If he did or didn't hit harder than Johansson, it certainly is always interesting to hear what a fighter says.
Considering it is Floyd Patterson, I'm not sure he is one to b.s. like some others who just want to play down the effect. But, who knows with any of them.
That's ************* by the way
It's just like the debates with Tyson not hitting harder than so and so with quotes backed up by fighters, or Marciano not hitting harder then so and so, Foreman, etc.
It's always interesting.
The facts though: Liston may not have hit harder with one solid punch, maybe, but he certainly was more effective in how he fought Patterson than Johansson was in their bouts considering the overall view.
So, it's not always about the single shot but about knowing what to do to get a guy in position to makes sure he is not going to win and he is going to need a pillow in....
Here is the entire interview:
Note: This Biofile interview was conducted in 1993.
Status: Former Heavyweight champion: 1956-60, 1961-62.
DOB: January 4, 1935 In: Waco, North Carolina
Residence: “New Paltz, NY. Since 1965.”
Childhood Heroes: “Joe Louis, he was my idol. I liked the way he carried himself. Ray Robinson. Of all the boxers I’ve seen in my life, only Robinson could do everything. Rocky Marciano. In my mind he was a guy with very little ability, but he still became heavyweight champion. I have never seen such a display of determination. He won his fights, every one of them, on sheer guts and determination.”
Hobbies/Interests: “Working with kids. That’s it.”
Nickname: “I never had a nickname, except for Rabbit from Cassius Clay.”
Early Boxing Memory: “I first started out with my two older brothers Billy and Frank. I carried their bags when I was 12. I was just released from a school where a judge sent me away to. I used to run away from home and steal at night. I watched my brothers train and I wanted to train so badly. Cus (D’Amato) asked me if I wanted to start and gave me some equipment. I started. I won the Golden Gloves when I was 16 and 17. I was Cus’s first Golden Gloves champ. But I learned so very much away at the school. A teacher there – Mrs. Costa – when I got to know her, she gave me confidence in so many ways. I had always felt stupid in school. I hated school. Then on Fridays, she used to have a question and answer session. She’d ask a question and who’d ever answer it would get a piece of candy. One time she asked a question and I thought to myself, I knew the answer. No one answered. Then she gave the answer and I was right. I knew it. I ran out of the classroom, down the hall. She chased after me and said, Floyd, I know you knew the answer. She gave me the candy. That was the beginning for me right there.”
Favorite Movie: “Casablanca.”
Musical Tastes: “Hillbilly. Hank Williams – better known as The Drifter. I loved his stuff. Boy, he wrote some beautiful stuff.”
Favorite Non-Boxing Sport To Play: “Training. Running. I like training. Almost every day. I fought at 190. Now I’m 190-195. Boxing is a sport I sincerely love. I just love.”
Greatest Sports Moment: “Winning the Olympics (gold medal as a middleweight in Helsinki, Finland in 1952). That is my greatest sports moment. Nothing will ever surpass that. It was a feeling I never had. Never in a million years did I expect to win. I asked God, Just let me win my first fight and I’ll be satisfied. I won my first by decision. Then I won the next three by knockout. I felt very, very proud. Almost as if I won a war for my country.”
Most Painful Moment: “When I lost the fight to Johansson. I felt like I let the whole country down. He took the title back to Sweden. I’d've given a million dollars if they’d cut a trap door in the ring and I could crawl through it to my dressing room. The walk through the crowd was worse than any physical pain I suffered. I always fought for people more than myself. I could accept defeat but I had disappointed all my fans. After losing to Johansson, I hid in my house for three weeks.”
Closest Boxing Friends: “Ingemar Johansson. I still see him. He has a place in Miami. He doesn’t like the cold in Sweden. I try to go over to Sweden every year. I’m very popular over there. When I lost my title, 80% of my mail came from Sweden. They wrote how sorry they were for me losing. After I regained the title, I went back. I was criticized for that – because they’re all white people over there. I don’t care about colors. I don’t see colors. They supported me and I appreciate it. I fought Johansson three times. When I visit, he takes me out to dinner and I take him out.”
Hardest Puncher(s): “Johansson – the hardest I’ve ever been hit. I don’t remember going down or getrting up. When Sonny Liston hit me, I remember going down and getting up. Of all the heavyweight champions, I’ve been knocked down the most. But when my fights were stopped, I was always standing up. So I also hold the record for getting up. The referee never said Ten and I was on the ground.”
Fights Most Concerned Before: “Whenever I had a fight, I wanted to have a lot of fear. Fear exhilarates everything – speed, power. The more fear I had, the better I fought.”
Pre-Fight Meal: “Steak, vegetables, potato. I’d eat at 2 or 3 in the afternoon if I was fighting at 10 p.m. One big meal a day.”
Toughest Opponents: “The two toughest both put me in bed. Hurricane Jackson – all he did was throw punches. And the Canadian, George Chuvalo. Very strong. Both were stronger than me. Both weighed a lot more. After Chuvalo, I nearly collapsed in the dressing room. I gave more in that fight than any other.”
Favorite Fights: “Cassius Clay-Joe Frazier III. The Thrilla in Manilla. Man, that was some fight. Rocky Marciano-Joe Walcott I.”
Interesting Fact: “I have no enemies. I like everybody. Even one’s who don’t like me, I like them [laughs].”
People Most Admired: “People at nursing homes. I go every week I’m here. Usually every Sunday for 2-3 hours. They’re my best friends. I enjoy talking with the people. I give Communion.”
Most Treasured Possession: “God. A long time ago he showed me he was there. I never forgot it. About 17 years ago my daughter Jennifer brought a little cat home. Every day she’d come home from school and say, Where’s the cat? Where’s the cat? One day, the cat got run over by a car. I prayed to God, What should I say to Jennifer? Every time I cry when I think about it. You probably won’t believe it. She didn’t ask about the cat until seven years later. He just took it out of her mind. What a clever way to do it. Everything dawned on me then.”
www.thebiofile.com
Note: One article I did read basically noted that out of all the punches Sonny could throw, most of all, people complained about Sonny's Jab. It had awesome power with it. And it was a punch he could keep hitting you with.
Considering it is Floyd Patterson, I'm not sure he is one to b.s. like some others who just want to play down the effect. But, who knows with any of them.
Hardest Puncher(s): “Johansson – the hardest I’ve ever been hit. I don’t remember going down or getting up. When Sonny Liston hit me, I remember going down and getting up. Of all the heavyweight champions, I’ve been knocked down the most. But when my fights were stopped, I was always standing up. So I also hold the record for getting up. The referee never said Ten and I was on the ground.”
http://www.*************.com/biofiles/floyd-patterson/
http://www.*************.com/biofiles/floyd-patterson/
It's just like the debates with Tyson not hitting harder than so and so with quotes backed up by fighters, or Marciano not hitting harder then so and so, Foreman, etc.
It's always interesting.
The facts though: Liston may not have hit harder with one solid punch, maybe, but he certainly was more effective in how he fought Patterson than Johansson was in their bouts considering the overall view.
So, it's not always about the single shot but about knowing what to do to get a guy in position to makes sure he is not going to win and he is going to need a pillow in....
Here is the entire interview:
Note: This Biofile interview was conducted in 1993.
Status: Former Heavyweight champion: 1956-60, 1961-62.
DOB: January 4, 1935 In: Waco, North Carolina
Residence: “New Paltz, NY. Since 1965.”
Childhood Heroes: “Joe Louis, he was my idol. I liked the way he carried himself. Ray Robinson. Of all the boxers I’ve seen in my life, only Robinson could do everything. Rocky Marciano. In my mind he was a guy with very little ability, but he still became heavyweight champion. I have never seen such a display of determination. He won his fights, every one of them, on sheer guts and determination.”
Hobbies/Interests: “Working with kids. That’s it.”
Nickname: “I never had a nickname, except for Rabbit from Cassius Clay.”
Early Boxing Memory: “I first started out with my two older brothers Billy and Frank. I carried their bags when I was 12. I was just released from a school where a judge sent me away to. I used to run away from home and steal at night. I watched my brothers train and I wanted to train so badly. Cus (D’Amato) asked me if I wanted to start and gave me some equipment. I started. I won the Golden Gloves when I was 16 and 17. I was Cus’s first Golden Gloves champ. But I learned so very much away at the school. A teacher there – Mrs. Costa – when I got to know her, she gave me confidence in so many ways. I had always felt stupid in school. I hated school. Then on Fridays, she used to have a question and answer session. She’d ask a question and who’d ever answer it would get a piece of candy. One time she asked a question and I thought to myself, I knew the answer. No one answered. Then she gave the answer and I was right. I knew it. I ran out of the classroom, down the hall. She chased after me and said, Floyd, I know you knew the answer. She gave me the candy. That was the beginning for me right there.”
Favorite Movie: “Casablanca.”
Musical Tastes: “Hillbilly. Hank Williams – better known as The Drifter. I loved his stuff. Boy, he wrote some beautiful stuff.”
Favorite Non-Boxing Sport To Play: “Training. Running. I like training. Almost every day. I fought at 190. Now I’m 190-195. Boxing is a sport I sincerely love. I just love.”
Greatest Sports Moment: “Winning the Olympics (gold medal as a middleweight in Helsinki, Finland in 1952). That is my greatest sports moment. Nothing will ever surpass that. It was a feeling I never had. Never in a million years did I expect to win. I asked God, Just let me win my first fight and I’ll be satisfied. I won my first by decision. Then I won the next three by knockout. I felt very, very proud. Almost as if I won a war for my country.”
Most Painful Moment: “When I lost the fight to Johansson. I felt like I let the whole country down. He took the title back to Sweden. I’d've given a million dollars if they’d cut a trap door in the ring and I could crawl through it to my dressing room. The walk through the crowd was worse than any physical pain I suffered. I always fought for people more than myself. I could accept defeat but I had disappointed all my fans. After losing to Johansson, I hid in my house for three weeks.”
Closest Boxing Friends: “Ingemar Johansson. I still see him. He has a place in Miami. He doesn’t like the cold in Sweden. I try to go over to Sweden every year. I’m very popular over there. When I lost my title, 80% of my mail came from Sweden. They wrote how sorry they were for me losing. After I regained the title, I went back. I was criticized for that – because they’re all white people over there. I don’t care about colors. I don’t see colors. They supported me and I appreciate it. I fought Johansson three times. When I visit, he takes me out to dinner and I take him out.”
Hardest Puncher(s): “Johansson – the hardest I’ve ever been hit. I don’t remember going down or getrting up. When Sonny Liston hit me, I remember going down and getting up. Of all the heavyweight champions, I’ve been knocked down the most. But when my fights were stopped, I was always standing up. So I also hold the record for getting up. The referee never said Ten and I was on the ground.”
Fights Most Concerned Before: “Whenever I had a fight, I wanted to have a lot of fear. Fear exhilarates everything – speed, power. The more fear I had, the better I fought.”
Pre-Fight Meal: “Steak, vegetables, potato. I’d eat at 2 or 3 in the afternoon if I was fighting at 10 p.m. One big meal a day.”
Toughest Opponents: “The two toughest both put me in bed. Hurricane Jackson – all he did was throw punches. And the Canadian, George Chuvalo. Very strong. Both were stronger than me. Both weighed a lot more. After Chuvalo, I nearly collapsed in the dressing room. I gave more in that fight than any other.”
Favorite Fights: “Cassius Clay-Joe Frazier III. The Thrilla in Manilla. Man, that was some fight. Rocky Marciano-Joe Walcott I.”
Interesting Fact: “I have no enemies. I like everybody. Even one’s who don’t like me, I like them [laughs].”
People Most Admired: “People at nursing homes. I go every week I’m here. Usually every Sunday for 2-3 hours. They’re my best friends. I enjoy talking with the people. I give Communion.”
Most Treasured Possession: “God. A long time ago he showed me he was there. I never forgot it. About 17 years ago my daughter Jennifer brought a little cat home. Every day she’d come home from school and say, Where’s the cat? Where’s the cat? One day, the cat got run over by a car. I prayed to God, What should I say to Jennifer? Every time I cry when I think about it. You probably won’t believe it. She didn’t ask about the cat until seven years later. He just took it out of her mind. What a clever way to do it. Everything dawned on me then.”
www.thebiofile.com
Note: One article I did read basically noted that out of all the punches Sonny could throw, most of all, people complained about Sonny's Jab. It had awesome power with it. And it was a punch he could keep hitting you with.
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