BoxRec

Apparently a deal was struck for SRR to step up to HW & challenge champion Floyd Patterson in 1959 for his title, but the bout was canned when Patterson got spanked by Johansson & SRR subseqently lost to Paul Pender.

The question is not if, but how Floyd would have beaten the legend that is SRR?

I just can't accept that even a fighter as legendary & as brilliant as SRR, could jump up 2 weight divisions & compete effectively at 39 yrs old, against a younger, stronger, faster & fresher, plus a lot bigger fighter.

I'm glad it never happened, because I think Floyd would have KO'd SRR pretty convincingly.

Very happy this fight did not happen. A KO loss to Patterson giving up 20 pounds might have seriously damaged Sugar Ray's health. He wasn't used to taking tremendous punishment, because he could either absorb it on the sides or dance away from it. Floyd's left hook can decapitate people (you saw Johansson's foot trembling) and SRR could not stay away from it for 15 rounds.