Why did Patterson have an easy time with Archie Moore?

He likely had an off night against Patterson, but I was not speaking about that night-however Patterson was great enough & completely prime then that you would not have favored Moore.

But still it is unknown how he really had no notable decline while fighting to such an advanced age.
Ali was greater in absolute terms, even pre-prime & larger...But calibrating how much success he had against what type of opponents through his whole career, 1936-1963 is just insane.
The longest running LHW, champion, for a decade, he did not even get a title shot until it was overdo!
EDIT: even though boxrec lists him as starting in 1936, they also show a fight in 1935...AND in the program below, he describes a debut fight that year-that is not even listed.

Yes he was a great guy too, very civic minded.
Here is one documentary about him...

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Patterson was a bit too big for light heavy and a bit too small for heavy weight. He would have been a perfect cruiser. I think it was his speed that was too much for Moore. Patterson had quick hands and good stamina. Moore needed a guy who was going to be right in front of him by the time they fought, and Patterson was just too fast. Sometimes fighters just age overnight, especially when they are pushing 40. One fight they look good, the next they look old.

 

Patterson would have been better as a LHW, at least for most of his career he easily could have dropped a few pounds via dehydration-like almost everybody did-& make 175.

I agree that Patterson was too fast-also at his peak & a great fighter.
However I do not believe Moore aged overnight.
While Moore must have slowed by that time from his fastest, his actual record through the end of his career shows virtually zero decline-considering his opponents & their records, the division, & his record.

And Moore was 30-2 for the rest of his career!
Moore somehow continued about the precise level of success he always earned & enjoyed.
He may have slowed by the time he fought Patterson, but can we say he likely would have won at any age?

He compensated for whatever speed he lost so well he was as good as ever.
However peak Patterson & his speed was too much to expect him to compensate for.

 

Easy ? Looked like a hard fight to me. Still, anyone on here ever have an easy fight ?

 

I think Archie just had an off-night