Should Jimmy Young be considered a journeyman and how would he fare today?

Jimmy Young was a pro for 21 years. He was a rated contender basically from 1975 until sometime in 1978. For a brief period in 1977, a few months, he was the #1 contender. The other 17 years or so ... or roughly 75 percent of his career ... he basically floundered.

Most view him as a "one-time contender." But Young heavily leans on the journeyman side of the scale moreso than he does on the contender side.

As for how he'd do today, he wouldn't make a dent. His style was all wrong for this era. His size was all wrong. And none of the judges today would've given him the benefit of the doubt over the major boxing stars. And he sure as hell isn't stopping any of them. He couldn't stop anyone back then.

 

Young was a journeyman for a large part of his career, but at his peak, he was much more than that. Some journeymen have the skills and talent to be contenders with the right luck, support, and exposure. Young was one of those. Had close fights against an older Ali and a basically prime Norton. Beat Foreman, knocking him down in the process.

So the answer to the first question depends on what year you're talking about. Yes, he was a journeyman for most of his career. No, he wasn't a journeyman when he was at his best.

As to the second question, he could do well today. Small, annoying, defensively skilled fighters like Byrd, Jones, and Toney captured belts in the early 2000s against similar-sized fighters to the heavies we have today. (Although Toney was stripped of his.) Young could pull off the same.

 

They didn't back then, either. People always hated negative styles like Young's. And yet, he pulled off a decent run.

 

If he fought today, he'd be similar to Mike Hunter. He's start as a pretty good cruiser, and finish as a pretty good heavy, but have trouble getting the big fights and decisions because of his pedantic style.

 

All jokes aside, Young was class. But, when class was in session, the students were asleep without being knocked out. I suspect he'd have done the same thing, basically. Have some highly questionable decision losses against top talents, have plenty of honest losses just because he didn't have that next gear, and be basically the same guy, if not a brief titlist of one of the ABC's. But I basically think he's the same guy. I pretty much think while in a completely different style, Chisora from now would always be the same thing. Totally different temperament but in a way, they share that one quirk of hot and cold also-ran types, they can get randomly fired up when their style is matching up really well with someone but they aren't more than potential ABC guys. They're never going to be the king of the hill in everyone's eyes. They just aren't constructed that way.

 

All the posts have nailed it.

That said, his win over Big George is a crowning achievement that few journeymen have ever earned. Ultimately it depends on how specific you are with "journeyman" but I feel its fair to use for one time or off and on lower contenders.

 

Good post

 

Young had the ability to turn every fight into a low activity snoozefest, no mater who his opponent was. So every fight with him was tough to score and that was the reason why he won decisions over some Great fighters, and lost to some meek ones.

 

Right, Ruiz was only 6'2" with a 78 inch reach, and yet he held a belt and was one of the more successful contenders of his era. He was Povetkin sized. So as I said, being massive isn't essential to be one of the elite heavyweights.

Byrd held the IBF and made a bunch of successful title defenses. He beat Vitali by injury. Admittedly, Wlad had his number. But Byrd was one of the stronger beltholders of the post-Lewis interregnum.

Rahman was another of the best fighters of his era (aside from the Klitschkos), and was a tank despite not being unusually tall. Toney was old and obese when he fought Rahman. And as you say, Toney got a draw.

Depending on the period, I could see Young getting a belt like those guys did. Young couldn't beat somebody like Wlad, but then again, Young couldn't get the lineal championship in his own era, either.

 

Jimmy Young maybe classed as a journeyman but he beat Foreman and was also robbed of the decision over Ali with the crowd booing the result with Ring editor Lester Bromberg calling the result a travesty as well as Dick Young saying that Ali won by the grace of three hero worshipping fight officials.Jimmy also lost a close bout to no 1 ranked Norton,beat Lyle twice and also lost a close one to Shavers in the rematch after being KOd in the first fight. Considering he fought in arguably the golden age of the Heavyweights and his alleged substance abuse he was still a top operator that could have got a belt in todays era .

 

Maybe not, but that didn't stop him from being one of the most successful fighters post-Lennox, whether we like it or not.