Oh LOL....for the record I agree Liston would have beaten Johansson IF he Ingemar would even get in the ring
Nay, too short of a career, but suposedly was a very popular champion during his short reign, even in the United States.
Combined with his singing voice, it’s surprising he isn’t thought of as the GOAT. This content is protected
Floyd has longevity which places him far above Ingo. A real case can be made that he defeated a near peak Jerry Quarry, and should have regained the HW Title over Jimmy Ellis. If Floyd had taken the decision in 1968, his first defense almost certainly would have been against the older and now lung diseased Liston in a third bout where a much smarter and more experienced Floyd would have reversed the outcomes of their previous two bouts. Floyd was a legitimate great. Getting halted twice by Foreman doesn't change Frazier's stature in HW history. Smoke still would've beaten more of history's other HW Champions than George. However, this is an Ingo thread. When he got inducted into the IBHOF, folks who were there were rolling their eyes and disgusted. NOBODY except maybe some jingoistic Swedes believed Ingo belonged there. A fine champion at the European level, but he needed to sucker in and nail that Bingo on Liston. Even then, if Sonny could take the left hook in two bouts from Cleveland Williams, we certainly cannot rule out Liston successfully absorbing the Bingo from Johansson. In their second bout, Floyd wobbled a bit but withstood Ingo's right very well. Carnera took the title from Sharkey, defended against a challenger who took the Larruper's best shot (by Max Baer's own account} and beat him over 20 rounds in the outdoor desert heat in Reno, then decisioned ATG Tommy Loughran in an outcome even Gallico didn't question the validity of. Then, he lost his title in a courageous effort to a challenger who was previously defeated by the first two challengers Primo SUCCESSFULLY defended against in an effort credible enough on a severely injured wheel that a rematch for the title was considered a viable possibility. Carnera was a good fighting champion, the only HW Titlist to bring that Championship out of mothballs between 1923 and 1937. If Ingo belongs in Canastota, then excluding Primo, who was never counted out, is untenable. His run of three straight title wins was on the level, and he showed guts and resistance against Louis that other victims of the Bomber (like Carnera victims Max Baer and Jack Sharkey} failed to demonstrate. Primo got decked and beaten around by Sharkey the first time, but it was more competitive than Gallico wrote it as being (as the extent films reveal}, and then Carnera battered him around in the opening round before knocking him out to win the rematch. Winning the undisputed HW Title should not be an automatic qualifier for Canastota. Floyd beat the count yet again in just three seconds of their first bout when Ruby Goldstein (who REALLY has no business being in Canastota as a referee} finally halted it. It looked like Foreman-Frazier I, where the winner couldn't keep the defeated champion down. Floyd him down for ten in their two rematches, and almost beat the count twice with Liston. Floyd went 9-1 during the 1970s. He was a true great. Marciano was the only other guy to beat Archie Moore during the 1950s. Patterson's longevity needs to be recognized. Beat too many outstanding foes over too long a period of time, from the Mongoose to Ringo.
