Heavyweights: Floyd Patterson vs Bob Foster

[elmersalsa]

We all know that 5 of the 8 losses of the great Bob Foster were against the BIG DOGS, the heavyweights in which he faced big men that were giving him tremendous disadvantages in weight.

Well, Floyd Patterson was a two-time World Heavyweight Champion. But he barely weigh in at 200lbs. He was considered too small for a heavyweight.

But, does Foster has a chance here to beat Patterson (prime Patterson, circa 1956-62)?

Is this a great chance for Foster to have win, maybe the greatest of his career?

Foster couldn't beat Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Zora Folley, Doug Jones. Not less hurt them. But, can hr hurt Patterson?

[Scypion]

I would take Floyd in that one.

[margaret thatcher]

floyd by ko, even with his lack of size he was a fast explosive puncher and a world class heavy. foster was just weak fragile tea at hw

[DrDuke]

floyd by ko, even with his lack of size he was a fast explosive puncher and a world class heavy. foster was just weak fragile tea at hw

Right, Foster was always whooped hard by HWs. I can't imagine it going otherwise against Patterson, who was fast and could bang.

[scorpio83]

We all know that 5 of the 8 losses of the great Bob Foster were against the BIG DOGS, the heavyweights in which he faced big men that were giving him tremendous disadvantages in weight.

Well, Floyd Patterson was a two-time World Heavyweight Champion. But he barely weigh in at 200lbs. He was considered too small for a heavyweight.

But, does Foster has a chance here to beat Patterson (prime Patterson, circa 1956-62)?

Is this a great chance for Foster to have win, maybe the greatest of his career?

Foster couldn't beat Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Zora Folley, Doug Jones. Not less hurt them. But, can he hurt Patterson?

Don't forget Foster couldn't beat the future WBA Heavyweight Champion Ernie Terell too.
Anyways, Patterson's speed and big combinations would be too much for Foster to handle. Patterson would wear him down with body punches and combinations before knocking Foster out in 10 rounds.

[goose 5]

Patterson tkos Foster-between 10-12 rounds.

[elmersalsa]

But, can Patterson take a shot from Foster?

[Scypion]

But, can Patterson take a shot from Foster?

I think so. Patterson was knocked down a lot, but only was KO'd by 3 boxers, Johansson, Liston, and Ali, who were all bigger than Floyd. At heavyweight, I don't believe that Foster could KO Patterson. He may knock down Floyd early, like often happened, but Patterson almost always got up and won the fight.

Patterson by KO, IMO.

[Scypion]

I believe that Patterson beats Foster at light heavyweight as well as at heavyweight. Floyd beat Light Heavyweight Champion Archie Moore for the heavyweight championship in 1956 weighing 182 lbs. to Archie's 187 lbs. Floyd only weighed 178 lbs. when he beat Hurricane Jackson in the heavyweight eliminator before fighting Moore. Patterson weighed 182 lbs. for his first fight with Johansson even though it was held almost 3 years after beating Moore for the title.


As a very young light heavyweight, Floyd beat Yvon Durelle twice, Willie Troy, Don Grant, and Jimmy Slade twice. He also fought Joey Maxim shortly after Maxim lost the light heavyweight title to Archie Moore. Floyd was only 19 for that fight and weighed 165 lbs. to Joey's 177 lbs. Even though Maxim got the decision, sportswriters at ringside all thought that Patterson should have won. The AP and UP both scored the fight for Patterson.

[Seamus]

In fairness, Scyp, Floyd was being used for target practice at the end of both bouts with Ali. He was never going to make the final bell. Back to the original topic, I think Foster makes this fairly competitive with his speed and reach, but Patterson eventually get's to him and scores a KO around the 12th.

[Scypion]

In fairness, Scyp, Floyd was being used for target practice at the end of both bouts with Ali. He was never going to make the final bell. Back to the original topic, I think Foster makes this fairly competitive with his speed and reach, but Patterson eventually get's to him and scores a KO around the 12th.

Yes, but Ali was the greatest. Patterson was great, but I never would say that he was the greatest heavyweight ever. Floyd may have been one of the greatest light heavyweights if he only fought in that division. Of course, the big bucks were in the heavyweight division.

[Scypion]

BTW, Patterson was about 7 years older than Ali, and Floyd was 37 when he fought Muhammad the second time. Patterson had a bad back in their first fight. I am sure that Ali would have won both fights anyway, but he beat everybody in those days, exception of Frazier, once.

Also, Ali was a lot bigger than Patterson.

[Scypion]

As far as a match at light heavyweight between Bob Foster and Floyd Patterson, here is another way to look at it.

Floyd Patterson could have won the light heavyweight title. He fought in the light heavyweight division until he was offered a chance to fight Archie Moore for the heavyweight title after defeating Hurricane Jackson in a heavyweight title eliminator. Floyd weighed 182 lbs. when he beat Moore for the heavyweight title in 1956 at the age of 21. Moore weighed more than 187 lbs. for that bout.

So, the conclusion here is that if Patterson could beat Moore weighing 182 lbs., then he should have been able to defeat Archie at 175 lbs., and Moore was the light heavyweight champion when they fought for the heavyweight title.

So, assuming that Patterson easily could have won the 175 lb. title, then that would have put him with boxers like Ezzard Charles and Michael Spinks as light heavyweight champs that moved up to become heavyweight champions. I know that Ezzard did not win the light heavy title due to the fact that the champs in that division were not willing to defend their title against Charles, but like Patterson, Charles could have easily won the 175 lb. title if given a shot.

Of course, Bob Foster had little or no success when fighting heavyweight contenders whereas Patterson, Charles, and Spinks had a lot of success. You could probably make the same argument with Jimmy Ellis.

Just something to think about.

[elmersalsa]

Foster failed every time he stepped up and tried to beat a world class heavyweight. He simply couldn't take the punishment meted out by the bigger guys. I don't think a Patterson fight would turn out any better for Bob. I pick Floyd by stoppage.

Just look at the way Patterson was able to connect against Ali in their second fight; Floyd is competitive, despite getting his ass handed to him over the long run. Another example is Patterson's two fights against Quarry: in both matches, Floyd lands a lot, keeping his tough opponent at bay. If Patterson could be that competitive against these two world class heavyweights, then he'd be that much more effective against Foster.

Foster might knock Patterson down, but ultimately, Floyd's rapid-fire combinations and respectable power are too much for the lanky Foster to cope with. Patterson's left hook would probably be the decisive blow here.

It would be over anywhere between the 5th and 8th rounds, IMO.

Watching Floyd Patterson throwing combinations when his opponent was hurt was a thing of beauty. Fast, accurate and powerful punches.

[HomicideHenry]

It's a shame but Patterson is rather underrated as a heavyweight. He may very well have had the fastest hands of any heavyweight champion in history at one point.

He may have been incapable of taking punches from the likes of Sonny Liston, but the man kept getting up and fighting back hard against Ingemar Johansson in what has got to be the best trilogy in heavyweight history other than Ali versus Frazier.

I like Bob Foster a lot. He could crack. And he had a damn good jab. After all he was the first man to cut Ali with the accumulation of jabs. He certainly is one of the top 10 light heavyweights of all time--- but I think everyone he beat at 175 pounds, Patterson could have as well.

It would have been a fairly competitive contest early on, but the longer it goes the more Patterson takes over. I see either unanimous decision, or a stoppage somewhere after the 10th round.

[Scypion]

It's a shame but Patterson is rather underrated as a heavyweight. He may very well have had the fastest hands of any heavyweight champion in history at one point.

He may have been incapable of taking punches from the likes of Sonny Liston, but the man kept getting up and fighting back hard against Ingemar Johansson in what has got to be the best trilogy in heavyweight history other than Ali versus Frazier.

I like Bob Foster a lot. He could crack. And he had a damn good jab. After all he was the first man to cut Ali with the accumulation of jabs. He certainly is one of the top 10 light heavyweights of all time--- but I think everyone he beat at 175 pounds, Patterson could have as well.

It would have been a fairly competitive contest early on, but the longer it goes the more Patterson takes over. I see either unanimous decision, or a stoppage somewhere after the 10th round.

Well put.