Some of you had Young but not Patterson on your Top 10 lists of best heavyweights 1960-80. Let's have the two of them duke it out and settle this shee-it right now!
In my view, Floyd Patterson has nearly a perfect style and skill set to defeat Jimmy Young, and Jimmy does not punch well enough or hard enough to have a puncher's chance against Floyd.
Now we’re talking. We would’ve thought Ken Norton had the perfect style to deal with Jimmy Young, but that could’ve gone either way, I feel like Young gives near enough anyone a fight on their day, regardless of styles and he mixed it with much better fighters than Patterson did, just because Patterson wouldn’t be bothered by his power, doesn’t mean he wouldn’t be bothered by his jab and boxing ability, people seem to think that if you don’t have the power to put Patterson away, he’ll beat you, but Young could adapt to different styles and wasn’t just some random slick boxer, he was elite in his own right, a similar fighter Patterson fought was Jimmy Ellis, but Ellis is a bit different still because he holds his feet and trades more often, giving Patterson more chance to time him at mid and close range, one of the other more similar comparisons is his Eddie Machen fight, but again, Machen is more textbook and less tricky than Young, people may jump to the fact that Patterson was a world champion and use that as the deciding factor since this is so close, but Jimmy Young was in the widely recognised greatest era in heavyweight boxing history, and he was competitive with all of the best of that era, which are ATG’s, I believe in another era, Young could’ve became an ATG himself, and even in the era he was in, he got unlucky considering he didn’t get the decision in several fights that could’ve gone either way, based on this, I’m narrowly favouring Young here on points, because of how competitive he was in such a great era.
I'm blown away that some of you think Jimmy Young could give Patterson a competitive fight. I know what Young did with prime Foreman but in my opinion Floyd would take Young apart with no trouble at all. The two fighters aren't in the same class. Patterson is vastly superior in almost every way including speed, power, conditioning and dedication. I don't get it with you guys and Young. He was a glorified ham 'n' egger.
I don’t understand it either. Floyd might very well pitch a shutout if it went to the cards, and it might not go to the cards.
Patterson. Honestly J.Y. is overrated IMO. Not discounting his abilities he's just rarely able to put everything together. Foreman yes Norton too which I would have narrowly given to him. Blew it with Ali ducking through the ropes. Just never busy enough to stay consistent.
I like Floyd Patterson to win a decision over Jimmy Young. Jimmy didn’t have the power or type of style to jeopardize Patterson. And Floyd had quick hands and the right skills.
This. What you want to beat the slicksters is speed and firepower and Patterson had both. His iffy chin isn't going to matter against Young. Rumour has it Young had his missus crack the breakfast eggs because he couldn't manage it.
Gotta agree. Young's urban legend as some sort of unheralded ATG is mostly based on beating a Foreman who was damaged goods after Kinhasa, who was not in the game anymore and was just one step away from retirement. Floyd is vastly superior to Young and beats him quite easily.
Young was also a horrible style matchup for Foreman who was always happier with guys that came to him instead of guys that tried to be smoke in the wind.
Depends on the round count. Young can lose to any elite HW from that era in a shorter fight including Floyd but he could beat just about every HW whose ever lived. Youngs got a real shot against Ali, Foreman and Liston etc. Patterson does not. Pattersons got power but it was power for a smaller era that didn't translate in Alis time and Youngs got one of the best chins of that period. Shavers and Cooney are the only ones to stop Young. Who did Patterson knock out from the 60s and 70s? Ellis, Bonvaena, Quarry, Machen and even Terry Daniels. Stopped none. The only biggish KO win after losing his title was over Henry Cooper. And Pattersons power going to get through to Jimmy Young? Also whose to say Patterson would do better at HW starting his career when Young did and vice e versa? Whose to say Young wouldn't be more effective in Pattersons period?
But he also almost beat Ali and Norton and beat Lyle twice too. Would have beaten Shavers the 2nd time if not for the knockdown or with just 1 more round. It was not just Foreman. He gave all the top guys he fought tough fights. 5 of the top 6 other HWs of that period. Hes 3-3-1 against that group but its the best group. Most great HWs do worse than that against Foreman, Ali, Norton, Lylex2, Shaversx2.
