Floyd Patterson


Floyd Patterson was an American professional boxer who competed from 1952 to 1972, and twice reigned as the world heavyweight champion between 1956 and 1962. At the age of 21, he became the youngest boxer in history to win the title, and was also the first heavyweight to regain the title after losing it. As an amateur, he won a gold medal in the middleweight division at the 1952 Summer Olympics.
In 1956 and 1960, Patterson was voted Fighter of the Year by The Ring magazine and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991.

Early life

Born January 4, 1935, into a poor family in Waco, North Carolina, Patterson was the youngest of eleven children. Savanah Joe Patterson was his first cousin from out of Arkansas. He went and visited during the early summer years. He experienced an insular and troubled childhood. His family moved to Brooklyn, New York, where Floyd was a truant and a petty thief. At age 10, he was sent to the Wiltwyck School for Boys, a reform School in upstate New York, which he credited with turning his life around. He stayed there for almost two years. He attended high school in New Paltz, New York where he succeeded in all sports.
Patterson took up boxing at age fourteen, and was training with the Bedford-Stuyvesant Boxing Association Gym. Three years later, he won the gold medal in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics as a middleweight. In 1952, he won the National Amateur Middleweight Championship and New York Golden Gloves Middleweight Championship. At that time he was spotted by Cus D'Amato, and trained at the Gramercy Gym.

Olympic results

Patterson's amateur record was 40 wins and 4 defeats.
Patterson carried his hands higher than most boxers, in front of his face. Sportswriters called Patterson's style a "peek-a-boo" stance.

Early pro career

Patterson turned pro and steadily rose through the ranks, his only early defeat being an eight-round decision to former Light Heavyweight Champion Joey Maxim on June 7, 1954, at the Eastern Parkway Arena in Brooklyn, New York.

Championship

Although Patterson fought around the light heavyweight limit for much of his early career, he and manager Cus D'Amato always had plans to fight for the Heavyweight Championship. In fact, D'Amato made these plans clear as early as 1954, when he told the press that Patterson was aiming for the heavyweight title. However, after Rocky Marciano announced his retirement as World Heavyweight Champion on April 27, 1956, Patterson was ranked by The Ring magazine as the top light heavyweight contender. After Marciano's announcement, Jim Norris of the International Boxing Club stated that Patterson was one of the six fighters who would take part in an elimination tournament to crown Marciano's successor. The Ring then moved Patterson into the heavyweight rankings, at number five.

Patterson vs. Moore

After beating Tommy "Hurricane" Jackson in an elimination fight, Patterson faced Light Heavyweight Champion Archie Moore on November 30, 1956, for the World Heavyweight Championship. He beat Moore by a knockout in five rounds and became the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in history, at the age of 21 years, 10 months, 3 weeks and 5 days. He was the first Olympic gold medalist to win a professional heavyweight title.
knocks out Floyd Patterson and becomes boxing heavyweight champion of the world, June 26, 1959.

Patterson vs. Johansson I, II & III

After a series of defenses against fringe contenders, Patterson met Ingemar Johansson of Sweden, the number one contender, in the first of three fights. Johansson triumphed over Patterson on June 26, 1959, with the referee Ruby Goldstein stopping the fight in the third round after the Swede had knocked Patterson down seven times. Johansson became Sweden's first World Heavyweight Champion, thus becoming a national hero as the first European to defeat an American for the title since 1933.
Patterson knocked out Johansson in the fifth round of their rematch on June 20, 1960, to become the first man in history to regain the Undisputed World Heavyweight Championship. Johansson hit the canvas hard, seemingly out before he landed flat on his back. With glazed eyes, blood trickling from his mouth and his left foot quivering, he was counted out. Johansson lay unconscious for five minutes before he was helped onto a stool.
A third fight between them was held on March 13, 1961 and while Johansson put Patterson on the floor, Patterson retained his title by knockout in the sixth round to win the rubber match in which Patterson was decked twice and Johansson, once in the first round. Johansson had landed both right hands over Floyd's left jab. After getting up from the second knockdown, Floyd abandoned his jab and connected with a left hook that knocked down Johansson. After that, Patterson came on with a strong body attack that wore down Johansson. In the 6th round, Johansson caught Patterson with a solid right. But the power in Ingemar's punches was gone. Patterson won the fight in the 6th round by knockout.

Patterson vs. Liston I & II

After the third Johansson fight, Patterson defended the title in Toronto on December 4 against Tom McNeeley and retained the title with a fourth-round knockout. However he did not fight number-one contender Sonny Liston. This was due in part to Cus D'Amato, who did not want Patterson in the ring with a boxer with mob connections. As a result, D'Amato turned down any challenges involving the IBC. Eventually, due to a monetary dispute with Jimmy Jacobs, Patterson removed D'Amato from handling his business affairs and agreed to fight Liston.
Leading up to the fight, Liston was the major betting-line favorite, though Sports Illustrated predicted that Patterson would win in 15 rounds. Jim Braddock, Jersey Joe Walcott, Ezzard Charles, Rocky Marciano and Ingemar Johansson picked Patterson to win. The fight also carried a number of social implications. Liston's connections with the mob were well known and the NAACP was concerned about having to deal with Liston's visibility as World Champion and had encouraged Patterson not to fight Liston, fearing that a Liston victory would tarnish the civil rights movement. Patterson said John F. Kennedy also did not want him to fight Liston.
Patterson lost his title to Liston in Chicago on September 25, 1962, by a first-round knockout in front of 18,894 fans. The two fighters were a marked contrast. In the ring, Liston's size and power proved too much for Patterson's guile and agility. However, Patterson did not use his speed to his benefit. According to Sports Illustrated writer Gilbert Rogin, Patterson did not punch enough and frequently tried to clinch with Liston. Liston battered Patterson with body shots and then shortened up and connected with two double hooks high on the head. The result at the time was the third-fastest knockout in boxing history. After being knocked out, Patterson left Comiskey Park in Chicago wearing dark glasses and a fake beard for the drive back to New York. After the fight, questions were raised on whether the fight was fixed to set up a more lucrative rematch. Overnight, Patterson seemed to lose his public support as a result of his swift knockout.
The rematch was set for April 1963; however, Liston injured his knee swinging a golf club and the fight was delayed three months to July 22. In Las Vegas that night, Patterson attempted to become the first boxer to win the heavyweight title three times, but Liston once again knocked him out in the first round. Patterson lasted four seconds longer than in the first bout.

Post-title career

Following these defeats, Patterson went through a depression. However, he eventually recovered and began winning fights again, including top victories over Eddie Machen and George Chuvalo; the Chuvalo match won The Rings "Fight of the Year" award.
Patterson was now the number-one challenger for the title held by Muhammad Ali. On November 22, 1965, in yet another attempt to be the first to win the world heavyweight title three times, Patterson lost by technical knockout at the end of the 12th round, going into the fight with an injured sacro-iliac joint in a bout in which Ali was clearly dominant. Ali called Patterson an "Uncle Tom" for refusing to call him Muhammad Ali and for his outspokenness against black Muslims. Instead of scoring a quick knockout, Ali mocked, humiliated and punished Patterson throughout the fight but was unable to knock him out before the referee finally stopped the fight in the 12th round.
Patterson remained a legitimate contender. In 1966 he traveled to England and knocked out British boxer Henry Cooper in just four rounds at Wembley Stadium.
'' episode as a landowner who is in danger of losing his property.
In September 1969 he divorced his first wife, Sandra Hicks Patterson, who wanted him to quit boxing, while he still had hopes for another title shot.
When Ali was stripped of his title for refusing induction into the military, the World Boxing Association staged an eight-man tournament to determine his successor. Patterson fought Jerry Quarry to a draw in 1967. In a rematch four months later, Patterson lost a controversial 12-round decision to Quarry. Subsequently, in a third and final attempt at winning the title a third time, Patterson lost a controversial 15-round referee's decision to Jimmy Ellis in Sweden, despite breaking Ellis's nose and scoring a disputed knockdown.
Patterson continued on, defeating Oscar Bonavena in a close fight over ten rounds in early 1972.
At age 37, Patterson was stopped after seven rounds with a cut eye while still competitive in a rematch with Muhammad Ali for the NABF heavyweight title on September 20, 1972. The defeat proved to be Patterson's last fight, although there was never an announcement of retirement.

Retired life

In retirement, he and Ingemar Johansson became good friends who flew across the Atlantic to visit each other every year and he served two terms as chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission. He was also inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991.
Patterson lived in New Paltz, New York for many years with his second wife, Janet Seaquist. They had two daughters, Jennifer and Janene. In 1982 and 1983 he ran the Stockholm Marathon together with Ingemar Johansson.
His adopted son, Tracy Harris Patterson, was a world champion boxer in the 1990s and was trained by Floyd during part of his career. They are the first father and son to win world titles in boxing. Floyd also trained Canadian heavyweight Donovan "Razor" Ruddock in 1992 for his fights with Greg Page, Phil Jackson, and Lennox Lewis.
The New Paltz High School football field was named "Floyd Patterson Field" in 1985.

Death

Patterson suffered from Alzheimer's disease and prostate cancer in his final years. He died at home in New Paltz, on May 11, 2006 at the age of 71. His body was buried at New Paltz Rural Cemetery in New Paltz, Ulster County, New York.

Quotes

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateAgeLocationNotes
64Loss55–8–1 Muhammad AliRTD7, 3:00Sep 20, 1972 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.For NABF heavyweight title
63Win55–7–1 Pedro AgostoTKO6, 3:00Jul 14, 1972 Singer Bowl, New York City, New York, U.S.
62Win54–7–1 Oscar BonavenaUD10Feb 11, 1972 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
61Win53–7–1 Charlie HarrisKO6, 2:31Nov 23, 1971 Multnomah County Exposition Center, Portland, Oregon, U.S.
60Win52–7–1 Vic BrownUD10Aug 21, 1971 Peace Bridge Arena, Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada
59Win51–7–1 Charley PoliteUD10Jul 17, 1971 Erie Arena, Erie, Pennsylvania, U.S.
58Win50–7–1 Terry DanielsUD10May 26, 1971 Cleveland Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
57Win49–7–1 Roger RussellTKO9, 1:29Mar 29, 1971 Philadelphia Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
56Win48–7–1 Levi ForteKO2, 2:20Jan 16, 1971 Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
55Win47–7–1 Charley GreenKO10, 1:15Sep 15, 1970 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
54Loss46–7–1 Jimmy EllisPTS15Sep 14, 1968 Råsunda Stadium, Stockholm, SwedenFor WBA heavyweight title
53Loss46–6–1 Jerry Quarry12Oct 28, 1967 Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
52Draw46–5–1 Jerry Quarry12Jun 9, 1967 Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
51Win46–5 Bill McMurrayKO1, 2:37Mar 30, 1967 Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
50Win45–5 Willie JohnsonKO3, 2:05Feb 13, 1967 Municipal Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
49Win44–5 Henry CooperKO4, 2:10Sep 20, 1966 Empire Pool, London, England
48Loss43–5 Muhammad AliTKO12, 2:18Nov 22, 1965 Las Vegas Convention Center, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.For WBC, The Ring, and lineal heavyweight titles
47Win43–4 Tod HerringTKO3, 0:40May 14, 1965 Stockholm, Sweden
46Win42–4 George ChuvaloUD12Feb 1, 1965 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
45Win41–4 Charlie PowellKO6, 1:21Dec 12, 1964 Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico
44Win40–4 Eddie Machen12Jul 5, 1964 Råsunda Stadium, Stockholm, Sweden
43Win39–4 Santo AmontiTKO8, 2:25Jan 6, 1964 Stockholm, Sweden
42Loss38–4 Sonny ListonKO1, 2:10Jul 22, 1963 Las Vegas Convention Center, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.For WBA, The Ring, and lineal heavyweight titles
For inaugural WBC heavyweight title
41Loss38–3 Sonny ListonKO1, 2:06Sep 25, 1962 Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.Lost WBA, The Ring and lineal heavyweight titles
40Win38–2 Tom McNeeleyKO4, 2:51Dec 4, 1961 Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaRetained NBA, The Ring and lineal heavyweight titles
39Win37–2 Ingemar JohanssonKO6, 2:45Mar 13, 1961 Exhibition Hall, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.Retained NBA, The Ring and lineal heavyweight titles
38Win36–2 Ingemar JohanssonKO5, 1:51Jun 20, 1960 Polo Grounds, New York City, New York, U.S.Won NBA, The Ring and lineal heavyweight titles
37Loss35–2 Ingemar JohanssonTKO3, 2:03Jun 26, 1959 Yankee Stadium, New York City, New York, U.S.Lost NBA, The Ring and lineal heavyweight titles
36Win35–1 Brian LondonKO11, 0:51May 1, 1959 Fairgrounds Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.Retained NBA, The Ring and lineal heavyweight titles
35Win34–1 Roy HarrisRTD12 Aug 18, 1958 Wrigley Field, Los Angeles, California, U.S.Retained NBA, The Ring and lineal heavyweight titles
34Win33–1 Pete RademacherKO6, 2:57Aug 22, 1957 Sick's Stadium, Seattle, Washington, U.S.Retained NBA, The Ring and lineal heavyweight titles
33Win32–1 Tommy JacksonTKO10, 1:52Jul 29, 1957 Polo Grounds, New York City, New York, U.S.Retained NBA, The Ring and lineal heavyweight titles
32Win31–1 Archie MooreKO5, 2:27Nov 30, 1956 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.Won vacant NBA, The Ring, and lineal heavyweight titles
31Win30–1 Tommy JacksonSD12Jun 8, 1956 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
30Win29–1 Alvin WilliamsKO3, 1:58Apr 10, 1956 Memorial Hall, Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
29Win28–1 Jimmy WallsTKO2, 2:29Mar 12, 1956 New Britain, Connecticut, U.S.
28Win27–1 Jimmy SladeTKO7, 2:05Dec 8, 1955 Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
27Win26–1 Calvin BradKO1, 2:58Oct 13, 1955 Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
26Win25–1 Dave WhitlockKO3, 0:52Sep 29, 1955 Winterland Arena, San Francisco, California, U.S.
25Win24–1 Alvin WilliamsTKO8, 2:28Sep 8, 1955 Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada
24Win23–1 Archie McBrideKO7, 1:46Jul 6, 1955 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
23Win22–1 Yvon Durelle5 Jun 23, 1955 Newcastle, New Brunswick, Canada
22Win21–1 Esau FerdinandTKO10, 2:49Mar 17, 1955 Civic Auditorium, Oakland, California, U.S.
21Win20–1 Don GrantTKO5, 1:13Jan 17, 1955 Eastern Parkway Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
20Win19–1 Willie TroyTKO5 Jan 7, 1955 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
19Win18–1 Jimmy SladeUD8Nov 19, 1954 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
18Win17–1 Joe GannonUD8Oct 22, 1954 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
17Win16–1 Esau FerdinandUD8Oct 11, 1954 St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
16Win15–1 Tommy HarrisonTKO1, 1:29Aug 2, 1954 Eastern Parkway Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
15Win14–1 Jacques Royer CrecyTKO7 Jul 12, 1954 St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
14Loss13–1 Joey MaximUD8Jun 7, 1954 Eastern Parkway Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
13Win13–0 Jesse TurnerUD8May 10, 1954 Eastern Parkway Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
12Win12–0 Alvin WilliamsUD8Apr 19, 1954 Eastern Parkway Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
11Win11–0 Sammy BrownTKO2, 1:40Mar 30, 1954 Turner's Arena, Washington, D.C., U.S.
10Win10–0 Yvon DurelleUD8Feb 15, 1954 Eastern Parkway Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
9Win9–0 Dick WagnerTKO5, 2:29Dec 14, 1953 Eastern Parkway Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
8Win8–0 Wes Bascom8Oct 19, 1953 Eastern Parkway Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
7Win7–0 Gordon WallaceTKO3, 0:52Jun 1, 1953 Eastern Parkway Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
6Win6–0 Dick Wagner8Apr 13, 1953 Eastern Parkway Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
5Win5–0 Chester MieszalaTKO5, 1:25Jan 28, 1953 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
4Win4–0 Lalu SabotinTKO5, 1:30Dec 29, 1952 Eastern Parkway Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
3Win3–0 Lester JohnsonTKO3, 1:26Oct 31, 1952 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
2Win2–0 Sammy Walker2, 0:47Oct 6, 1952 Eastern Parkway Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
1Win1–0 Eddie Godbold4, 1:39Sep 12, 1952 St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.