About Floyd Patterson

Born January 5, 1935 in Waco, North Carolina
Died May 11, 2006
Career record: 55 wins (40 KO), 8 defeats (5 KO), 1 draw
"The Gentleman of Boxing"

Patterson's family moved to Brooklyn when he was a young boy, where he became a truant and a thief. He was just ten years old when he was sent to a reform school in upstate New York, and he credits that with turning his life around. He went on to become, at 21 years old, the youngest man to win the World Heavyweight Championship and then later, the first to regain it. After winning the Olympics Gold Medal in 1952, he also became the first gold medalist to win a professional heavyweight title. Patterson ran into a string of bad luck in the ring, and after a series of defeats and a bout with depression, he recovered and began to win fights again. Ultimately, he became the number one challenger for the title held by Muhammad Ali. On November 22, 1965, he made another try at becoming the first to win the heavyweight title for a record three times, but he was clearly outmatched by Ali, who taunted and humiliated him for 12 rounds. After a second defeat by Ali in 1972, Patterson was convinced to retire at age 37.

He enjoyed considerable success, both personal and professional, following his retirement. In both 1982 and 1983, he ran and completed the Stockholm Marathon together with Ingemar Johansson. In 1992, he trained Canadian heavyweight Donovan "Razor" Ruddock for his fight with Greg Page. During the 1990s, he trained his adopted son, Tracy Harris Patterson, who was a world champion boxer. And during the 1990s, he also served as chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission.Patterson suffered from Alzheimer"s Disease and prostate cancer, and died at home in 2006.

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