Our flavor of the month, Oscar Bonavena vs Floyd Patterson both prime.

I would say the outcome would be the same, but I think Patterson takes a UD on points by a wider margin. Still its evident that Bonavena had a good chin and a strong punch, two things that always were and will be an issue for Patterson. I think though a younger and prime Patterson's volume of punches will be Bonavena's new main concern. Patterson didn't always have power but he threw from sneaky and severe angles with the fastest hands the division has ever seen. Although, Patterson will be in danger in just a good shot or two from Bonavena though I believe in spite of that he has some of the best head movement ever in the division that would allow him to survive the distance. I don't know if I can see Bonavena capitalizing on his work well enough to put Patterson away though. Bonavena's power will be Patterson's biggest deterrent to stand and throw but if Patterson is defensive he can easily dodge Bonavena's telegraphed punches. Especially a Patterson who had matured and mastered the blending of the peak-a-boo and orthodox, he is a very sound fighter. Cus would have taken this fight rather than one with Williams.

But if the fight becomes a close range war on the inside I think Bonavena wins by KO.

 

The identification of Floyd’s prime is a bit tricky - a prime, all things considered, that might not have necessarily aligned with his physical prime. Held back, Floyd developed that much more without the title and without the over protection of D’Amato.

If Bonavena was prime and eligible during Floyd’s reign there is that chance that D’Amato would’ve manipulated the situation for someone else like Liston to see Oscar off since Sonny, the impossibly denied challenger, was more or less proxy champ during Floyd’s reign.

Anyway, not that he wins but perhaps Ringo might do better against Champion Floyd than he did vs post title Floyd?

 

As the above, excellent posters say.
I do see Floyd winning but it could turn nasty for him, after all, Oscar was a tough rugged guy who did have a respectable dig on him.

 

A surprisingly tough one to call Richard, lol...and I still haven't answered it btw.....I will though, later today.

 

Patterson still.

 

A prime Patterson would have bewitched, bothered and bewildered, Oscar, as the song goes, with his unique talent.
After all, he looked pretty frisky against Oscar in his third last fight, at 37.

 

If they never would’ve fought, I’d probably be saying this is a very dangerous fight where I wouldn’t be surprised if Bonavena took him out, but would be leaning narrowly towards Patterson, but I’d be thinking it’s one you wouldn’t bet on considering Patterson’s vulnerability and Bonavena’s toughness and power, knowing he’d be in it till the end carrying that risk, at the end of the day he dropped and hurt Frazier badly, but seeing as Patterson outboxed him at 37, it seems kind of obvious that he’d absolutely school him, no contest in his prime, he’d be feinting up and down, rolling, shifting his weight between backfoot and front foot, and throwing off Bonavena’s rhythm, and getting him to bite, and since Bonavena was more predictable, Patterson would start reading him and countering him at will, predict what he’ll do in certain situations and planning accordingly.
The win he has over him is actually very impressive, Bonavena was a boogeyman and gave some greats tough fights, and Patterson dealt with him way past his prime, whist Bonavena was in his prime.

 

Patterson fought plenty of rough opponents in his 20-year career. He didn't have much trouble with them, except for Liston. The three fights with Johansson contributed nearly half of the knockdowns Floyd suffered, thus contributing mightily to his "glass jaw" reputation. Nobody ever accused Patterson of having a weak chin until his first fight with Ingo.

 

Well, Ingo and then Liston... after that Floyd reputation as a "biscuit chin" was written forever in stone

Anyway, my take is that a younger, faster and slicker Floyd outboxes the heck out of Ringo.

 

Patterson by UD. Bonavena would have nothing for Patterson, outside of a flash knockdown if Patterson got careless.