ATG Heavies who were KO'd early...

[CarlosG815]

I think Patterson could've been an ATG LHW and an argument can be made that he was an (maybe top 100) ATG for what he achieved at HW in spite of his diminutive size. But I wouldn't classify him as an ATG HW, though perhaps an argument can be made for him cracking a top 20 ATG HW list.

I agree, at LHW Floyd would have been unbeatable.

[crold1]

How many ATG heavyweights were KO'd early in a fight (within 5-6 rounds) from one punch from a far less superior fighter, as Lewis was to Rahman.



List off some other ATG heavies who were KO'd early and with only one punch.

He might have been finished with a single shot but a case can be made he was still buzzed from a mammoth shot within less than a minute earlier. It was a flush right, at center ring, and Rahman spun himself out before he could land again. Lewis was stunned badly there. It's not like Rock couldn't punch. Even if it was unofficial, he was the first guy to drop Tua.

[StarshipTrooper]

I think Patterson could've been an ATG LHW and an argument can be made that he was an (maybe top 100) ATG for what he achieved at HW in spite of his diminutive size. But I wouldn't classify him as an ATG HW, though perhaps an argument can be made for him cracking a top 20 ATG HW list.

I agree 100% that Patterson WOULD have been an ATG Light-Heavy had he stayed in that weight class.....but he didn't unfortunately. I DO, in fact, have him cracking my top-20 Heavyweights. The problem is there's only a dozen Heavyweights that I'd classify as ATGs so the best I can call Floyd is a "near-great". Believe me, my heart WISHES Floyd were an ATG, but my head and all emperical evidence tells me otherwise.

Poet

[sonnyboyx2]

Dempsey was being humble and wanted to take away the label of him throwing a fight which i believe he did... your link is from years after he retired from the ring and was idolized as a hero and not a slacker

[StarshipTrooper]

I agree, at LHW Floyd would have been unbeatable.

I would favor Ezzard Charles over him at Light-Heavy, maybe Gene Tunney and Archie Moore too, but that's about it: I'm certain he would have been a top-5 Light-Heavy at WORST had he made his career there.

Poet

[Kid McCoy]

Dempsey was being humble and wanted to take away the label of him throwing a fight which i believe he did... your link is from years after he retired from the ring and was idolized as a hero and not a slacker

I agree that Dempsey in old age liked to play the humble nice guy, much like George Foreman does now. But if he would never admit to the dive there isn't much else to go on. The ringside reports I've seen don't suggest a fix. Your link is a sportswriter writing years after the event who claims the fight was a fix without actually offering any evidence. As I said earlier I do have my su****ions about the fight but as no solid proof has ever emerged, anything anyone says is just speculation.

[Great John L]

Jack Johnson KO'ed in 3 rounds by Joe Choynski in 1901. Jack Dempsey and Flynn, but I take that one with a grain of salt due to fix rumors. Joe Louis really got wrecked a couple times when he first started boxing. Since there aren't too many greats to which this happen, next in line come the near great fighters. Patterson against Liston twice. Norton also wasn't a great but he got tanked several times in his career.

[TheMexHurricane]

Hall of Famer Floyd Patterson was KO'd early by the limited Ingemar Johansen but I don't recall if it was by one punch.

[Scott9945]

Winning it twice means he lost it twice. Next. I'd point out that Wilfred Benitez won a world title at age 17 but that ISN'T what makes him an ATG.

Poet

Right. It makes Benitez the best 17 y/o fighter ever. Tyson's greatness will be debated forever, but there is no denying that Mike was the best teenage heavyweight ever.

[Scott9945]

Hall of Famer Floyd Patterson was KO'd early by the limited Ingemar Johansen but I don't recall if it was by one punch.

One punch? Hardly. Ingo dropped Floyd at least 7 times in that fight.