How come Frazier and Patterson never fought?

I saw a post a while back that said that Floyd was offered a fight with Frazier but turned it down. While I don't remember much if any talk of a possible Frazier-Patterson fight coming to pass, but in the '70s I do remember Patterson being intent upon meeting first Bonavena, then Ali. Probably for his own vindication.

Have to agree that stylewise, it would be a bad matchup for Patterson. Perhaps the best time it could have been made was after Patterson had won over Bonavena. It would have been a more prestigious bout for Frazier than Daniels or Stander. And if Floyd were really UP for the fight, with Frazier missing that spark, well..... I won't predict an upset, it's still a bad match for Floyd, but it could have been an interesting match while it lasted.

Many years later, I learned that a Patterson-Foreman fight almost came off around 1971. One or both of them confirmed it. Another bad style match for Patterson, but it's interesting that Frazier and Foreman fights were possibities for a man who had nearly ten years earlier been blown away by Sonny Liston and virtually written off at the time.

 

Post 1966 Floyd Patty didn't want no part of Joe Frazier....... Patty would've been steam-rolled early by Frazier.....
:bbb

MR.BILL:hat

 

I'm an "old" guy (58) and Floyd is my favorite fighter of all time.
I think the answer to this thread is simple.
1967: Joe saw his piece of the world HW championship imminent, with Ali's banishment, and passed on the 67-68 tournament taking on Chuvalo (who also passed on it because he had a shot at Joe) in the summer of 67.
Floyd entered the tourney losing the majority decision to Quarry. (geez-o-pete if Floyd had been more aggressive he goes 2-0 against Quarry EASY)
Floyd, getting older, takes a year off (10/67-9/68) before facing the new WBA champ Ellis.
After that fight, Floyd sort of is semi-retired and doesn't lace 'em up again until his final comeback starts against Devil Green in Sept, 70.
At that point, I think Floyd ONLY wanted a rematch against Ali (which he finally got). I agree that Joe was a bad matchup for Floyd at that time but, I too, think Floyd may have given a better account of himself than some have said.
There was NO clamoring for a Frazier/Patterson bout at the time.
After the Ellis scrap, I thought he was basically retired until Green in Sept 70 and by that time, Joe was primed for the Ali bout.

 

MODS! Delete this thread, now! :fire

Edit: Whoops. Meant to do that in the Foreman/Frazier thread. ...Sorry.

 

Sure he does - he was busy fighting higher rated and more relevant fighters like Bonavena and Quarry instead.

He has every bit the excuse that Liston had for not fighting Johansson or Lavorante in the early '60s.

 

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qIQyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=yLcFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2086,382783&hl=en


A few who posted in this have kinda hinted towards thoughts of a 'duck' by Frazier. Clearly not the case I'd say. Patterson turned it down after Frazier offered him the fight.

Patterson's run of form in the early seventies was impressive. I think it would have been a good fight.