Seen on:
as known from New York Timesas known from USA Todayas known from yahoo!
VA

Respect: Jimmy Young was a damn good fighter

Jimmy Young was one of the best!
Publish Date: 02/26/2024
Fact checked by: Mike Goodpaster

Respect: Jimmy Young was a damn good fighter

When you go back to those days and talk about great fighters, Jimmy Young was one of those great fighters.” 

 Larry Holmes 

Almost

In 1976, Muhammad Ali fought a fighter from Philadelphia, but it wasn’t Joe Frazier.

Ali and Frazier had concluded their intense rivalry the year before. Check out the best new bookmakers for betting on boxing.

Jimmy Young was the other guy from Philadelphia.

Young was 27 and determined. Ali was 34 and bored with training.

Throughout his career, Jimmy Young paid his dues many times over. He earned every dime, picking up experience and extra money working as a sparring partner for Jerry Quarry, Ken Norton, and Frazier.  Young was an afterthought in the early 1970s, fighting eleven times, winning seven, losing four, and getting stopped by heavy-handed Earnie Shavers.

Losing can be a powerful learning lesson.

Young learned and worked.

Don’t punch with a puncher. Clean up your defense.

When he returned to the ring, he was a different guy, so different he didn’t lose a fight for the next three years.

Video: Jimmy Young - Highlights & Defensive Skills

Jimmy Young – Highlights & Defensive Skills

He traveled to the UK in 1974 to fight future European heavyweight champion Richard Dunn – winning by stoppage. He boxed circles around scary Jose Luis Garcia.

That same year he fought Shavers in a rematch. Young was boxing well until a vicious left hook felled him in round four. Most figured the fight was over.

Most were wrong. Young got up and started beating Shavers up. His rally continued till the end of the 10-rounder. The majority of writers at ringside figured he deserved the victory. The judges scored the fight a draw.

Undaunted, Young won his next four bouts in succession – the most impressive being a unanimous decision over contender Ron Lyle.

The outcome would earn Young a date with the reigning heavyweight champion of the world.

Jimmy Young had arrived, but who was he exactly? He was a little over six feet tall and weighed between 209 and 220 pounds-hardly the biggest guy in the room. Young didn’t punch very hard, more BB gun than magnum, though his right hand could surprise.

The key was he knew his strengths and weaknesses. Fast hands. His jab was solid, and his defense top-notch. More importantly, his boxing brain was calculating and educated.

Young fought Ali on April 30, 1976, in Landover, Md. The bout was a strange one. Ali was the aggressor for one of the few times in his long career. Young clipped him with jabs and occasional right hands. The fight was close and not very exciting. Young ducked between the ropes whenever Ali appeared to have an advantage, doing this on six different occasions. The move hurt Young in the eyes of the judges and boxing fans. When Young slipped between the ropes in round 12 – the referee called it a knockdown.

Ali pursued but missed more punches than he landed. Young busted Ali’s eardrum in the middle rounds. Ali did well in round nine by utilizing his jab, but Young clubbed him with shots down the stretch.

The Associated Press scored the fight 69-66 for Young.

The referee and two ringside judges saw the fight differently. Larry Barrett had Ali winning by two points. His counterpart and referee Tom Kelly judged Ali the victor by wide margins.  The reported crowd of 12,000 plus wasn’t happy about the verdict. Young beat Lyle again six months after losing to Ali. He thought he’d get a rematch with Ali, but  that fight never happened.

Young soldiered on, facing former heavyweight champion George Foreman in 1977 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The fight was billed as a title eliminator. Foreman was favored, though his vulnerabilities were apparent.

Video: Jimmy Young Documentary - The Master Boxer

Jimmy Young Documentary – The Master Boxer

For six rounds, Foreman chased while the crafty Young picked his spots. Foreman almost knocked out Young in round seven-though the effort exhausted him. Young took it to him the rest of the way, cementing his victory by flooring Foreman in round 12. Young was hopeful a rematch with Ali would finally materialize.

It didn’t.

Young fought Norton at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, NV. The fight didn’t excite but was competitive and hard to judge. Norton went to the body while Young countered. Norton won the fight by split decision.

Many felt Young had won.

Young was reportedly depressed for months after the fight, feeling wronged. His desire for boxing waned. He fell from contender to trial horse, losing decisions to Ossie Ocasio and Michael Dokes. Young flashed some of his old style against rising Gerry Cooney before a cut eye forced the fight to be halted. Young started another winning streak until the much younger Greg Page ended it.

In the early 1980s, Young lost five bouts in a row. His family and friends wanted him to stop fighting, but he wouldn’t. He hung around until 1990, finally walking away after being embarrassed by one Carl Porter, who was making his professional debut.

His life after boxing was riddled with drug, legal, and financial problems.

Pugilistic dementia beat him down.

Young was barely 50.

His life officially ended in 2005.

Because of his less than exciting boxing style, Jimmy Young has never received the respect he so rightfully earned. He fought in an era of titans, giving them all hell and beating several.

Respect earned and given.

Read Also
Esteban de Jesus, Roberto Duran y AIDS (1972-89)
Many of us dream of celebrity sports fame, but only cruel individuals ...
Some Assembly Required: The Story Behind Mego’s Muhammad Ali Action Figure
“Pretend you’re having a championship fight. Squeeze the trigger to make them ...
Bet365 Promo
Superman vs. Muhammad Ali: How the Heavyweight Champ and the Man of Steel Saved the World in 1978
Training The Mego toy corporation, arguably best known for its line of ...
Tommy Morrison and AIDS: The Truth about what happened, and how he Died.
Tommy Morrison burst onto the professional boxing scene in 1988. Following a ...
The Sunshine Showdown (aka/ “Down Goes Frazier”), Jamaica, 1973
“The Sunshine Showdown”, 1973, has lost some of its luster due to ...
What If: Rocky Marciano vs. Larry Holmes
Rocky Marciano is the only undefeated Heavyweight World Champion in boxing history. ...
Looking Back: George Foreman vs. Muhammad Ali
Forty-seven years ago, many said the fight between undisputed heavyweight champion of ...
Ranking the top 200 players in the NFL ahead of the 2021 season
This list isn’t based solely on performances from the 2020 NFL season. ...
Lady Tyger’s Tale: How Marian Trimiar Mauled the Boxing Establishment of the 1970s and 80s
To Feed the Ambition in Your Heart is Like Carrying a Tiger ...
Where Did You Go, Smokin’ Joe? To Starrcade and WrestleMania By Way of Puerto Rico
Starrcade ’84: The Million Dollar Challenge ‘Nature Boy’ Ric Flair, that “stylin’ ...
Top Brands
Top Bonuses
Real Prize
Real Prize
Real Prize Review
4.8/5
Stake.us
Stake.us
Stake.us Review
4.6/5
McLuck
4.6/5
MegaBonanza
MegaBonanza
MegaBonanza Review
4.5/5
Wow Vegas
Wow Vegas
Wow Vegas Review
4.5/5
CrownCoinsCasino
CrownCoinsCasino
CrownCoinsCasino Review
4.5/5
SportsMillions
SportsMillions
SportsMillions Review
4.4/5
PlayFame
PlayFame
PlayFame Review
4.4/5
Jackpota
Jackpota
Jackpota Review
4.4/5
MyPrize US
MyPrize US
MyPrize US Review
4.4/5
Real Prize
Real Prize Bonus
Up to 125 SC FREE + 625K Golden Coins + 1250 VIP Points
T&Cs apply
4.8/5
Stake.us
Stake.us Bonus
55 Stake Cash + 260K Gold Coins + 5% Rakeback
T&Cs apply
4.6/5
McLuck
McLuck Bonus
27.5 SC FREE and 57.5K Gold Coins
T&Cs apply
4.6/5
MegaBonanza
MegaBonanza Bonus
150% Purchase Offer: 25 SC FREE and 50K GC
T&Cs apply
4.5/5
Wow Vegas
Wow Vegas Bonus
35 SC FREE and 1.75M WOW Coins
T&Cs apply
4.5/5
CrownCoinsCasino
CrownCoinsCasino Bonus
100,000 Crown Coins & 2 Free Sweeps Coins
T&Cs apply
4.5/5
SportsMillions
SportsMillions Bonus
Get up to 33 Free SC + 7K Gold Coins
T&Cs apply
4.4/5
PlayFame
PlayFame Bonus
33 SC FREE and 90K Gold Coins
T&Cs apply
4.4/5
Jackpota
Jackpota Bonus
27.5 SC FREE and 57.5K Gold Coins
T&Cs apply
4.4/5
MyPrize US
MyPrize US Bonus
1 Sweeps Cash FREE and 1K Gold Coins
T&Cs apply
4.4/5
Our Team
Mike GoodpasterJosh SchwartzSimon BriffaMark LewisSamuel Teets
+8
Mike Goodpaster
Mike Goodpaster
Chief Editor
Josh Schwartz
Josh Schwartz
Editor
Simon Briffa
Simon Briffa
Sports Editor
Mark Lewis
Mark Lewis
Editor
Samuel Teets
Samuel Teets
US Sports Veteran
Author Icon
drjaygee
Editor
Find out what the legends have to say about sports this week....
Find out what the legends have to say about sports this week....

21+ and present in VA. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.

This site is using Cloudflare and adheres to the Google Safe Browsing Program. We adapted Google's Privacy Guidelines to keep your data safe at all times.
Virginia Town HallCloudflareSSL
Close
Our Sports Pros recommend these awesome sports betting sites this week:
BetMGM
BetMGM Bonus
Up To $1500 in Bonus Bets Paid Back if your First Bet Does Not Win
T&Cs apply, 21+
Promo Code:
Go to BetMGM
Get Bonus
FanDuel
FanDuel Bonus
Bet $5 Get $200 in Bonus Bets If Your Bet Wins!
T&Cs apply, 21+
Promo Code:
Go to FanDuel
Get Bonus
Bet365
Bet365 Bonus
Get $150 in Bonus Bets Win or Lose when you bet $5!
T&Cs apply, 21+
Subject to meeting qualifying criteria. Minimum wager $5. Minimum odds -500 or greater. $10 minimum deposit. Paid in Bonus Bets. Bonus Bets wager excluded from returns. New customers only. Available in app only. Max. prize, game restrictions, time limits and T&Cs apply. Deposit required. Bonus Bets wager excluded from returns. T&Cs, time limits and exclusions apply.Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler 21+
Promo Code:
Go to Bet365
Go to Bet365
×
Your Promo Code:
The bonus offer of was already opened in an additional window. If not, you can open it also by clicking the following link:
Play now