Instead of fighting Tom McNeely, Floyd takes on reigning NBA LtHvyweight champion Harold Johnson in 1961. Harold has as much pro experience as Patterson, has tangled with Archie Moore and other good LtHvies and big hitters, plus has similar size to Patterson. You wonder why this fight wasn't made. Who wins.
This may have been Floyd's first 15 round win...and although my man Harold was the superior technician, I think Floyd's hand speed would have carried the day. It would have been impossible for me to root for one over the other, I'm such a fan-boy of both.
In 1961, Floyd was a superbly conditioned 194 lb heavyweight and Harold Johnson was a superbly conditioned 175 LB. LH. Floyd was too strong and punched too hard for any LH. Fact is that if Floyd were a little smaller and could make 175 lbs., he probably would have been the greatest LH in history.
Harold is under rated at Heavyweight. He beat Ezzard Charles and he beat Eddie Machen when both were elite contenders. Not to mention a brace of intresting heavyweight wins over a very long time. Arturo Goody, Clarence henry, Nino Valdes, Doug Jones ! I pick Floyd only because I just get the sense Harold, whilst great, was inexplicably destined not to win on the big stage.
