Floyd Patterson vs Bob Baker and Nino Valdes 1955

I think Floyd beats both of them. He was a shaky champ but he stood out and these guys did not. Jackson, valdes and Baker were about the same level as each other. In fact they all fought each other that year with neither one standing out. they were all draws or SD's. Floyd toasted Jackson.

 

Valdes did beat Jackson but nino was no better than Baker. Baker beat valdes twice then Jackson beat Baker twice then lost to Patterson. Moore clearly beat both Baker and Valdes then lost to Patterson. What ever way you look at it Patterson was better than Valdes and he was better than Baker. As was Moore and Floyd beat him also. 1956 Patterson was genuinly the best heavyweight in the world.

 

Once Marciano retired and Patterson had beat both Moore and Jackson he was the best heavyweight in the world. Nobody else was close.
In 1955 Valdes lost 3 of 5 fights and Baker had already been Knocked out by Satterfeild and Archie Moore.

I agree a fight before the Jackson fight with either valdes or Baker would have been intresting match ups for Patterson- since Floyd leap frogged both to get a Jackson fight having never met a rated heavyweight to get the world #1 into a ring.

However, I disagree that Floyd had never fought a big skilled powerful fighter before though because I think Jackson represented all of those things. Jackson was at his peak, still young at 6'3'' with an 80 inch reach, Tommy was around 200lb and plenty big enough infact Tommy got past a whole lot more rated heavyweights than Valdes ever did. Jackson beat Baker, Rex Layne, Ezzard Charles, Clarence Henry, Dan Bucceroni, Charlie Norkus, Johnny Williams and Jimmy Slade when all had a rating.

In mid 1957 there was nobody better than Jackson to beat.

By 1957 Eddie Machen had beat Valdes, Baker and Jackson - at that point Eddie had beat more top heavyweights than Patterson had but the next year machen never won a fight, he drew with Folley in an eliminator then got Kod by Ingo. It seems Machen was ready after 1957 but blew 1958.

Folley, before drawing with Machen had beat nobody. He had only scraped past Summerlin and bethea with SD’s and poor Nino Valdes was a virtual punch bag losing 6 of his last 8 fights when zorra outpointed him. Folley was actualy only an outstanding contender by about 1960 when he did beat machen, even then Liston and Ingo had eclipsed him.

 

For sure.

As a betting man you would have to go with Patterson, but the potential for another outcome is not hard to see.

 

Patterson would make it look like he was in warp speed compared to these 2