Floyd Patterson, who turned his troubled young life around with boxing and became, despite a gentle disposition, the world heavyweight champion, died today in New Paltz, N.Y. He was 71.
He had suffered from Alzheimer's disease for about eight years and also had prostate cancer, said his nephew Sherman Patterson, according to The Associated Press.
In the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, Patterson won the middleweight gold medal with five knockouts in five bouts. Then, in a 20-year professional career, he won 55 bouts, lost 8 and fought to 1 draw. His total purses reached $8 million, a record then.
On June 26, 1959, at Yankee Stadium, Patterson lost the title when Johansson knocked him down seven times before the referee stopped the bout in the third round. On June 20, 1960, at the Polo Grounds, Patterson knocked out Johansson in the fifth round and became the first to regain the heavyweight title. - New York Times -------- Had the cruiserweight division existed when Patterson fought, he would have been one of the greats. But as a heavyweight, Patterson was just a little better than good, and not one of the better champions. He was, however, loved by most boxing fans. ++++++++++++++++++++++++ 05-11-06, 05:46 PM Sailracer Floyd Patterson was, in my opinion, the last of a dying breed, aside from maybe George Foreman; a true gentleman; RIP, Floyd!
05-13-06, 09:24 AM BobLaz Well said, Sail--I've written in length about him and found him to be the classiest of champs..He'll surely be missed...
05-13-06, 01:22 PM DorianGreyed One of the things I respected Patterson for was his resignation from the New York State Athletic Commission, which supervised boxing in the state.
From the New York Times article -
From 1977 to 1984 he was a member and from 1995 to 1998 the chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission, which supervised boxing in the state. He led a successful campaign to have the state mandate thumbless gloves and thus reduce eye injuries.
In April 1998, while giving a deposition, his short-term memory failed. He could not remember the names of his two fellow commission members or his secretary or office routines. He resigned the next day.
Resigning couldn't have been easy, yet he did it.
05-13-06, 01:48 PM juanruiz I think heavyweight boxing changed enormously after he lost the championship to Liston, and not necessarily for the better.
05-13-06, 03:41 PM FredPuli
quote: Originally posted by juanruiz: I think heavyweight boxing changed enormously after he lost the championship to Liston, and not necessarily for the better.
True, but remember what it was like before Patterson. We don't have to go back much into the history of the heavyweight title to find the whole show being run by criminals of the first order.
Patterson was a good, clean-living gentleman.And he was a good clean-living gentleman and good amateur champ who happened to be way too light and possessed of a glass jaw.No wonder he got a shot Big Grin
