How close was Jimmy Young to being champion in the 70s?

You’re in arguing-to-argue mode — weak-posting. I’m pointing to facts.

I’ve listed the opinions of multiple highly credible sources. Have you? Young out-landed Ali in both volume and power shots by wide margins. Ali looked terrible not because he was fat, he'd been fat most of his title reign but because Young made him look terrible. Young controlled the pace and made Ali miss more than ever. Ali was universally condemned for that performance because Young exposed him. Perhaps you can post some positive reports on Ali's performance to support the argument for his victory.

And all of that is beside the actual point of the thread: how close was Young to winning a title. If he went the distance with the champion, out-punched him, controlled the pace, and made him look awful in a fight many believed he won — a highly controversial decision — then yes, he was extremely close to winning the title. That’s what this is about.

If calling that “apologizing” props up your narrative, that’s on you. If you need the last word, knock yourself out — last-wordism is redundant and boring now. I’m done.

 

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED and I quote " there is no way Young deserved,or under the rules could have gotten a decision victory in that fight.
Young stuck his entire body at times outside of the ring to avoid Ali's attack SIX TIMES.
BOX REC said and I quote : Ali could have been justified as the winner by stoppage as Young ducked out of the ring 6 times to AVOID PUNISHMENT. It was the equivalent of turning his back because he didn't want anymore. Had the referee scored them knock downs there would be no talk of controversy as when a fighter turns away from punches the only outcome should be a tko victory ".
The UPI and I quote " Jimmy Young would be heavyweight champion today if not for a tactical error- six times he sucked out Of the ring when pressured by Ali. It cost him a round outright,the 12th, and points in four other rounds and it was the difference".
Jimmy Young when asked why he did that his response and I quote " the reason why I kept ducking through the ropes,seriously, was to take some of the pressure off of me".
So here you are screaming robbery and the boxer himself,Young, ADMITTED to breaking the rules SIX TIMES to take pressure off of himself.
What fight have you ever seen a contender literally thrust his body through the ropes 6 times to avoid punishment and not be disqualified???

 

From the same article :

THE CHAMP LOOKED LIKE A CHUMP
MUHAMMAD ALI SEEMED EAGER TO GIVE HIS TITLE AWAY

• MARK KRAM
  
  Ali did not behave creditably, either. Using superior weight and size, he often grabbed Young behind the head and pushed him to the floor. Lighter by 21 pounds, Young smartly went with the pulling, until there was no form to the fight at all; there was just Ali missing wildly and then holding,
  
  In the late rounds, Ali's corner was almost completely silent, except for the eccentric Rahaman. It was as if those in the corner could sense a strange wind beginning to blow. Knowing that Ali was in deplorable shape, sensing that he could make it to the finish—15 rounds with Muhammad Ali, that ought to be worth something in the market—Young's confidence grew, and he became more aggressive. He found Ali with right-hand taps, and came up with a lot of harmless motion. "You're losin'!" raged Rahaman. Herbert turned to him and said coldly, "Who told you to say that? Judges hear that, people hear that, they start believin' it. Now keep quiet." He let himself and his business down badly last week. He weighed more (230 pounds) than at any other time in his career. He missed with more punches than one could imagine, and his timing was awful. "He looked pitiful," said Ken Norton, a considerable threat to Ali. "I kept hollerin' up to him, 'Don't blow the money, Ali, don't blow the money, damn it!' But the Ali you saw tonight is not the guy I have to fight. I wish it was, but it won't be. He'll be ready for me. You can count on it." "Maybe I'm through," Ali said later.
  
  We can both cut and paste Slick. That’s not the discussion.
  
  The thread is about how close Young came to winning, and the indisputable fact is this: it was a controversial decision. Contemporary ringside opinions were split, with plenty of qualified observers saying Ali lost, and everyone agreeing he looked terrible.
  
  And why did he look terrible? Because Young’s speed, movement, and defensive craft neutralized him and made the heavyweight champion look ordinary. That’s precisely why so many felt Young deserved the nod—and why this fight is still discussed in the first place.
  
  Instead of trying to third party pile on into an irrelevant artery, take the time to read what the thread is actually about. The question was whether Young came close to winning the title — and in a highly controversial decision where the champion was out-hit overall, out-landed in power punches, and made to look terrible, that is exactly what coming close to a title looks like.

 

Ali looked horrible because he was a past his prime champion and he was starting to show signs of Parkinsons back then its really that simple.
You guys act like Young put on this awesome display of boxing when the simple fact of the matter is he literally had to stick his whole body out of the ring to take the pressure off of him- his words not mine.
Nobody ever talked about anything Young did it was more of what Ali couldn't do. He had a shadow of a great champion right in front of him ready to be taken and what did Young do ? He played it safe even trying to kill the clock by literally avoiding punches illegally.

" I don't really fight to win. I fight to survive" Jimmy Young said that and that was why he was never good enough to win a piece of the title and no he was never close to being a champion, Top contender ? Sure and I enjoyed watching him but he never would step it up when he had to.
The entire fact of the matter is his "glory" fight should have ended up as a disqualification the number of times he pulled that.

 

Young literally did NOTHING the first half of the fight. It was a pathetic display by both but stop the Young looked sensational because he WAS WORSE having a shot out of shape champion right in front of him and literally doing nothing.