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Floyd Patterson is one of the most compelling stories in boxing, a sport in which us writers are drawn to the human element of the game. Patterson provided a specimen of a fighter who was as human as you and I.
He once criticised himself as a "coward", but anyone who was able to get up as many times as he did had a ton of balls. After losing a dubious decision to Joey Maxim for the 175 title, he moved up in 1956 and KO'ed Archie Moore to become the youngest heavyweight champion ever at 21. He lost it to the aloof Ingemar Johansen, getting bounced off the canvas 7 times in 3 rounds before the ref stopped the action. He returned in brutal fashion, destroying the Swede in the return to become the first champion to regain the title. After a scintillating rubber match that featured a first round that was simply breathtaking, he met his master in Sonny Liston, who stopped him twice in a total of 5 minutes to lose the title.
After the first loss, in which it was clearly a case of man against child, Patterson donned a disguise and escaped back to his training camp, where he stayed to avoid media. The second time around, Patterson came out to see if he had any shot, found out he didn't, went down, got up and then stayed down after absorbing tremendous punishment from a much stronger man.
Patterson came back with one of his most entertaining performances, besting George Chuvalo over 15 to earn a crazk at the new champ, Muhammad Ali. Patterson took the stance that he was America's Hope to rid the heavyweight division of an anti-American ****** who had betrayed his friend Malcolm X and was with the Nation of Islam, who he felt were the equivalent of shaking hands with the KKK. Patterson was an integrationist, a poster boy for the NAACP. Ali ruthlessly branded him the great white hope, a white man's favorite and a "good negro".
Ali wooped the man, ending the bout in 12 brutal rounds. When the referee waived off the bout, Patterson shook his head as to say that he didn't want the ref to intercede. He said that he wanted to get knocked out by a clean punch and go down like a champion, much in the way Archie Moore wanted to take the ten count like a champ.
After Ali went into exile in '67, Patterson dropped a decision to Jimmy Ellis in the WBA Heavyweight tournament and never was a serious contender again.
In his later years, Patterson presided as the commissioner of the NY State Boxing Commission, before an appearance in front of the grand jury determined that he had suffered severe memory impairment and stepped down. The Bedford Stuyvesant native died last year, a hero who proved that even the greats shed tears.
He once criticised himself as a "coward", but anyone who was able to get up as many times as he did had a ton of balls. After losing a dubious decision to Joey Maxim for the 175 title, he moved up in 1956 and KO'ed Archie Moore to become the youngest heavyweight champion ever at 21. He lost it to the aloof Ingemar Johansen, getting bounced off the canvas 7 times in 3 rounds before the ref stopped the action. He returned in brutal fashion, destroying the Swede in the return to become the first champion to regain the title. After a scintillating rubber match that featured a first round that was simply breathtaking, he met his master in Sonny Liston, who stopped him twice in a total of 5 minutes to lose the title.
After the first loss, in which it was clearly a case of man against child, Patterson donned a disguise and escaped back to his training camp, where he stayed to avoid media. The second time around, Patterson came out to see if he had any shot, found out he didn't, went down, got up and then stayed down after absorbing tremendous punishment from a much stronger man.
Patterson came back with one of his most entertaining performances, besting George Chuvalo over 15 to earn a crazk at the new champ, Muhammad Ali. Patterson took the stance that he was America's Hope to rid the heavyweight division of an anti-American ****** who had betrayed his friend Malcolm X and was with the Nation of Islam, who he felt were the equivalent of shaking hands with the KKK. Patterson was an integrationist, a poster boy for the NAACP. Ali ruthlessly branded him the great white hope, a white man's favorite and a "good negro".
Ali wooped the man, ending the bout in 12 brutal rounds. When the referee waived off the bout, Patterson shook his head as to say that he didn't want the ref to intercede. He said that he wanted to get knocked out by a clean punch and go down like a champion, much in the way Archie Moore wanted to take the ten count like a champ.
After Ali went into exile in '67, Patterson dropped a decision to Jimmy Ellis in the WBA Heavyweight tournament and never was a serious contender again.
In his later years, Patterson presided as the commissioner of the NY State Boxing Commission, before an appearance in front of the grand jury determined that he had suffered severe memory impairment and stepped down. The Bedford Stuyvesant native died last year, a hero who proved that even the greats shed tears.
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