't have too many pounds though. But, the combinations to me are the highlight of Floyd. What makes me favor watching him as much as I do. You certainly don't need to be great with combinations to get the wins or be a great, but it seems like I'm not satisfied I'm watching a boxing great until a 3+ combo is released effectively and regularly. And Floyd was one of the best combination punchers of the HW champs, imo. It takes awesome skill to put them together like Floyd could. The will was huge too. Like Floyd said, something to the effect of "They say I got knocked down more than any of the other heavyweight champs...But they forget to say that I also got back up more than any of them."

 

there was a recent thread about this and you'll likely get some diverse, but well researched, opinions

i enjoyed your post and will take a second look at the rabbit myself

as for his chin, i feel it's suspect much the same as wlad's is currently suspect. tons of heart and always seemed to get back up but he was knocked down quite a bit for a heavyweight champion(i also feel joe louis' chin wasn't his strongest feature but that's just me)

 

Three people stopped him. Johannson (Top100 puncher p4p according to the ring), Liston 2 times (Top15 puncher p4p according to the ring) and Ali 2 times, once on accumulation, once on cuts/eye swelling. He was knocked down often. 18 times. Never past the 4th round, if I remember correctly. When he was warmed up, he wasn't knocked down. He got up and won most of the time. He faced and beat some good punchers. Imo his chin was decent. Not glass, not iron. Decent.

btw. watch his fights, not highlights. There are many on youtube.

 

...I inadvertently sidestepped your question about the eighties, didn't I? I will think about it.

 

Fastest HW ever. Just an amazing and vastly underrated fighter.

I feel he still loses to Holmes and Tyson though. He would be one step below them but one step above everyone else.

 

Exactly how I feel. Although in my opinion Tyson and Patterson rank very similar.

 

Definetly. Although I have Tyson higher.

 

I think he beats the likes of Carlos Deleon, Dwight Qawi, Ossie Ocasio, Piet Cruis, and maybe a green Holyfield.

 

I could see Floyd beating a lot of the 80's crowd, but he better catch someone like Page, Tubbs, and Dokes on an off-night.He definitely would beat a Bonecrusher Smith, John Tate, and I think he would handle Cooney.Pinklon Thomas may beat him.

 

Patterson, after the Liston debacles, astually became a better fighter, and a more respected one as well. In the Eddie Machen bout in '64 he demonstated an ability to take a punch in the latter stages of that bout, when Machen clocked him after the bell, and had virtually no effect. His fight with Chuvalo in '65 demonstrated his ruggedness as well. Against Ali, he wouldn't have won anyway, but his performance was hampered by a back problem..to those that may think that all that was just an alibi, Floyd's cornermen were seen lifting up Floyd between rounds in a way that sort of flexed his spine. Patterson fought on after the two Liston defeats, trying to perhaps redeem himself. I've always had the most profound respect for him..being the youngest man to win the title (until Tyson) and the 1st to regain the title were massive accomplishments, and he had the fastest hands and combinations of all the heavyweight champs..Ali included IMO..and as he showed against Johansson in that 2nd bout, he was a totallly different fighter when motivated by hate and revenge. However, Floyd said he hated that side of him and that version of him was never seen again, which brings me to the issue of character. I don't think there ever was a fighter with a more honorable character than Floyd Patterson..a dignified, nice guy if there ever was one...a sportsman who spoke well of his opponents, and in an almost quaint, contradictory manner, would even attempt, at times to help an opponent back to his feet after knocking them down. Patterson never talked trash and would have never fit in with todays prototype of a fighter, and I doubt that he would have bothered with "staredowns" and "faceoffs"..two clownish aspects of the sport today.

 

Superb fighter. As a middleweight and light heavyweight, he would have reigned for years. Had he come around in the 1940s he would have been the heavyweight we would be talking about. Then middleweights and light heavyweights (Charles, Maxim, Cockell, Matthews, Moore, Bivins) and small heavyweights (Walcott and Marciano) could be successful. Patterson beat Moore on the cusp of that end of that period. After that, it was back to the land of giants and Patterson was just too small.

 

Please go back to your cave Revolver. I smell an Anti Joe Louis agenda coming with that comment.

 

Great legacy or no great legacy, there were a lot of very bad match-ups for Patterson in the 80's.. Not only would his size place limitations on him, but his chin and tendency to get decked frequently by lesser fighters would be a big issue in my opinion. He would have beaten a lot of second teir contenders like Snipes, Tillis, Monroe, Evangelista, Rodriguez, broad, Biggs, Bey,etc.. But the upper shelf would have been a problem.. I don't see Patterson lasting much longer against Gerry Cooney than an aging Norton did...