Yancey 'Yank' Durham 'Joe Frazier Defenses for 1971/1972'

[BoxBuzz]

Tell us more about Patterson taking a pass.

[yancey]

Patterson is my 2nd all-time favorite fighter.

No doubt the $$$ issue played somewhat of a role in not facing Frazier, but I think the larger issue was that he simply didn't want to go up against Frazier.

Frazier began the downhill slide post-FOTC, but he still would have been way too much for an even more past it Patterson.

[yancey]

Well, that is essentially what I was saying, or at least implying, in my previous post.

Patterson would have been demolished by Frazier and I'm sure Floyd didn't want to go out with another early rounds knockout loss on his resume.

Patterson-Frazier circa late '71 goes maybe three rounds, imo.

[yancey]

It didn't make financial sense to fight Ali instead of Frazier, but maybe it made a great deal of psychic sense to Floyd.

He felt embarrassed by those two quick knockout losses to Liston. Maybe he didn't want another potentially quick knockout loss at the end of his career.

Frazier was very capable of knocking Floyd out quick. Ali wasn't.

Maybe that is why Floyd chose to fight Ali instead of Frazier.

Just a hunch.