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JIMMY YOUNG vs. Muhammad Ali
vs. Gerry Cooney
vs. Michael Dokes
vs. George Foreman
vs. Ron Lyle II
vs. Ken Norton
vs. Greg Page
vs. Gerry Cooney
vs. Michael Dokes
vs. George Foreman
vs. Ron Lyle II
vs. Ken Norton
vs. Greg Page
Jimmy Young Fights on DVD
$14.95
$14.95
Fights in the set include:
Early fights
In his 11th professional fight, Young was matched against contender Earnie Shavers, who had a 42-2 record at the time
and suffered his first KO loss. After this Young went undefeated for three years which included a win over contender Ron
Lyle and a controversial draw in a re-match with Shavers (many observers scored the bout for Young)[1]. It would not
be the last time Young lost a decision in a big fight. It was still enough to earn him a title fight with Heavyweight Champion
of the World Muhammad Ali.
The Young-Ali fight
Young made his name when he fought Muhammad Ali in Landover, Maryland in April 1976 for the world heavyweight
title. Ali weighed in at 230 pounds, the highest for any of his fights up to that point (he would weigh 236.25 pounds in his
fight against Trevor Berbick), and was consequently slow and immobile throughout the bout. Six years younger and 25
pounds lighter, Young adopted a strategy of fighting aggressively from a distance, landing numerous light blows while
dodging and parrying Ali's counterpunches, and using his body blows, which had little power behind them but were
effective at scoring points. At close quarters, Young would turn passive. He retreated whenever possible, and often kept
his head ducked very low to avoid serious blows when Ali would fight from the inside. Despite his passivity, Young
clearly outlanded and outworked Ali, who was unable to land more than a few solid blows all night.
On several occasions when Ali was inside and Young had his back to the ropes, Young would intentionally put his head
or upper body out of the ring to compel the referee to separate the fighters. Ali's numerous illegal tactics in the bout also
went unpunished. To some, Young's was a brilliant strategy of neutralizing his opponent's strengths and forcing the bout to
be fought on his own terms, exposing Ali's inability to fight a counterpuncher. To others, it was boring and unworthy of a
championship bout.[citation needed]
The referee did at one point during the fight initiate a count due to Jimmy Young being outside the ropes. The fight went
the full 15 rounds with a controversial one-sided unanimous decision going to Ali. Referee Tom Kelly scored it 72-65;
judges Larry Barrett and Terry Moore had it 70-68 and 71-64, respectively.[1]
Ken Norton (a rival of Ali) who was commentating at ringside had the fight even on his own scorecard. Lester Bromberg
(former Ring magazine editor) called the decision a "travesty". New York Daily News reporter Dick Young said: "[Ali
won] by the grace of three hero worshipping fight officials. I believe many people, the voting officials among them, refuse
to believe what they see when one of their super-heroes doesn't function as expected."[2] According to boxing historian
Monte Cox, Young ought to have been declared winner based on "clean punching, defense and ring generalship"[3]
Some claimed that Young's performance should have earned him a rematch.
The Young-Foreman Fight
In November 1976 Young beat top contender Ron Lyle for the second time, winning 11 of 12 rounds on one judge's
card. In March 1977, Young then fought George Foreman in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Foreman was on his own 5-0-0
comeback after losing the title to Muhammad Ali in "The Rumble in the Jungle", including victories over top contenders
Ron Lyle and Joe Frazier.
The Young-Foreman fight was somewhat lackluster until the sixth round when Foreman started throwing more power into
his punches. Not to be outdone, Young did the same, showing his power in one of the few times in his career and stunning
Foreman in that round.[2] Through the remainder of the fight the two fighters often took turns throwing punches until their
arms were weary, while the other would 'rest his arms' while taking blows. Young even knocked Foreman down to a
knee while Foreman was off balance in the final round while earning a win by 12-round decision. Ring Magazine named
the Young-Foreman bout its 1977 "Fight of the Year".
Late-career
Young's next opponent was Norton - he had won five straight since his loss to Ali, including another unanimous decision
over Ron Lyle. In November 1977, Young lost a split decision in Las Vegas. The winner of the fight was later awarded
the WBC championship belt. Demoralised at having lost another close decision, Young went on a downward spiral,
losing his next 3 fights. A couple of those losses were to top heavyweight contender Gerry Cooney and future
heavyweight champion Michael Dokes.
Young began a comeback, going 5-0-0 including a TKO over previously unbeaten Gordon Racette. In 1982, Young's
comeback was cut short when he was defeated on points by future champion Greg Page. He became a "trial horse" for
emerging contenders, dropping decisions to more future champions in Tony Tucker and Tony Tubbs. He continued
fighting with mixed results until 1988.
Death
Young died on February 20, 2005 of a heart attack.
In his 11th professional fight, Young was matched against contender Earnie Shavers, who had a 42-2 record at the time
and suffered his first KO loss. After this Young went undefeated for three years which included a win over contender Ron
Lyle and a controversial draw in a re-match with Shavers (many observers scored the bout for Young)[1]. It would not
be the last time Young lost a decision in a big fight. It was still enough to earn him a title fight with Heavyweight Champion
of the World Muhammad Ali.
The Young-Ali fight
Young made his name when he fought Muhammad Ali in Landover, Maryland in April 1976 for the world heavyweight
title. Ali weighed in at 230 pounds, the highest for any of his fights up to that point (he would weigh 236.25 pounds in his
fight against Trevor Berbick), and was consequently slow and immobile throughout the bout. Six years younger and 25
pounds lighter, Young adopted a strategy of fighting aggressively from a distance, landing numerous light blows while
dodging and parrying Ali's counterpunches, and using his body blows, which had little power behind them but were
effective at scoring points. At close quarters, Young would turn passive. He retreated whenever possible, and often kept
his head ducked very low to avoid serious blows when Ali would fight from the inside. Despite his passivity, Young
clearly outlanded and outworked Ali, who was unable to land more than a few solid blows all night.
On several occasions when Ali was inside and Young had his back to the ropes, Young would intentionally put his head
or upper body out of the ring to compel the referee to separate the fighters. Ali's numerous illegal tactics in the bout also
went unpunished. To some, Young's was a brilliant strategy of neutralizing his opponent's strengths and forcing the bout to
be fought on his own terms, exposing Ali's inability to fight a counterpuncher. To others, it was boring and unworthy of a
championship bout.[citation needed]
The referee did at one point during the fight initiate a count due to Jimmy Young being outside the ropes. The fight went
the full 15 rounds with a controversial one-sided unanimous decision going to Ali. Referee Tom Kelly scored it 72-65;
judges Larry Barrett and Terry Moore had it 70-68 and 71-64, respectively.[1]
Ken Norton (a rival of Ali) who was commentating at ringside had the fight even on his own scorecard. Lester Bromberg
(former Ring magazine editor) called the decision a "travesty". New York Daily News reporter Dick Young said: "[Ali
won] by the grace of three hero worshipping fight officials. I believe many people, the voting officials among them, refuse
to believe what they see when one of their super-heroes doesn't function as expected."[2] According to boxing historian
Monte Cox, Young ought to have been declared winner based on "clean punching, defense and ring generalship"[3]
Some claimed that Young's performance should have earned him a rematch.
The Young-Foreman Fight
In November 1976 Young beat top contender Ron Lyle for the second time, winning 11 of 12 rounds on one judge's
card. In March 1977, Young then fought George Foreman in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Foreman was on his own 5-0-0
comeback after losing the title to Muhammad Ali in "The Rumble in the Jungle", including victories over top contenders
Ron Lyle and Joe Frazier.
The Young-Foreman fight was somewhat lackluster until the sixth round when Foreman started throwing more power into
his punches. Not to be outdone, Young did the same, showing his power in one of the few times in his career and stunning
Foreman in that round.[2] Through the remainder of the fight the two fighters often took turns throwing punches until their
arms were weary, while the other would 'rest his arms' while taking blows. Young even knocked Foreman down to a
knee while Foreman was off balance in the final round while earning a win by 12-round decision. Ring Magazine named
the Young-Foreman bout its 1977 "Fight of the Year".
Late-career
Young's next opponent was Norton - he had won five straight since his loss to Ali, including another unanimous decision
over Ron Lyle. In November 1977, Young lost a split decision in Las Vegas. The winner of the fight was later awarded
the WBC championship belt. Demoralised at having lost another close decision, Young went on a downward spiral,
losing his next 3 fights. A couple of those losses were to top heavyweight contender Gerry Cooney and future
heavyweight champion Michael Dokes.
Young began a comeback, going 5-0-0 including a TKO over previously unbeaten Gordon Racette. In 1982, Young's
comeback was cut short when he was defeated on points by future champion Greg Page. He became a "trial horse" for
emerging contenders, dropping decisions to more future champions in Tony Tucker and Tony Tubbs. He continued
fighting with mixed results until 1988.
Death
Young died on February 20, 2005 of a heart attack.
