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. He has been named among the top 15 heavyweights of all time.
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. In 1995, Patterson was honored with the Barney Nagler Award by the BWAA in recognition of his long and meritorious service.
WWW Official Site

Early life

Born January 4, 1935, into a poor family in Waco, North Carolina, Patterson was one of eleven children. Savannah 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, in the neighborhood of Bedford–Stuyvesant otherwise known as Bed-Stuy. During this time, his parents were working extremely hard to provide for the family. There were eleven children to feed. Patterson felt helpless that he could not help his mother and father more. He felt stupid and powerless. Starting at the age of nine, Floyd became a truant and petty thief. It began with him stealing little things like milk and fruit to bring back to his mother to help. However, as he transitioned into a teenager, he would frequently be seen in court for stealing, truancy, and running away. He estimated that he had been in court, thirty to forty times. At age 10, a judge was so tired of seeing him in court that he was sent to the Wiltwyck School for Boys, a reform school in Esopus, New York, in September 1945. During this time, he was furious thinking he was being sent to jail until his mother explained the blessing. He credited this to 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.
Patterson's younger brother Raymond also became a professional heavyweight boxer. He has lived in Gothenburg, Sweden, since 1965 and has worked as a truck driver at Volvo Lastvagnar after his boxing career.

Olympic results

  • Round of 16: Defeated Omar Tebakka on points, 3–0
  • Quarterfinal: Defeated Leonardus Jansen by a first-round stoppage
  • Semifinal: Defeated Stig Sjölin by disqualification in the third round
  • Defeated Vasile Tiță by a first-round knockout
Patterson's amateur record was 40 wins and 4 defeats. He carried his hands higher than most boxers, in front of his face. Sportswriters called Patterson's style a "peek-a-boo" stance.

Professional 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.

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 laying 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 sixth round, Johansson caught Patterson with a solid right. But the power in Johansson's punches was gone. Patterson won the fight in the sixth round by knockout.
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.

Patterson vs. Liston I & II

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.
In David Remnick's book, King of the World, he calls Patterson a "sensitive" champion. Patterson was very open about his fears and feelings going into a fight, which was new behavior in the world of boxing. He was regarded as a very polite, well-mannered, and likeable champion. This contrasted the media's portrayal of Liston, whose mob ties and criminal history made it easy to paint as the villain of the fight. In the media, Patterson was painted as the good guy, and Liston was the antagonist. This rhetoric surrounded the fight, raising the stakes and putting pressure on Patterson to retain his title.
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. Despite the defeat, Patterson received $2 million, to be paid over 17 years.
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. It was the first million-dollar purse with both fighters receiving $1,434,000 each. 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. The Liston fights were the only times Patterson was actually counted out in his 20-year professional career.

After the title

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.

Muhammad Ali

Patterson was now the number-one challenger for the title held by Muhammad Ali. On November 22, 1965, in Las Vegas, in yet another attempt to be the first to win the world heavyweight title three times, he went into the fight with an injured sacroiliac joint which worsened after the first round and greatly reduced his mobility 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. Before the match, Patterson had said:
"This fight is a crusade to reclaim the title from the Black Muslims. As a Catholic, I am fighting Clay as a patriotic duty. I am going to return the crown to America."

Ali hit Patterson repeatedly with jabs from the second round until the referee stopped the fight in the 12th round. In the post-fight interview, Ali praised Patterson for being able to take punches and said Patterson's age counted against him.

End of career

Patterson remained a legitimate contender. In 1966 he traveled to England and knocked out British boxer Henry Cooper in the fourth round at Wembley Stadium.
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 final attempt at winning the title a third time, Patterson lost a controversial 15-round referee's decision to Jimmy Ellis in Stockholm, in 1968, despite breaking Ellis's nose and scoring a disputed knockdown.
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.
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. He completed the 1983 [New York City Marathon] in 3:35:27.
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

  • "It's easy to do anything in victory. It's in defeat that a man reveals himself."
  • "They said I was the fighter who got knocked down the most, but I also got up the most."
  • "When you have millions of dollars, you have millions of friends."
  • On boxing: "It's like being in love with a woman. She can be unfaithful, she can be mean, she can be cruel, but it doesn't matter. If you love her, you want her, even though she can do you all kinds of harm. It's the same with me and boxing. It can do me all kinds of harm but I love it."

Professional boxing record

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

Titles in boxing

Major world titles

''The Ring'' magazine titles

Undisputed titles