A Boxing Memory: Jimmy Young
The two biggest fights in the career of Jimmy Young were ones he wasn't meant to win. In one of those, he should have won. The other he did win. But despite that upset victory over George Foreman in 1977, it didn't quite happen for Young. A fighter easily forgotten, certainly in comparison to the illustrious list of heavyweight contenders he had to share the ring and the limelight with.
Young shouldn't be forgotten. He had a career that deserves remembrance. His record deserves respect, but for the stroke of a pen, it could and should have been better. He was often viewed as just the opponent, a narrative he probably never ever escaped from. Muhammad Ali chose to fight him for that reason. A decision that very nearly backfired spectacularly. Make no mistake, Ali was lucky.
Born in Philadelphia in 1948, Young started boxing when he was just 14. He wanted to learn to defend himself after some thugs stole his radio. That initial walk to the 22nd Police Athletic League Center eventually morphed into something more. A decent amateur career with 15 wins in 21 fights that included two New Jersey Golden Gloves titles ended when Young needed additional money and turned professional in 1969. In those formative years, Young enhanced his income by sparring with the likes of Ali, Joe Frazier, Ken Norton, Oscar Bonavena, and Earnie Shavers. A murderous brigade of sparring partners. There must be easier ways to learn your trade.
Young had an arduous apprenticeship in the professional ranks, often matched above his then level, and early defeats scattered his record. A loss to Clay Hodges in his third fight was an early setback and was followed by defeats to the likes of Roy Williams, Randy Neumann, and Shavers. The big punching Shavers stopped Young in 3 rounds in 1973, which was his second consecutive loss following the points defeat to Neumann the previous year. But Young got his career going in the right direction following the stoppage loss to Shavers. He wouldn't lose again until Ali beat him on points in 1976. And many say Young didn't lose that night either.
Before the controversial loss to Ali, Young had a couple of trips to London, drawing with Billy Aird and beating Richard Dunn by a technical knockout in 8 rounds. A rematch with Shavers also ended in a draw in 1974. Not for the last time the overriding view was that Young was robbed and denied a rightful victory. But in his next fight, Young widely outpointed top contender Ron Lyle in 1975. A breakthrough performance that established Young as a serious contender for world honours in his own right. Three more wins followed the one over Lyle, and after a points win over Jose Roman, Young was matched with Ali for the heavyweight championship of the world in 1976.
Young 27 entered the Ali fight with an ordinary-looking record of 17-4-2 and was picked by Ali for a reason. The Philadelphia heavyweight was the supposed sacrificial lamb Ali needed at that stage of his career. Ali was 34, and he barely trained, sensing little danger from his old sparring partner. Weighing in at 230 lbs, his heaviest ever, Ali was sluggish throughout, and Young outlanded the champion in 12 of the 15 rounds. It seemed at the final bell that Young had achieved a minor miracle. But somehow, all three judges scored the fight to Ali, two of them by wide margins. One judge incredibly and inexplicably scored the first ten rounds for Ali. The crowd in Landover booed loud and hard. But it changed nothing. Young said he thought he had won. Many agreed. He demanded a rematch. It never came.
But Young kept going. And kept winning. Three more wins including a repeat win over Ron Lyle resulted in Young getting a fight with George Foreman in 1977 who was looking to earn another shot at Ali after suffering the only defeat of his career to Ali in Zaire three years earlier. Foreman was only 28, and the Ali loss was his only reversal in 46 fights, and yet again, Young found himself in the role of the opponent. Young travelled to San Juan in Puerto Rico, expected to lose. In round 7, he nearly did. Foreman badly hurt Young and was perhaps only a few punches away from finishing the fight. But Young survived and had Foreman down in the 12th and final round and earned a deserved points decision over the former champion. Foreman found Jesus, retired for ten years, and achieved a miracle even Jesus would have been proud of. But sadly for Young, his career had peaked.
Later that year, Young lost a close decision to Ken Noton in an eliminator for the WBC heavyweight title. It could have gone either way. Even Norton conceded that. But Young lost his love and ambition for the sport after the defeat to Norton, losing to fighters he shouldn't have. The opponent he was always perceived to be, became perception no longer. Turning up out of shape for two fights with Ossie Ocasio, Young lost twice on points. And the defeats kept coming. Michael Dokes and Gerry Cooney beat him, and even though Young managed five wins on the bounce in 1981, it was a false dawn. Future heavyweight champions Greg Page, Tony Tucker, and Tony Tubbs all beat him on points, as did Philipp Brown and Pat Cuillo in a five-fight losing streak from 1982-1984. Young finally retired in 1990, going out with a win against Carl Porter, who was making his professional debut. It was the only fight of Porter's career. Young finished with a 35-18-3 resume.
Young struggled in his later years battling financial, drug, and legal problems as well as constant health problems arising from his career in boxing. Young was only 56 when he died in 2005 from heart disease.
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