Muhammad Ali vs. Floyd Patterson

Muhammad Ali vs. Floyd Patterson refers to two heavyweight professional boxing matches. The first match took place on November 22, 1965, for the WBC/Ring/lineal world heavyweight championship; and the second on September 20, 1972, for the regional North American Boxing Federation (NABF) heavyweight title. Ali won both fights through technical knockouts. The first fight was stopped in the 12th round; and the second after the 7th round.

Muhammad Ali vs. Floyd Patterson
Date1965 and 1972
VenueLas Vegas Convention Center and Madison Square Garden
Title(s) on the lineWBC and The Ring heavyweight titles (first fight) NABF heavyweight title (second fight)
Tale of the tape
Boxer Muhammad Ali Floyd Patterson
Nickname The Greatest The Gentleman of Boxing
Hometown Louisville, Kentucky Waco, North Carolina, US
Pre-fight record 21-0 (17 KO) 43-4 (31 KO)
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) 6 ft (183 cm)
Weight 210 lb (95 kg) 196+3⁄4 lb (89 kg)
Style Orthodox Orthodox
Recognition WBA, WBC, and The Ring heavyweight champion Former two time heavyweight champion
Result
Ali wins both fights via TKO

Background

Patterson had previously lost his heavyweight title to Sonny Liston in a 1st-round knockout. In a later rematch, Patterson lost again in the 1st round. Liston later lost the title to Ali. Meanwhile, Patterson won bouts against Eddie Machen and George Chuvalo. Patterson was now the number-one challenger for the title held by Ali.

Fights

On November 22, 1965, Patterson fought Ali for the first time. Patterson lost by technical knockout at the end of the 12th round, going into the fight with an optimistic view. Instead of scoring a quick knockout, Ali mocked, humiliated and punished Patterson throughout, before the referee stopped the fight in the 12th round. A New York Times reporter complained that the fight was like watching someone "pulling the wings off a butterfly."[1]

On September 20, 1972, Patterson fought Ali for the second time. At age 37, Patterson was stopped in the 7th round. The defeat proved to be Patterson's last fight, although there was never an announcement of retirement.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]

References
  1. Sports Illustrated, 13 June 2016, pp. 39.
  2. "Muhammad Ali's ring record". ESPN. 19 November 2003. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  3. "Rabbit hunt in Vegas". Sports Illustrated. 22 November 1965. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  4. "On This Day: Muhammad Ali toys with poor Floyd Patterson". Boxing News. 22 November 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  5. Felix Dennis; Don Atyeo (2003). Muhammad Ali: The Glory Years. miramax books. pp. 136–8, 196.
  6. Thomas Hauser (1991). Muhammad Ali:His Life and Times. Simon & Schuster. pp. 138–41, 248.
  7. David Remnick (1998). King of the World. Random House. pp. 271–83.
  8. "THE GREATEST MEETS THE GRIMMEST". Sports Illustrated. 15 November 1965. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  9. "CHAMPION AS LONG AS HE WANTS". Sports Illustrated. 29 November 1965. Retrieved 6 October 2016.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.