How Jimmy Young Exposed the Greatest

Excellent article to say the least. Young never got the credit he deserved being overlooked by the bigger names in the division at the time. But you can make the argument that he beat the biggest name in boxing at the time in Ali as well as one of the biggest in Norton and certainly won against Foreman and Lyle. All this at only 6'1" and 210 in shape...so much for needing to be a big HW with a big punch in order to be a successful HW. he was a tough, crafty clever boxer with solid fundementals who found a way to win. Unfortunately that's not what the public wanted at the time. Not exciting enough.

 

Young may very well have deserved that decision and some credit should be awarded. But the man he was in the ring with that night was hardly the "greatest" as many once knew him to be. A career high 230 lbs and approaching 35 years of age, this version of Ali was closer to the one who lost to Leon Spinks than the one who beat Sonny Liston.

 

Watch round nine if you dare. Ali said Jimmy reminded him of himself when he was younger.

I never scored the entire fight, but it possible / probably the power brokers in boxing new that Ali was a golden goose type, and Jimmy Young was rather boring to Joe Average fan.

It is my observation that Ali due to his orthodox stance and reliances on reflexes and pulling backward could be tagged with two punches.

1 ) The Left hook.

2 ) The Jab.

Ali had trouble with good jabbers at all stages of his career.

Doug Jones - 1963
Ken Norton - 1971-1976
Ron Lyle - 1975
Jimmy Young - 1976
Larry Holmes - 1980 ( Past his prime, and a blow out )

I felt Ali edged Jones 6-4, but some others, including those at ring side felt it was a draw or Jones win.

In truth Norton should be 2-1 vs Ali. Norton had a good jab and body attack.

I had Lyle up on points prior to the KO, which some call a little early as Lyle was on his feet. Lyle used his jab, Ali had little to answer it.

Jimmy Young was explained in the article. Though not very fast, Young was slick.

 

Interesting how there is one missing time frame in that list... The period from 1964-1967 when he was at his pinnacle and taking on men like Sonny Liston, Earnie Terrell and a few others with good jabs.

 

Terrell got thumbed or hit in the eye in round one. His jab is much faster and better in other fights.

Liston was down 2-3 on my card before he quit in round six, and IMO that was Ali's best performance. Unlike the other fighters I listed, Liston lacked speed in his jab. Outside of Liston, Ali's competition from 1964-1967 is a bit thin,

I could have listed Karl Mildenberg ( fought Ali in 1966 ), who's south paw style and jab gave Ali fits until Ali adapted into an attack mode.

I highly recommend watching the Doc Facing Ali. The fighters comments on Ali in the ring are excellent. And some of Ali's comments during the 60's were very radical and seldom found in books. Give Ali credit as a human being though, he got it right later in life and did not appear to hold grudges with those he fought.

 

Very true.In all honest, Young wasn't really that impressive in this fight even though i thought he did enough to win.Too tentative against an Ali that was there to be even further outboxed.

I like Young and think he likely got a rough deal in his close bouts due to his style and marketability, but over time it seems there's a certain excessive faction trying to promote his fights with Norton, Ali as masterclasses of technical boxing that were entirely unjustly not given the decision.These fights were hardly Pea vs Chavez, Benitez vs Cervantes, Kalambay vs Mcallum, Canto vs Gonzalez II level stuff.

 

so its one or the other, you aren't even sure what it is you are claiming?


The one point you do raise, that Ali was very human, is actually th more controversial, and a family level he was a terrible husband.

 

True.. Young had an elusive style that forced his opponents to fight "ugly". Sometimes the judges liked it and sometimes they didn't. And I agree that even though there were perhaps a couple of decisions that should have gone his way, they were hardly on par with some of the ones you listed.

 

In truth though, what fighter doesn't have trouble with good jabbers?

 

You can add Cooper,Folley and Bugner to that list.:good

 

I haven't seen one:huh
The notion that the stoppage was premature does not hold water imo.I counted 43 unanswered punches from Ali and he stopped punching twice to prompt the referee, ex boxer Ferd Hernandez to step in.
You don't have to floor a man to force a stoppage if he isn't throwing punches back, he is a standing target. Correct stoppage imo. Make your own mind up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMQwT7maULE

 

Most fighters have trouble with good jabbers, but a few do not.

1 ) Those who have a significant height and reach advantage that also have a good jab.

2 ) Those who are more mobile with a high guard and can duck or check jabs or those who can throw their jab on the move.

 

True. I think Bugner came in the 70's though.