What was so good about floyd patterson

[Rassclot]

the sad reality is David Haye knocks him out kold.

[edgarg]

olympic gold medalist with very very fast hands trained by the legendary cus. i believe he went on to become a two time world heavyweight champion.

very good fighter.

e had actually the fastest heavyweight hands ever, also was the first Heavyweigh Champion tho ever regain his title, which was considered impossible before he did it. He was really only a light muddleweight built up into a heavyweight, was too small and when he got older he took too much punishment. Poor guy. His chin wasn't really a heavyweight chin, of he'd stayed at middleweight or light heavy, would have been in my opinion and ATG.

He had the most beautiful left hook I have ever seen, the BEST. And had a single punch KO in either hand. So he was a bundle of contradictions. He reached his peak as champion with only one phony 8 rd loss against Joey Maxim. In the opinion of many, Marciano retired (just a week after he gave a RING interview saying that he was still learning and intended to fight for several more years...like Lennox Lewis) to avoid facing Patterson who had just blasted another fight and in fact succeeded Marciano just 5 months after he retired.

That's about it. I liked watching him because his unpredictable, lightning fast left hook, could end a fight in an eyeblink.

[edgarg]

the sad reality is David Haye knocks him out kold.

Only if he could hit him, but the chances are far, far greater that Patterson would KO Haye, because not only was he a better boxer, but much faster feet and hands and a KO in either hand, a genuine 1 punch KO. Haye's chin would never stand up to even one solid Patterson punch. He could hit you before you even realised his hands were moving. Ad he was extremely aggressive. Basically a killer. Like the later Tyson, produced by the same trainer, but without his chin or heft.

[Spray_resistant]

I know he was the yungest champ befor mike but wat was his strenghths...help me out

I ask the same about smokin Joe all of the time, don't see anything particularly special there other than heart and stamina.

[edgarg]

ppl mentioned very fast hands and thats what sticks out the most, hands, feet, headmovement and reflexes all very fast. on top of that some really underrated KO power, patterson knocked several world class HWs out cold with a single punch, his left hook was the most deadly punch but he was dangerous with both hands. really iced some top notch fighters.

very fundamentally sound. footwork, headmovement and form was all close to perfect. his only real flaw was his chin, it wasnt as bad as ppl make it out to be but not good enough to make him one of the very best HWs of all time. he was a very small HW, won olympic gold at MW and thats the reason he couldnt take shots from the big HW punchers.

what would have happened if he fought professionally as a Lt.HW or even a MW is a very interesting topic. he might have been one of the very best fighters ever p4p. it sure wouldve been interesting to see him fight a prime ezzard charles, joe walcott, bob foster or roy jones at 175lbs.

I'm just reading your post for the first time. I have already posted mine in which I said the very same things in almost the same words, in answer to another poster who appeared before yours so didn't see yours. BUT......Congratulations on being such a good poster........

[check hook]

He also had balls and principles. By many accounts he knew he didn't have much of a chance against Liston, but he fought him anyway, saying it would be wrong not to give him the opportunity.

[edgarg]

Speed, heart, humility.

Thanks for the memories....I never saw that first fight before-that was a pretty good opponen-t but saw Patterson's fights with Joey Maxim, Hurrican Carter, Archie Moore, and the 3 Johansen fights, etc. as well as many others.He stayed in the ring too long and took too much punishment.

Johansen was fancied to beat him, I used to read all the publicity of he and his girl friend Birgit someone, and recall him getting to the Olympic finals and being DQ for not fighting, against a US guy called Big Ed Saunders, I think.

Great fighter. Both he and Johansen died quite young, I think Patterson was about 70, and the New York State Athletic Commissioner for years, or something like that, until he voluntarily retired saying he was getting Alzheimer's (something like Ronald Reagan) Johansen died from Pugilistic Dementia. I liked him and always read any news about him.

There was a story that when he lost the first fight to Johansen, he was so ashamed that he left the stadium late, rigged out in a false beard and moustache. No doubt, he was a very modest, soft, spoken, and really nice guy.

[P4P_No1]

the sad reality is David Haye knocks him out kold.

how do you figure? What's it based on? Because Haye has KO'd some really great heavyweights?

[tennishero]

too small to be a heavyweught

was very humble- but that was because he was very insecure- he didnt believe in himself- the anti-ali

technically sound of course- his peek a boo stance- very tyson

[LeG00N]

Patterson was a beast!....

even till this day he's one of the fastest heavyweights