whats your opinion on pete rademacher (challenged patterson in his first pro fight)

Rademacher is a person who had more success outside of the ring than in it. He does have a big win or two, but you're correct. He was essentially a good professional journeyman with some power that lost often to the best and got in and out of boxing quickly. Not very durable, fast, or skilled.

He's still alive...I think.

 

Rademacher dropped Patterson, some of the good amateurs who have recently turned pro would probably have beaten Patterson in their first pro fight. Hrgovic, Joyce, etc. would be too big and strong for Patterson. Rademacher was competitive with him and as you mentioned, he wasn't athletic, and he wasn't big like the fighters today.

 

Yes. Fighting a seasoned vet like Patterson in his debut fight was never going to end well. Rademacher had to potential to do much better as a pro, but he never fully adjusted to the professional sport.

Also, being a gold medalist in theory helps, but it has nothing to do with the pro sport. Ali years ago was asked how he would perform against a gold medalist like Teofilo Stevenson and Ali admitted that Stevenson would give him a tough fight for 3-4 rounds, but that gold medalist straight out the amateurs are no good after 5-6 rounds and would be easy pickings. This is a major short coming with guys that have too much amateur experience like Loma, who is amazing for 4-5 rounds, but then often coast through the rest of the fight. This got him beat by Salido and I think this bad habit would rear it ugly head again if he fought Mikey Garcia. Usyk shows signs of this habit as well, but his competition hasn't been any good, but he'll have his first test against a good opponent in Bellew next month, since I don't rate guys like Gassiev, Briedis, or Glowacki.

 

So boxers with long amateur careers are often no good after 5-6 rounds, once they turn pro? And Usyk is an example of this shortcoming? Really??

 

I said straight out of the amateurs. It usually takes even decorated amateur a good 20-25 fights to fully adjust to 10-12 rounds. Gassiev going into their fight had only gone 10+ rounds 4 times, Briedis had only gone 10+ rounds 3 times, and Glowacki had only gone 10+ round 4 times, which is a sign that they weren't fighting good competition. Bellew has gone 10+ rounds at least 10 times in a similar number of fights to both Gassiev and Glowacki, since he's fought much better competition.

Also, Usyk is talented, but he hasn't been tested. Bellew will be his first test, since I knew he was going to easily win that tournament.

 

I don't believe Beredis and Gassiev are as bad, as you obviously think they are - but let's see how Usyk does against Bellew, before we write him off as a nobody, who would be out of his depth back in the 40s.

 

Rademacher himself said that he only fought Patterson to promote his business, and if he had won, he would never have fought again.

 

What Pete did would not happen today. He was a career amateur, and Olympic gold medalist that tested pro waters. He was, what, 6-7 years older than Floyd, outweighed him greatly. When he dropped him, Floyd simply had that oft seen embarrassed look on his face and...proceeded to dismantle him afterwards IMO pulling some punches in the process. It amazes me that this fight is held up to the theory that Floyd was overrated! Pete fought Folley after that (perhaps trying to make up for lost time), and DID beat Chuvalo a few years later.

 

He might have had some potential with a normal career trajectory and taken things slowly.

 

You mustn't think much at all of Patterson Pat. That's a big statement to make.

 

If time traveler amateur Olympic Champ Foreman had gotten Patterson down early, then Cosell's call of the change in title holder, would have been moved up to 1957.

 

Interesting potential Patterson vs Folley "factoid""
"Olympic Boxing Club matchmaker George Parnassus, immediately after this fight (Rademacher vs Folley), wired heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson an offer of $250,000 to fight Folley in Los Angeles in September or October of '58.


Pete's second professional fight:
1958-07-25 : Pete Rademacher 198 lbs lost to Zora Folley 200 lbs by KO at 1:15 in round 4 of 10

• Location: Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, USA
• Referee: Charley Randolph

"Zora Folley, 200, from Chandler, Ariz., knocked out Pete Rademacher, 198, Columbus, Ga., in 1:15 of the 4th round. Folley had Pete down four times in all. On the last knockdown, referee Charlie Randolph didn't bother to finish the count. Folley was never in trouble, and it took but one short right chop to the jaw that traveled hardly twelve inches to start Pete on the downhill road. This was in the 3rd round. Another short right to the chin sent him down again. But before the round ended Pete charged Folley into the ropes and they fought savagely seconds after the bell sounded. Rademacher came out with a rush in the 4th but ran straight into a beautiful right cross, and down he went again. Folley closed in, there was a flurry capped by a ripping uppercut to the chin, and that was it." -Associated Press

• This was Rademacher's second pro fight
• Rademacher and Folley met twice as amateurs with both winning a decision
• Olympic Boxing Club matchmaker George Parnassus, immediately after this fight, wired heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson an offer of $250,000 to fight Folley in Los Angeles in September or October of '58

 

Pre-fight Comments re: this "Heavyweight Title fight" are hilarious.
"There was no live radio or television. Promoter Jack Hurley said plans to show the fight on closed circuit television were canceled due to the three-hour time difference between Seattle and the east coast."

• Rademacher, the 1956 Olympic heavyweight champion, is the only boxer to fight for the World Heavyweight Championship in his first professional fight.
• Rademacher talked 22 wealthy Georgians into putting up Patterson's guaranteed purse of $250,000.
• Five days before the fight, former World Heavyweight Champion Joe Louis called the bout "the worst mismatch in boxing history."
• The day before the fight, the Associated Press reported that Patterson was a 10 to 1 betting favorite. The AP quoted a Seattle businessman as saying: "Nobody is betting—while sober."
• The day of the fight, the United Press reported that there were no betting odds because the fight was considered to be a gross mismatch.
• There was no live radio or television. Promoter Jack Hurley said plans to show the fight on closed circuit television were canceled due to the three-hour time difference between Seattle and the east coast.
• A crowd of 16,961 produced a gate of $243,030.
• Rademacher floored Patterson in the second round. Patterson came back to score seven knockdowns before Rademacher was counted out at 2:57 of the sixth round.
• After the fight, Referee Tommy Loughran said of Rademacher: "He is the most courageous fighter I have ever seen."

 

The Witcher had 10 fights to acclimatise to world level, not much but infinitely more than zero fights.