I happened upon this article in Sport's Illustrated from January 20, 1958. It was written by Gilbert Rogin and is scouting reports on the top boxers. Here are the heavyweights: Champion--Floyd Patterson A fine, young, thoughtful champion who has all the moves. He is at once a resourceful boxer and a punishing hitter, although his punch is not quite heavy enough to take an opponent out with a single blow. Patterson has consummate hand speed and responds with flurries of combinations to the most meager opening. He has splendid stamina, speed afoot and heart. His two defects, are, curiously opposites. At times He is overeager and throws punches off balance. At times he is overcautious and lets opportunities slip by. Record--Won 33, lost 1 #1--Eddie Machen A sturdy, workmanlike, upright fighter, Machen has a good straight punch, particularly with the right hand, but is not too impressive as a hooker or infighter. He does not adapt easily, performing best from medium range, allowing for ample punching room. He is open to right hands and, if pursued, tends to lose poise. Although he has a powerful punch, the feeling is that Machen is a manufactured rather than a natural fighter. His opponents have been largely hand-picked to suit his style--either ponderous, deliberate types like Johnny Holman or harmless old men like Joey Maxim. He still needs instruction and experience. Record--Won 23, lost 0 #2--Zora Folley A tall, even stately, fighter with great reach, Folley boxes from a classical upright stance, shooting out the left jab and crossing over, on occasion, with an overhand right. Rather than pick off punches, Folley leans back to avoid them, which results in his being, at times, off balance for mustering a quick counter. He had a reputation as a lackadaisical, safety-first fighter who can be bulled and discouraged, a good counterpuncher who would rather not lead. This reluctance has now been explained by a chronically reinjured knuckle on his right hand, which he now protects with a radical hand wrapping. Record--Won 39, lost 2, drew 1 End of part 1, continued below
#3--Roy Harris Harris comes out of Cut and Shoot, Texas (pop. 193) and much has been told of his barefoot beginnings. But little is known of Harris the fighter, since he has never fought outside of Texas or on TV. He's licked Bob Baker, but mild-hitting Bob put him down with a right hand. And he whupped Willie Pastrano by beating him to the punch, slipping to the right on Willie's second jab and coming back with a right to the body. When Willie wised to this, Harris feinted him with his right hand and landed a left hook. Said Willie: "He is effectively awkward." Harris has been brought along with great care in friendly arenas. Record--Won 21, Lost 0 #4--Willie Pastrano He is the fastest heavyweight afoot, this New Orleanian with the sullen good looks and elaborately curled hair. And he most surely can travel, bounce, dance, slide and glide. Nimbleness and grace are his preoccupations. Pastrano can jab prettily--his chief weapon--he has quick hands, but is, at best, a mediocre puncher. This is due, perhaps, to his constantly being on his toes and therefore not sufficiently set to deliver a jarring blow. He is a guileful evader, takes a punch well and rallies nicely when hit. Pastrano looked sluggish in defeating Willi Besmanoff last November. He needs more power if he is to be a threat. Record--Won 44, lost 5, drew 5 #5--Nino Valdes Geraldo Ramos Ponciano Valdes, called Nino, the 33 year old, 6 foot 3 inch Cuban was once ranked (1954-1955) the No. 1 challenger to Rocky Marciano's title. A series of defeats depreciated his stock and only this month has he regained the top five. Valdes, though somewhat cumbrous, is a skilled boxer for his mass and has a fine right hand. He prefers to counterpunch, and there is controversy about the size of his heart. Last February he finished Joe Erskine, the British champion and a possible opponent for Floyd Patterson, in the first round. Record--Won 41, lost 14, drew 2
One thing I found interesting was the ages--and so looked them up. Floyd Patterson---23 Eddie Machen---24 Zora Folley---25 Roy Harris---24 Willie Pastrano---22 Nino Valdes---33 Compare that with today Wladimir Klitschko---34 Vitali Klitschko---39 David Haye---29 Tomasz Adamek---33 Ruslan Chagaev---31 Alexander Povetkin---31 The next man is Nicolay Valuev, 37. The fighters from 1958 were mostly young men moving into thier athletic primes--yet they had had quite a few pro fights. *Also, the top five were American in 1958. None of the top six are today.
Top heavyweight prospects of 1959: McNeeley turned out to be a non-factor, but Terrell and Williams were at the top of the rankings for the next decade or so.
Good reports. Weak era. The one thing I disagree with a tad is Folley. He was not that tall with great reach. The scouting reports seem very good in general.
A weak era it may have been, but I never get embarrassed watching the likes of Folley, Machen, Patterson and Pastrano box. The same cannot be said for the likes of Sam Peter and Chris Arreola.
Strong Era. Thanks for the great reports. This was an era filled with young prime fighters of all styles (Boxer-Punchers, Defensive Stylists, Top Jabbers, Big Punchers, Swarmers, Master Boxers) Sonny Liston, Floyd Patterson, Cleveland Williams, Ingemar Johansson, Archie Moore, Harold Johnson, Zora Folley, Eddie Machen, Nino Valdes, Roy Harris, Mike DeJohn, Willie Pastrano. Very good era.
Strong Era. Thanks for the great reports. This was an era filled with young prime fighters of all styles (Boxer-Punchers, Defensive Stylists, Top Jabbers, Big Punchers, Swarmers, Master Boxers) Sonny Liston, Floyd Patterson, Cleveland Williams, Ingemar Johansson, Archie Moore, Harold Johnson, Zora Folley, Eddie Machen, Nino Valdes, Roy Harris, Mike DeJohn, Willie Pastrano. Very good era.