yancey wrote:Frazier-Patterson at MSG almost happened. This would have been for Joe's first or second fight after the FOTC, I believe.
Floyd was apparently unhappy with the money so it didn't come off. Maybe he was unhappy with what would have happened.
My two all-time favorites.
A blend...he was unhappy with the money based on what he knew would happen.
Matching Patterson with Frazier around that time would just be sadistic. Patterson had no reflexes and had largely lost his punch. He probably figured he could make similar cash fighting the more popular, and less punishing, Ali.
I don't think Floyd was quite as shot as you've painted him. He looked pretty good upsetting Bonavena, and I thought he was doing well against Ali until his eye forced a stoppage. (I scored it 3-3 going into the seventh round watching the closed circuit telecast from the back row of the balcony.) He was certainly a better opponent than Terry Daniels and Ron Stander.
But, that said, I think the fight would have played out about the same as Joe's first fight with Ellis. Floyd would have had a few moments in the first two rounds, but then it would have been all Joe.
I called Angelo my friend for over forty years and in my opinion he was a good trainer and a superb cornerman.
As a trainer those who have said he only worked with a finished product are correct. Angelo did not work from scratch ever. His fighters were all more or less finished products brought to him by Chris -one of the greatest underated promoters of all time- and there would not be a Angelo without Chris -the ying and yang that complimented each other.
Most of the conditioning and training of Angie's fighters was done by Luis Sarria and other assistants, but as a corner -and I worked corners against him- he was the best, in every way imaginable. He knew strategy, he knew the mental state of his fighters and he knew how hard to push the envelope. A master cornerman.
To me the greatest trainers I have seen at work were Ray Arcel, Eddie Futch, Johnny Coulon -who trained me during my amateur career- and Luis Sarria who besides being Ali's conditioner was the trainer of Luis Rodriguez and a lot of top fighters.
And those I did not see personally I would place Jack Blackburn at the top.
I am not passing judgement on those still working -Roach, Atlas, Steward etc.- as their careers are ongoing. I do think McGirt was underrated as a fighter and overrated as a trainer. Just a personal view.
