Boxing Great Floyd Patterson passes at age 71

Former boxing great Floyd Patterson died Thursday at the age of 71 from complications involving his Alzheimer’s disease and Prostate Cancer. Patterson was a golden glove boxer who came into the sport as a troubled youth, but followed his dream all the way to a gold Olympic medal in 1952 at the Helsinki Olympics. After the retirement of Rocky Marciano, Patterson’s trainer Cus D’Amato maneuvered a title match for the 21-year old against Archie Moore in 1956. Floyd Patterson would be the youngest man to win the heavyweight title until after 30-years another troubled youth, trained by Cus D’Amato would win the title; his name was Mike Tyson. Patterson won the fight, but unfortunately years of receiving blows from such foes as Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston produced a heightened level of Alzheimer’s disease, which took Patterson’s mind eight years ago, and returned for his body just yesterday. Floyd Patterson will be remembered as a class act, a gentleman, for less of what he said and more of what he did for the sport and those of whom he cared.

Perhaps it was the golden age of boxing casting a shine from Marciano’s success onto the young boxer or it may have been the strategic career-maneuvers by D’Amato, but Patterson became an overnight success and a crowd favorite. Despite being knocked out in 1959 for a title match against Ingemar Johansson; Floyd Patterson would return to re-win and become (the first) a two-time World Heavyweight Champion. Patterson was a smaller boxer, albeit one with a big man’s punch and little man’s speed, when he fought in the Heavyweight division he only weighed 186 lbs. It would be this small stature and (suspect-glass) jaw which would be his career downfall, especially when he faced the larger, longer armed boxers in the 1960’s.

Most of us will remember Floyd Patterson as the fighter who wouldn’t call Muhammad Ali by his newly minted name, addressing the Ali with his birth name, Cassius Clay. This not only spurred a piston of hate and open dialogue from Ali, but also created a punishing set of remarks used today when you open a can of Whoop-a@@ on someone. (Yeah, you guessed it. “What’s my name?” Punch-punch. I said, “What’s my name?”) If you take one lesson from Patterson, I think the thing to remember is that no matter how many times the champ was knocked down, he always got up! Here’s to you Champ!