[Robert's-Theory of Terrorism in Gestalt Psychology] Floyd Patterson
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Robert Nyakundi
Mar 12, 2010, 6:50:35 AM3/12/10
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 | |
| Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Real name | Floyd Patterson |
| Nickname(s) | The Gentleman of Boxing |
| Rated at | Light heavyweight Heavyweight |
| Nationality | USA |
| Birth date | January 4, 1935 |
| Birth place | Waco, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Death date | May 11, 2006 (aged 71) |
| Death place | New Paltz, New York, U.S. |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 64 |
| Wins | 55 |
| Wins by KO | 40 |
| Losses | 8 |
| Draws | 1 |
| No contests | 0 |
Floyd Patterson (January 4, 1935 – May 11, 2006 in Waco, North Carolina) was an American 2-time world heavyweight boxing champion. At 21, Patterson was then the youngest man to win the world heavyweight championship and, later, the first to regain it. He had a record of 55 wins 8 losses and 1 draw, with 40 wins by knockout. He won gold for the United States at the 1952 Olympic Games as an amateur middleweight.
Contents[hide] |
[edit]Childhood and amateur career
Born into a poor family in Waco, North Carolina, Patterson was the youngest of eleven children and experienced an insular and troubled childhood. His family moved to Brooklyn, New York, where Floyd was a truant and petty thief. At age ten, he was sent to the Wiltwyck School for Boys, a reform school in upstateNew York, which he credited with turning his life around. He stayed there for almost 2 years.
At age fourteen he started to box, trained by Cus D'Amato at his Gramercy Gym. Aged just 17, Patterson won the Gold medal in the 1952 Helsinki Olympicsas a middleweight. 1952 turned out to be a good year for the young Patterson; in addition to Olympic gold Patterson won the National Amateur Middleweight Championship and New York Golden Gloves Middleweight championship.
By the 1950s, Patterson was a resident of Rockville Centre, New York.[1]
[edit]Olympic Results
| Olympic medal record | ||
| Men's Boxing | ||
|---|---|---|
Competitor for  United States | ||
| Gold | 1952 Helsinki | Middleweight |
- Defeated Omar Tebakka, points
- Defeated Leonardus Jansen KO 1
- Defeated Stig Sjolin DQ 3
- Defeated Vassile Tita KO 1
Patterson's amateur record over 44 fights was 40-4, with 37 knockouts.
Patterson carried his hands higher than most boxers, in front of his face. Sportswriters called Patterson's style a "peek-a-boo" stance.
[edit]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 Maximon June 7, 1954, at the Eastern Parkway Arena in Brooklyn, New York.
[edit]Champion
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.[2] However, after Rocky Marciano announced his retirement as heavyweight champion of the world on April 27 1956, Patterson was ranked by 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. Ring then moved Patterson into the heavyweight rankings, at number five.[3]
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 and 10 months. He was the first Olympic gold medalist to win a professional heavyweight title.
After a series of defenses, Patterson met Ingemar Johansson of Sweden, 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 that country's first world heavyweight champion, thus becoming a national hero in Sweden 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 to regain the undisputed world heavyweight title. 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 Johannson once in the first round.
[edit]Patterson vs. Liston
After the third Johansson fight Patterson defeated a variety of contenders, including 1956 Olympic Champion Pete Rademacher fighting in his first professional match, 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 International Boxing Club (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 the fight, Sonny Liston was the major betting line favorite, though Sports Illustrated predicted that Patterson would win in 15 rounds. James J. Braddock, 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. [4] Patterson also claimed that John F. Kennedy did not want him to fight Liston either.[5]
Patterson lost his title to Liston on September 25, 1962 in Chicago, 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 didn't 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 3rd fastest knockout in boxing history.[6] 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 wether or not 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.[7]
The rematch was set for April 1963, however Liston injured his knee swinging a golf club and the fight was delayed to July 22, 1963. 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.
[edit]Later Career
Following these defeats, Patterson went through a depression. However, he eventually recovered and began winning fights again, including victories over Eddie Machen and George Chuvalo. Patterson became the number one challenger for the title then held by Muhammad Ali. On November 22, 1965, in yet another attempt to be the first to win the world's heavyweight title three times, Patterson lost by technical knockout at the end of the 12th round, in a bout in which Ali was clearly dominant. [8] Ali called Patterson an "Uncle Tom" for refusing to call him Muhammad Ali, (Patterson continued to call him Cassius Clay) and for this outspokenness against Black Muslims.[9] Instead of scoring a quick knockout, Ali mocked, humiliated and punished Patterson throughout the fight. [10]
Despite this loss, Patterson was still a legitimate contender. In 1966 he traveled to England and knocked out British boxer Henry Cooper in just four rounds at Wembley Stadium. In comparison, Ali never scored a knockdown against Cooper in their two bouts.
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 lost a controversial 12-round decision to Jerry Quarry in 1967. 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' nose and scoring a disputed knockdown.
Patterson continued on, however, defeating Oscar Bonavena in a close fight over ten rounds in early 1972. However, a final defeat by Muhammad Ali in a rematch for the North American Boxing Federationheavyweight title on September 20, 1972, convinced Patterson to retire at the age of 37.
[edit]Retired life
In retirement, he and Johansson became good friends who flew across the Atlantic to visit each other every year, and he became chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission. He was also inducted into the International Boxing Hall Of Fame.
In 1982 and 1983 he ran the Stockholm Marathon together with Ingemar Johansson.
Patterson lived in New Paltz, New York for many years and was known as a true gentleman around town. He was a Latin Rite Catholic convert and a member of the Knights of Columbus.
His adopted son, Tracy Harris Patterson, was a world champion boxer in the 1990s and was trained by Floyd during part of his career. Floyd also trained Canadian heavyweight Donovan "Razor" Ruddockin 1992 for this fight with Greg Page.[11]
The New Paltz High School football field was named "Floyd Patterson Field" in 1985.
[edit]Death
Floyd Patterson suffered from Alzheimer's disease and prostate cancer and had been hospitalized for a week prior to his death. He died at home in New Paltz in 2006 at age 71. He is buried at New Paltz Rural Cemetery in New Paltz, Ulster County, New York.
[edit]Pop Culture References
- Patterson is mentioned in the Billy Joel song We Didn't Start the Fire, "Liston beats Patterson."
- Patterson is mentioned in the Swedish rock group Eldkvarns song "Alice", that deals with childhood memories from Norrköping in the 1950s. The line: "Sen kom Floyd Patterson på ett lastbilsflak" refers to Floyd Patterson touring Sweden in August 1960. He was paraded through Norrköping on a flat bed truck waving to the crowds.
- In the Mad Men episode Six Month Leave, Patterson is noted as being at the same underground casino as the show's characters. He does appear on-screen. Insult comic Jimmy Barrett speaks to him after being punched by another character.
[edit]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." [1]
- 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."
[edit]See also
[edit]Professional boxing record
| 55 Wins (40 knockouts, 15 decisions), 8 Losses (5 KO, 3 Decisions), 1 Draw[12] | |||||||
| Res. | Opponent | Type | Rd., Time | Date | Location | Notes | |
| Loss | Muhammad Ali | TKO | 7 (15) | 1972-09-20 | New York, NY, USA | Fight was for NABF Heavyweight title | |
| Win | Pedro Agosto | TKO | 6 (10) 3:00 | 1972-07-14 | Queens, NY, USA | ||
| Win | Oscar Bonavena | Decision (unanimous) | 10 (10) | 1972-02-11 | New York, NY, USA | ||
| Win | Charlie Harris | KO | 6 (10) 2:41 | 1971-11-23 | Portland, OR, USA | ||
| Win | Vic Brown | Decision (unanimous) | 10 (10) | 1971-08-21 | Buffalo, NY, USA | ||
| Win | Charley Polite | Decision | 10 (10) | 1971-07-17 | Erie, PA, USA | ||
| Win | Terry Daniels | Decision (unanimous) | 10 (10) | 1971-05-26 | Cleveland, OH, USA | ||
| Win | Roger Russell | TKO | 9 (10) 1:29 | 1971-03-29 | Philadelphia, PA, USA | ||
| Win | Levi Forte | KO | 2 (10) | 1971-01-16 | Miami, FL, USA | ||
| Win | Charley Green | KO | 10 (10) 1:15 | 1970-09-15 | New York, NY, USA | ||
| Loss | Jimmy Ellis | Decision | 12 (12) | 1968-09-14 |  Stockholm, Sweden | Fight was for WBA World Heavyweight title | |
| Loss | Jerry Quarry | Decision (majority) | 12 (12) | 1967-10-28 | Los Angeles, CA, USA | ||
| Draw | Jerry Quarry | Decision (majority) | 10 (10) | 1967-06-09 | Los Angeles, CA, USA | ||
| Win | Bill McMurray | KO | 1 (10) 2:37 | 1967-03-30 | Pittsburgh, PA, USA | ||
| Win | Willie Johnson | KO | 3 (10) 2:05 | 1967-02-13 | Miami, FL, USA | ||
| Win | Henry Cooper | KO | 4 (10) 2:10 | 1966-09-20 |  London, United Kingdom | ||
| Loss | Muhammad Ali | TKO | 12 (15) 2:18 | 1965-11-22 | Las Vegas, NV, USA | Fight was for World Heavyweight title | |
| Win | Tod Herring | TKO | 3 (10) 0:40 | 1965-05-14 | Stockholm, Sweden | ||
| Win | George Chuvalo | Decision (unanimous) | 12 (12) | 1965-02-01 | New York, NY, USA | ||
| Win | Charley Powell | KO | 6 (10) 1:21 | 1964-12-12 |  San Juan, Puerto Rico | ||
| Win | Eddie Machen | Decision | 12 (12) | 1964-07-05 | Solna, Sweden | ||
| Win | Santo Amonti | TKO | 8 (10) | 1964-01-06 | Stockholm, Sweden | ||
| Loss | Sonny Liston | KO | 1 (15) 2:09 | 1963-07-22 | Las Vegas, NV, USA | Fight was for World Heavyweight title | |
| Loss | Sonny Liston | KO | 1 (15) 2:05 | 1962-09-25 | Chicago, IL, USA | Lost World Heavyweight title | |
| Win | Tom McNeeley | KO | 4 (15) 2:51 | 1961-12-04 |  Toronto, Canada | Retained World Heavyweight title | |
| Win | Ingemar Johansson | KO | 6 (15) 2:45 | 1961-03-13 | Miami, FL, USA | Retained World Heavyweight title | |
| Win | Ingemar Johansson | KO | 5 (15) 1:51 | 1960-06-20 | New York, NY, USA | Won World Heavyweight title | |
| Loss | Ingemar Johansson | TKO | 3 (15) 2:03 | 1959-06-26 | Bronx, NY, USA | Lost World Heavyweight title | |
| Win | Brian London | KO | 11 (15) 0:51 | 1959-05-01 | Indianapolis, IN, USA | Retained World Heavyweight title | |
| Win | Roy Harris | Corner Retirement | 12 (15) | 1958-08-18 | Los Angeles, CA, USA | Retained World Heavyweight title | |
| Win | Pete Rademacher | KO | 6 (15) 2:57 | 1957-08-22 | Seattle, WA, USA | Retained World Heavyweight title | |
| Win | Tommy Jackson | TKO | 10 (15) 1:52 | 1957-07-29 | New York, NY, USA | Retained World Heavyweight title | |
| Win | Archie Moore | KO | 5 (15) 2:27 | 1956-11-30 | Chicago, IL, USA | Won vacant World Heavyweight title | |
| Win | Tommy Jackson | Decision (split) | 12 (12) | 1956-06-08 | New York, NY, USA | ||
| Win | Alvin Williams | KO | 3 (10) 1:58 | 1956-04-10 | Kansas City, MO, USA | ||
| Win | Jimmy Walls | TKO | 2 (10) 2:29 | 1956-03-12 | New Britain, CT, USA | ||
| Win | Jimmy Slade | TKO | 7 (10) 2:05 | 1955-12-08 | Los Angeles, CA, USA | ||
| Win | Calvin Brad | KO | 1 (10) 2:58 | 1955-10-13 | Los Angeles, CA, USA | ||
| Win | Dave Witlock | KO | 3 (10) 0:52 | 1955-09-29 | San Francisco, CA, USA | ||
| Win | Alvin Williams | TKO | 8 (10) | 1955-09-08 | New Brunswick, Canada | ||
| Win | Archie McBride | KO | 7 (10) | 1955-07-06 | New York, NY, USA | ||
| Win | Yvon Durelle | Corner Retirement | 5 (10) | 1955-06-23 | New Brunswick, Canada | ||
| Win | Esau Ferdinand | KO | 10 (10) 2:49 | 1955-03-17 | Oakland, CA, USA | ||
| Win | Don Grant | TKO | 5 (10) 1:13 | 1955-01-17 | Brooklyn, NY, USA | ||
| Win | Willie Troy | TKO | 5 (8) | 1955-01-07 | New York, NY, USA | ||
| Win | Jimmy Slade | Decision (unanimous) | 8 (8) | 1954-11-19 | New York, NY, USA | ||
| Win | Joe Gannon | Decision (unanimous) | 8 (8) | 1954-10-12 | New York, NY, USA | ||
| Win | Esau Ferdinand | Decision (unanimous) | 8 (8) | 1954-10-11 | New York, NY, USA | ||
| Win | Tommy Harrison | TKO | 1 (8) 1:29 | 1954-08-02 | Brooklyn, NY, USA | ||
| Win | Jacques Royer Crecy | TKO | 7 (8) | 1954-07-12 | New York, NY, USA | ||
| Loss | Joey Maxim | Decision (unanimous) | 8 (8) | 1954-06-07 | Brooklyn, NY, USA | ||
| Win | Jesse Turner | Decision (unanimous) | 8 (8) | 1954-05-10 | Brooklyn, NY, USA | ||
| Win | Alvin Williams | Decision (unanimous) | 8 (8) | 1954-04-19 | Brooklyn, NY, USA | ||
| Win | Sammy Brown | TKO | 2 (12) 1:40 | 1954-03-30 | Washington DC, USA | ||
| Win | Yvon Durelle | Decision (unanimous) | 8 (8) | 1954-02-15 | Brooklyn, NY, USA | ||
| Win | Dick Wagner | TKO | 5 (8) | 1953-11-14 | Louisville, KY, USA | ||
| Win | Wes Bascom | Decision (unanimous) | 8 (8) | 1953-10-19 | Brooklyn, NY, USA | ||
| Win | Gordon Wallace | TKO | 3 (8) 0:52 | 1953-06-01 | Brooklyn, NY, USA | ||
| Win | Dick Wagner | Decision (split) | 8 (8) | 1961-04-19 | Brooklyn, NY, USA | ||
| Win | Chester Mieszala | TKO | 5 (6) 1:25 | 1953-01-28 | Chicago, IL, USA | ||
| Win | Lalu Sabotin | TKO | 5 (8) 1:30 | 1952-12-29 | Brooklyn, NY, USA | ||
| Win | Lester Johnson | TKO | 3 (6) 1:26 | 1952-10-31 | New York, NY, USA | ||
| Win | Sammy Walker | TKO | 2 (6) 0:47 | 1952-10-06 | Brooklyn, NY, USA | ||
| Win | Eddie Godbold | KO | 4 (6) 1:39 | 1952-09-12 | New York, NY, USA | ||
[edit]References
- Dahlberg, Tim (2006-05-11). "Former Boxer Floyd Patterson Dies at 71". Washington Post.
- Mulvaney, Kieran, Patterson an all-time great outside the ropes. ESPN.com, May 12, 2006.
- Victory Over Myself by Floyd Patterson with Milton Gross. Published by Bernard Geis Associates, distributed by Random House, 1962. Library of Congress Catalog Number: 62-15657.
[edit]External links
- Professional boxing record for Floyd Patterson from Boxrec
- Sports E-Cyclopedia's Memoriam to Floyd Patterson
- Floyd Patterson Obituary and Public Tributes
- Floyd Patterson at Findagrave.com
- SPORT magazine, November 1960
- svenska.yle.fi/arkivet: Interview with Floyd Patterson and Ingemar Johansson
[edit]References and Notes
- ^ Nichols, Joseph C. "30,000 EXPECTED AT POLO GROUNDS; Johansson's First Defense Likely to Bring Receipts of $750,000 at Gate", The New York Times, June 19, 1960. Accessed December 8, 2007. "Ingemar Johansson, a 27-year-old native of Goteborg Sweden, will make the first defense of his world heavyweight championship tomorrow night. He will oppose the previous title-holder, Floyd Patterson of Rockville Centre, L.I., in a fight scheduled for fifteen rounds at the Polo Grounds."
- ^ Weston, Stanley (editor) (1996). The Best of the Ring. Chicago, IL: Bonus Books. pp. 183. ISBN 1-56625-056-0.
- ^ Daniel, Dan (August 2005), ""I Won't Be Back," Says Marciano", The Ring 84, no. 8: 90–91
- ^ Esquire covers commemorate boxing's prime
- ^ http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/05/11/sportsline/main1610954.shtml Ex-Champ Floyd Patterson Dies At 71
- ^ Sonny Liston: The Facts http://www.thesweetscience.com/boxing-article/705/sonny-liston-facts/
- ^ The Facts About The Big Fight http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1147918/index.htm
- ^ http://www.usatoday.com/sports/boxing/2006-05-11-floyd-patterson-obit_x.htm
- ^ http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,,1072751,00.html Ali: The Legacy
- ^ http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00242468.html
- ^ http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1003844/index.htm Floyd Patterson: His Own Man
- ^ "boxer: Floyd Patterson". Retrieved 2008-05-20.
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Rocky Marciano Retired | World Heavyweight Champion 1956–1959 | Succeeded by Ingemar Johansson |
| Preceded by Ingemar Johansson | World Heavyweight Champion 1960–1962 | Succeeded by Sonny Liston |
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Posted By Robert Nyakundi to Robert's-Theory of Terrorism in Gestalt Psychology at 3/12/2010 02:50:00 PM
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