When exactly was Floyd Patterson's prime

Jackson was nr 1 when Floyd faced him and Harris was nr 3 (he was The Ring's nr 4 at the end of 57, but I'm pretty sure he was nr 3 by the time he faced Floyd).

Floyd should have faced at least one of Machen and Folley, though, I think.

But that's neither here nor there when it comes to Williams. He wasn't ranked and he wasn't knocking out ranked contenders during those years. And I don't know if he knocked out more than one ranked guy during his whole career, and hardly a top contender at that. So it's hard to see him as this menacing shadow over the division.

 

I suppose hindsight is a wonderful thing but Jackson was a dreadful Fighter and sadly, as his future demonstrated a tragic human being. If he was number 1 it must have been to serve other Peoples' purposes.

 

At the start of 1956, Archie Moore was the #1 heavyweight contender and the light heavyweight champ.

Bob Baker was the #2 heavyweight contender. Jackson was the #3 heavyweight contender.

Patterson was the #1 light heavyweight contender (behind Moore)

Those four guys were the top two fighters in two divisions.

That year, the #3 contender Jackson beat #2 contender Baker twice. And #1 rated light heavy Patterson moved up to heavy and edged Jackson via split decision and stopped #1 Moore for the vacant heavyweight title.

It made perfect sense for Patterson (the champ) to face #1 Jackson at the start of 1957.

Patterson won a vacant title and made his first defense against the #1 contender. You have to go way out of your way to find a problem with this. Honestly.

 

It all makes perfect sense Dubble. I just don't rate Tommy Jackson. I've always pitied the guy. Perhaps, like you I should have stuck to the facts and left the back story out of it.

 

He apparently took a bad beating by Floyd in their second fight. Perhaps wasn't the same after that.

 

If he followed the sort of career path you just described in today's era from super middle to cruiser he could have been a top 10 ATG and p4p monster if he avoided embarrassing early KO losses. Floyd's skill and talent were that good; age and chin issues were his only weaknesses. I pick approximately 0 people to beat him below 175 and very very few at that weight as well.

This is why i have mixed feelings about the current structure of boxing with all the belts and extra divisions. On the one hand it allows toxic mediocre fighters like Adrian Broner or Bruce Seldon to make a name for themselves and collect a paycheck or weasel their way around the rankings like David Haye or Adonis Stevenson. But on the other hand, it allows guys like Patterson who are "too big for the little league and too small for the big boys" to find their comfort zone and have a successful career.

 

When he was pasting out townie's on the local club circuit