Floyd Patterson's amateur boxing career started in 1950. In late December of 1995 Patterson presided over the biggest bout in New York in decades pitting Oscar De La Hoya against Jesse James Leiha. In his first month as a professional he won three fights and $1,000. Yet, his legacy rests not on those obstacles, but on his athleticism and his kindness to his opponents. . In 1985 he was appointed head of the Off-Track Betting Commission in New York, and was named Boxing Commissioner for New York State ten years later. On November 30, 1956, he KO'd forty-three-year-old light-heavyweight champion Archie Moore for the title. Liston, twenty-five pounds heavier, bludgeoned Patterson, knocking him out in the first round. In 1949 Patterson entered Gramercy Gym, which was run by Cus DAmato, who would later train and manage Tyson. In the next year he won his weight class as a 160-pound fighter and went to Chicago to box in the national AAU Championships. After defeating Tom McNeeley on 4 December 1961 to retain the heavyweight title, Patterson had to defend it against the man whom critics suggested he had been avoiding: Charles "Sonny" Liston. Heavyweight Boxing Championship History website: http://www.nashville.com/wws604/hwbs.htm#Patterson. One and a half hours after winning the heavyweight championship Patterson was in a car on his way back to New York. After Patterson converted to Catholicism later that year, the two were married again in a religious ceremony on 13 July. Though Patterson suffered pain in his personal life, his tireless work in the boxing community brought him to the attention of New York Governor George Pataki. . When he came back to the ring, as was often the case after he took time off, he won his next eleven fights with straight knockouts. On 30 November, Patterson made short work of the heavily favored veteran Archie Moore, knocking him out in the fifth round. American Boxer Floyd Patterson was born on 4th January, 1935 in Waco, North Carolina and passed away on 11th May 2006 New Paltz, New York aged 71. . (March 20, 2023). . Later he would realize that "he had been outsmarted by the exchampion." The withdrawn Patterson was constantly stared at, and was criticized by the boxing media both for his youth and for not fighting real challengers to his heavyweight title. The path was open to fight for the newly vacated heavyweight championship. to add information, pictures and relationships, join in discussions and get credit for your contributions. WebSandra Hicks and Floyd Patterson are divorced after a marriage of 13 years. Patterson literally knocked Johannson senseless during the match. Johansson punched Patterson down seven times, but each time the bewildered champ struggled back to his feet. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Patterson was not like the other kids; he could not (or would not) read or write, he did not bring friends home, and he would not look people in the eye. Patterson thought he matched up well with the brash young Ali, but he had no luck in the fight. Patterson seemed to work well with his son as Tracy compiled an excellent professional record and won the World Boxing Council junior featherweight championship. The path was open to fight for the newly vacated heavyweight championship. Elected to the Olympic Hall of Fame in 1987 and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991, Patterson served on the New York State Boxing Commission between 1977 and 1985 and as director of the New York Off-Track Betting Commission. New York: Bernard Geis Associates, 1962. Though Patterson suffered pain in his personal life, his tireless work in the boxing community brought him to the attention of New York Governor George Pataki. After continuing on with his exhibition before a hushed all-white crowd, Patterson vowed that he would never box in front of a segregated crowd again. At Wiltwyck he received individual attention and found that white and black kids were treated exactly the same. He resigned from the commission the following month. Patterson was named Ring Rookie of the Year in 1953 by the New York Boxing Writers. The conditions of his poverty, and then his stealing to try to do something about it, led to Patterson's being sent to the Wiltwyck School for Boys in 1945. As a result of his self-perception, Patterson did not go to school, but avoided the truant officer by staying in the dark all dayin neighborhood cellars, alleys, subway stations, or in the movies. He was also inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991. He had become a member of one of greatest U.S. Olympic boxing teams ever put together, a group that won five gold medals, including the one Patterson took home. (March 20, 2023). His zodiac sign is Capricorn. He studied nature, rode horses, and acquired a fondness for snakes. Encyclopedia.com. The family moved to Brooklyn, New York in 1936 so that Patterson's father Thomas could look for work. See also "Floyd Patterson: Still Making a Mark in the Ring," Ebony (Mar. ." Profiles of Patterson during his years as heavyweight champion include Gay Talese, "Portrait of the Ascetic Champ," New York Times Magazine (5 Mar. They had 4 children. Patterson was named Ring Rookie of the Year in 1953 by the New York Boxing Writers. ." Hackensack, NJ: Salem Press, Inc. Levinson, David, and Karen Christenson, eds. Though he would never fight again, Patterson remained active in boxing. He had weeks of sleepless nights and even his children began to question if their father was sick. He eventually adopted Tracy Juan Harris Patterson as well as becoming his trainer and manager. Years after the fight he told Sports Illustrated: I was so filled with hate. He was named chairman in 1995. Patterson wanted to turn pro that year as a sixteen-year-old, but D'Amato would not let him. Sonya Hicks-patterson is a licensed real estate sales agent in The Woodlands, Texas and has a total experience of 8 years in real estate business. To Floyd Patterson, 25, world heavyweight champion, and Sandra He decided not to wait for D'Amato's suspension to end and signed to fight the heavyweight champion again on June 20, 1960 at the Polo Grounds in New York. Johansson was undefeated in 21 fights and had knocked out 13 previous opponents. He won it with a knockout in the first round to receive the eye-popping sum of three hundred dollars-half of which immediately went to his mother. Patterson was able to keep his composure and knocked out Moore in the fifth round. 1935, Waco, North Carolina, United States of America. He insisted that promoters desegregate seating and avoid scheduling him to train in segregated towns.". Patterson seemed too gentle a person for his chosen career; once he helped retrieve an opponent's mouthpiece. An Illustrated History of Boxing, 6th ed. As he drove to Chicago Stadium on November 30 he had more than the title belt and its $114,257 purse on his mind. Victory Over Myself. He worked in construction, as a longshoreman, in sanitation, and in a fish market. Patterson, Floyd, with Milton Gross. Their marriage ended because Patterson did not want to quit boxing. He injured his back in the first round, but continued even though he was severely hampered. Awards: Received Setting a Good Example Award from President John F. Kennedy, 1961; Elected to the Boxing Hall of Fame, 1976; Received the Pioneer of Excellence Award from the World Institute of Black Communications and CBS Records, 1986. first fight was against his brother Frank, who was then the 160-pound New York Golden Gloves Champion. Pattersons. Login After setting up the young fighter to leave his left side open, Johansson delivered a crushing right hand to the side of Pattersons head which punctured his left ear drum and left him dazed for the rest of the bout. Patterson sat slumped in his chair as he watched his estranged adopted son lose his title. After several arrests for truancy, shoplifting, and other petty crimes, Patterson was consigned to the Wiltwyck School for Boys in Esopus, New York, an institution identified as being for emotionally disturbed boys. After Patterson converted to Catholicism later that year the two were married again in a religious ceremony on July 13. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Patterson stayed even with Ali for the first four rounds, but Ali cut Patterson badly over his right eye and the ring doctor stopped the fight in the eighth round. After fighting four light heavyweights, DAmato signed Patterson for his first big professional fight against veteran Joey Maxim. Larry Holmes, the Easton Assassin, is known as much for his retirements and comebacks as his skill in the bo, Frazier, Joe 1944 Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sports Figures. Finally the feelings of self-doubt and self-pity began to evolve into something like a hatred for Johansson. He was a natural, winning all three bouts in which he participated. Still a contender, Patterson won his next three bouts, then fought to a draw with Jerry Quarry, only to lose in the rematch. PeopleFinders is the best people search for contact info and public records. Yet he missed Sandra, his girlfriend back in Brooklyn. By Bette Davis, 52, two-time Oscar-winning cinemactress: Gary Pattersons friend and former boxer Jose Torres told The Sporting News: I felt that he was having a little trouble with his memory, and people were talking about it all around boxing The fallout from the revelation led to Pattersons resignation from the athletic commission on April 1, 1998. He was knocked down twice in the first round, but then switched his focus to pounding Johansson's body. It was at this correctional institution that Patterson blossomed. He never threw it while sparring. 7 June 1954 and then enjoyed a string of twenty-three consecutive victories, broken by his loss to Johansson in 1959. Heavyweight Boxing Championship History, www.geocities.com/Colosseum/1008/hwb3.html#Patterson (May 12, 2006). He was twenty-nine, and though not old by boxing standards, he'd taken a beating. 4 January 1935 in Waco, North Carolina), 1952 Olympic gold medalist in boxing, the youngest heavyweight champion in history, and the first boxer to lose and subsequently regain the world heavyweight title. Many thought that Pattersons career was over, but he was only 29 years old and he decided to continue his boxing career. He eventually adopted Tracy Juan Harris Patterson as well as becoming his trainer and manager. He remained as legendary sportswriter Red Smith said, as quoted in Sports Illustrated: A man of peace whose life has been devoted to beating men with his fists.. In 1952 Patterson won the Golden Gloves Championship at Madison Square Garden and the National AAU Championship in Boston. weight class. He was knocked down twice in the first round, but then switched his focus to pounding Johanssons body. Patterson was named "Ring Rookie of the Year" in 1953 by the New York Boxing Writers. At Wiltwyck he received individual attention and found that white and black kids were treated exactly the same. But Patterson's first fight was against his brother Frank, who had been boxing for years, and he beat the heck out of Floyd. After Ali was stripped of his title for draft evasion in 1968, Patterson lost a unification bout for the championship to Jimmy Ellis on 14 September 1968. It is a testament to Sugar Ray Robinsons greatness as a boxer that when people discuss who was the, Tyson, Mike 1966 Marvelous Marvin Hagler was a hard-hitting lefty who could switch his stance and also box right-handed. Since then Patterson has retired to his 17-acre farm in New Paltz having left a legacy as an honest and loyal gentleman in a world of boxing conmen, back-stabbers, and charlatans. Mike Tyson, the youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history, is perhaps one of the sports most notorious fi, Sugar Ray Robinson Patterson, Floyd and Gross, Milton. Because of DAmatos dispute with the boxing powers-that-be, the best contenders would not fight Patterson. magazines WebTo Floyd Patterson, 25, world heavyweight champion, and Sandra Hicks Patterson, 22, his second wife: their third child, first son; in Rockville Centre, N.Y. Married. He defeated Henry Cooper in 1966 and fought four times in 1967. Em qualquer lugar, horrio ou dia.
During the championship fight, he also made Patterson a believer. In 1952 Patterson won the Golden Gloves Championship at Madison Square Garden and the National AAU Championship in Boston. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Patterson served until 1998 when he resigned after disclosing that he suffered from severe memory loss, probably caused by years of boxing. Although he lost the fight, he lasted 12 rounds. Patterson, now sixteen, wanted to turn professional that year, but D'Amato would not let him, perhaps with the idea of saving him for the 1952 Olympics. 1951 was a significant year for Patterson personally because he met his future wife Sandra Hicks. In September of 1956, Patterson was signed to fight Archie Moore for the heavyweight championship. Johansson was undefeated in 21 fights and had knocked out 13 previous opponents. On November 30, 1956, Patterson remained active in boxing after winning the heavyweight.. 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