If Patterson had faced Cleveland Williams instead of Liston?

They were regarded as well as any fine man Williams beat. And a great deal higher than Sly Jones.

Ingo beating Floyd is better than anything Williams or Comiskey or Retzlaf did.

Williams drew with Machen. Ingo hammered him in one round.

Richardson had Williams walk out on a rematch. Williams was too spooked to turn up. Voices in his head and such like. Erskine and Cooper were solid wins on any resume. Williams record would look better with those guys on it.

 

When they fought Johannson .
Neuhaus. Unranked hadn't been ranked for 4 years.
Erskine. Unranked
Cooper. Unranked
Cavicchi .Unranked
Hoff .Unranked
Richardson .Unranked
London.No 10.

 

Listen Richardson fouled out against Williams because he was getting the **** beat out of him!
You're like Mendoza with Jack Johnson on this! Erskine and Cooper were UNRANKED.

 

I remember back in the late 60's, early 70's, Ingo was considered to be the worst heavyweight champion of all time by some observers. Zero defenses, plus really wanting NO part of Liston or "that amateur" Cassius Clay. He knew Patterson was his only 'meal ticket' hope.

 

Some just cannot entertain the notion that Floyd, who was knocked down countless times could be caught by a great puncher like Williams ,I find that denial nonsensical.

 

I don’t know where you copied and pasted this tosh ...but it does not add up. Let’s take a look at some of this...

Patterson was defending against his #1 contender. Ingo was A guy rated above Machen (who Ingo sparked in one round) Ingo was rated above #2 Folley who then lost to Henry Cooper. Another guy Ingo had beat. So Ingo is a guy who has wins over two of the top 3. Why wouldn’t Patterson take that guy serious? This was a show down at Yankee Stadium in front of 21,000 fans.... it’s hardly a routine defence.

why would he think this? Why was London anymore inept in a title fight than Cleveland Williams was? London had beat Pastrano who was then rated. Ingo had beaten better guys than Pastrano. In fact, Ingo had beat guys who had beat London. There was no reason for Floyd to think a showdown in Yankee Stadium was going to be an inept challenge.

 

Of the names you yourself provided ,only one,London was ranked, and he was number 10 for that years ending and unranked thereafter.

 

Hein ten Hoff. Ullevi Stadium Gothenburg. attendance 17,000

Heinz Neuhaus. Ullevi Stadium Gothenburg. Attendance 14,000

Henry Cooper. Johanneshov Stockholm. Attendance 11,000

Franco Cavicchi. Bologna Italy. Attendance 33,000

D1ck Richardson Ullevi Stadium Gothenburg. attendance 42,000

Eddie Machen. Ullevi Stadium Gothenburg. Attendance 54,000

Floyd Patterson. Yankee stadium. Attendance 22,000

 

No. In his 15th fight, Ingo beat Cavicchi who was the #9 ring Magazine ranked contender. The European champion. It was a title fight in front of 33,000 Italians. We’ve been through this before.

Neuhaus was formerly rated by Ring Magazine, a former Euro champion but the highest ranked European contender for that title.

Hoff was a former rated contender having his 43rd fight. Ingo was having his 12th.

Erskine was the newly crowned British and Empire champion. He would be rated at that time. He was in the top ten the year Ingo was champion.

Machen was #1 contender.

Cooper was #2 contender by the time Ingo challenged Floyd.

 

I'm not interested in the crowd, I'm interested in the quality of the men he was fighting!

Of these 5, only Machen was a ranked heavyweight!

 

I find Williams to be vastly overrated by some on here, having said that he did punch hard enough to have a solid chance to hurt or KO Patterson. I would favor Floyd but not dismiss Williams.

 

And Cavicchi. Erskine and Cooper were both rated by the time Ingo was champion.

 

To be fair Williams has as much chance as Charlie Retzlaff and big Pat Comiskey. Anyone favouring Williams with a Punchers chance against Patterson must put the same stock into Charley boy and big Pat.

 

I am sure others do.