Why did Patterson have an easy time with Archie Moore?

I think everybody makes good points on this thread. I would add that I think Archie might have taken Patterson too lightly. I am among the people who think Maxim deserved the decision against Floyd. I would bet that there was some of the "if Maxim can beat Patterson, then I shouldn't have much trouble" thinking by Archie. Also, "if I can drop Marciano, I can kayo Patterson." Experience had worked against most of the heavyweights Archie had beaten and he figured it would work against Patterson, so he didn't really have a plan when he fought Floyd. He thought he could figure everything out on the fly. I admit though that all of this probably wouldn't have made a difference anyway. Archie would have had to hit Patterson with a sneak punch, and as later events in Patterson's career would show, one punch wouldn't do the trick unless your name was Liston.

 

I've been reading some of the real-time coverage of the fight ... Newspapers.com is a great thing for sports fans ... and while I'd like to go back and see how the reporting "syncs up" with the video, the coverage was pretty much consistent. Floyd badly out-quicked Archie, was throwing rapid-fire combinations that Archie simply couldn't deal with and came out pressuring Archie from the opening bell, and the pace started telling on Archie by the third round. Floyd was at 182, Archie at 187 for the fight so the weight differential that night also wasn't drastic.

ON EDIT: Just went back and watched the video ... that left hook to the temple for the first knockdown just RUINED Archie. Textbook punch. No way that was a dive.

 

One word, speed.

 

No Sir you are mistaken on several counts.

One, anyone who is recovering from a damaging fight is very unlikely to fight almost exactly an average of once a month for a whole year.
Two, maybe everyone in Human History who fights that often for a while faces some guys who are what you would call "bums".
Cut & paste anyone you like if you can find the evidence, like I provide, of everyone they faced & their record...
Three, he faced some good fighters.

Also at HW, above his usual & natural weight. For example, the 4 fights immediately subsequent to facing Marciano, he faced:
Howard King, Bob Daniels, Frankie Dunlap, & Howard King again.
They had decent records, King was 31-7-5.
Many fighters are good & not near World-Class.
It is extreme & unfair to consider everyone not elite to be a "bum".

Also 3 fights before facing Patterson, he fought Yolande Pompey, 32-2-3, for, & retained, the LHW title!

Surely you must consider Pompey a top LHW, consider who he fought, & not undeserving of a title shot correct?

 

At this point in his career he was by far a more natural heavyweight. The man was more comfortable at HW than LHW. Believe he was like 64-4-1 at hw w three of those losses coming after 38 years of age and all to HOFs.
Ali took a similar strategy after losing to Frazier and fought a lot in the next several years. Not as much as Moore but Moore was a freak of nature and he also had an interesting policy of not wanting to pay for sparring partners so would often take fights against lesser men for warmups. King was never a threat and frankly neither was Pompey. He faced no men of note in that time period other than his mandatory against Pompey.

 

Speed kills and speed especially kills old fighters.

 

Had way more people in my life die of meth

 

Pompey got pomped in a masterclass. Total shut out from memory.

 

I agree he was more of a HW then-because he had trouble making weight.
With rehydration today he could easily have made LHW, even without shedding fat, except at his fattest.
It still is harder in absolute terms to win at a higher weight.

Now you changed the claim to "no men of note"-except admitted Pompey was one.
If he was so superior to Pompey, that is not his fault, he was the best available.
I did not know about that sparring partner policy, sounds like a great one!
But again at least those other men I mentioned, while not a significant threat were

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I just do not know if he avoided bigger challenges, but if he only had one, that is par for the course for many years when we are talking about elite fighters-except he literally fought almost exactly once a month, which even if not the best fighters, is only commendable.

But the real question is-even more than his precise, but either way still somewhat ancient age...
HOW is it possible that when considering the level of competition he fough over time, going up to HW, his success rate...
Moore had essentially NO decline whatsoever?!

Who is the history of boxing also maintains his level like this-& when fighting AT LEAST into his mid 40's?

 

This is a great question one that connects the old ‘greats’ to the new mediocre fighters so called. But the old great heavy champ was knocked down by the old great opponent then struggled for 9 rounds to beat him. The champ with all time great punching power supposedly hit him again and again for 9 rounds couldn’t get him out of there. Then the new mediocre fighter fights the same all time great opponent the very next year who everyone says was still great for years more but the new fighter totally outclasses the all time great opponent and starches him in only 5 rounds. A total no contest. Yet Marciano is considered all time great and Patterson one of the worst champions. Something’s wrong. People are evaluating with their hearts and not their heads is the problem. Patterson marked a new era of improving athletes that the old timers don’t want to see. He was a small heavy for the new era and had some trouble with bigger heavyweights. But go back to the time he beat Moore people were talking about him being the next great heavy.

 

Patterson was better than Moore, he was faster and more skilled than anybody Moore ever fought.

 

This group were not unskilled, were they ?
Ali
Pastrano
Johnson
Maxim ( who has a win over Floyd )
Burley
Charles
Hollman Williams
Marshall
Yarosz

 

I think he had more success at Hw then lower weights. I just think his style was perfect for counter punching bigger slower men. That and he was more skilled then the bunch.
I’m def not married to my theories here. Could simply be Archie was having an off night and or Patterson was having a great night. Idk it was just an off performance from Archie for sure.
Archie’s story is a great documentary that hasn’t happened yet. How idk. The man was a troubled youth then worked on building roads during the depression before he started Boxing. Lives as a hobo fighter traveling around town to town than country to country to build his brand. Always wanting to fight the best in the area (he wanted to be the villain to the local hero). He earned nothing (or very little) from his title shot w Maxim. Fought for three decades from MW to HW. Started the ABC program for boys. We need an Netflix series on the man

 

You’re a clown. Delete this post and do some homework