Wins
0
%
Bouts
0
KO's
0
%
The Gentleman of Boxing
55-8-1
W-L-D
Boxing
Light heavyweight
Heavyweight
Height: 6ft 0in
(183cm)
Stance:
Orthodox
JAN. 4, 1935
USA
Floyd Patterson (January 4, 1935 – May 11, 2006) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1952 to 1972, and twice reigned as the world heavyweight champion between 1956 and 1962. At the age of 21, he became the youngest boxer in history to win the title, and was also the first heavyweight to regain the title after losing it. As an amateur, he won a gold medal in the middleweight division at the 1952 Summer Olympics.
In 1956 and 1960, Patterson was voted Fighter of the Year by The Ring magazine and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991.
Won 55 (KOs 40) | Lost 8 (KOs 5)
Drawn 1 | Bouts 64
Rounds 419 | Debut 1952-09-12
64 Loss (55-8-1) vs Muhammad Ali
RTD 7 (12), 3:00 | Sep 20, 1972
For NABF heavyweight title
63 Win (55-7-1) vs Pedro Agosto
TKO 6 (10), 3:00 | Jul 14, 1972
62 Win (54-7-1) vs Oscar Bonavena
UD 10 | Feb 11, 1972
61 Win (53-7-1) vs Charlie Harris
KO 6 (10), 2:31 | Nov 23, 1971
60 Win (52-7-1) vs Vic Brown
UD 10 | Aug 21, 1971
59 Win (51-7-1) vs Charley Polite
UD 10 | Jul 17, 1971
58 Win (50-7-1) vs Terry Daniels
UD 10 | May 26, 1971
57 Win (49-7-1) vs Roger Russell
TKO 9 (10), 1:29 | Mar 29, 1971
56 Win (48-7-1) vs Levi Forte
KO 2 (10), 2:20 | Jan 16, 1971
55 Win (47-7-1) vs Charley Green
KO 10 (10), 1:15 | Sep 15, 1970
54 Loss (46-7-1) vs Jimmy Ellis
PTS 15 | Sep 14, 1968
For WBA heavyweight title
53 Loss (46-6-1) vs Jerry Quarry
MD 12 | Oct 28, 1967
52 Draw (46-5-1) vs Jerry Quarry
MD 12 | Jun 9, 1967
51 Win (46-5) vs Bill McMurray
KO 1 (10), 2:37 | Mar 30, 1967
50 Win (45-5) vs Willie Johnson
KO 3 (10), 2:05 | Feb 13, 1967
49 Win (44-5) vs Henry Cooper
KO 4 (10), 2:10 | Sep 20, 1966
48 Loss (43-5) vs Muhammad Ali
TKO 12 (15), 2:18 | Nov 22, 1965
For WBC, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight titles
47 Win (43-4) vs Tod Herring
TKO 3 (10), 0:40 | May 14, 1965
46 Win (42-4) vs George Chuvalo
UD 12 | Feb 1, 1965
45 Win (41-4) vs Charlie Powell
KO 6 (10), 1:21 | Dec 12, 1964
44 Win (40-4) vs Eddie Machen
PTS 12 | Jul 5, 1964
43 Win (39-4) vs Santo Amonti
TKO 8 (10), 2:25 vs Jan 6, 1964
42 Loss (38-4) vs Sonny Liston
KO 1 (15), 2:10 | Jul 22, 1963
For WBA, NYSAC, The Ring, and inaugural WBC heavyweight titles
41 Loss (38-3) vs Sonny Liston
KO 1 (15), 2:06 | Sep 25, 1962
Lost WBA, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight titles
40 Win (38-2) vs Tom McNeeley
KO 4 (15), 2:51 | Dec 4, 1961
Retained NBA, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight titles
39 Win (37-2) vs Ingemar Johansson
KO 6 (15), 2:45 | Mar 13, 1961
Retained NBA, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight titles
38 Win (36-2) vs Ingemar Johansson
KO 5 (15), 1:51 | Jun 20, 1960
Won NBA, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight titles
37 Loss (35-2) vs Ingemar Johansson
TKO 3 (15), 2:03 | Jun 26, 1959
Lost NBA, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight titles
36 Win (35-1) vs Brian London
KO 11 (15), 0:51 | May 1, 1959
Retained NBA, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight titles
35 Win (34-1) vs Roy Harris
RTD 12 (15) | Aug 18, 1958
Retained NBA, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight titles
34 Win (33-1) vs Pete Rademacher
KO 6 (15), 2:57 | Aug 22, 1957
Retained NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight titles
33 Win (32-1) vs Tommy Jackson
TKO 10 (15), 1:52 | Jul 29, 1957
Retained NBA, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight titles
32 Win (31-1) vs Archie Moore
KO 5 (15), 2:27 | Nov 30, 1956
Won vacant NBA, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight titles
31 Win (30-1) vs Tommy Jackson
SD 12 | Jun 8, 1956
30 Win (29-1) vs Alvin Williams
KO 3 (10), 1:58 | Apr 10, 1956
29 Win (28-1) vs Jimmy Walls
TKO 2 (10), 2:29 | Mar 12, 1956
28 Win (27-1) vs Jimmy Slade
TKO 7 (10), 2:05 | Dec 8, 1955
27 Win (26-1) vs Calvin Brad
KO 1 (10), 2:58 | Oct 13, 1955
26 Win (25-1) vs Dave Whitlock
KO 3 (10), 0:52 | Sep 29, 1955
25 Win (24-1) vs Alvin Williams
TKO 8 (10), 2:28 | Sep 8, 1955
24 Win (23-1) vs Archie McBride
KO 7 (10), 1:46 | Jul 6, 1955
23 Win (22-1) vs Yvon Durelle
RTD 5 (10) | Jun 23, 1955
22 Win (21-1) vs Esau Ferdinand
TKO 10 (10), 2:49 | Mar 17, 1955
21 Win (20-1) vs Don Grant
TKO 5 (10), 1:13 | Jan 17, 1955
20 Win (19-1) vs Willie Troy
TKO 5 (8) | Jan 7, 1955
19 Win (18-1) vs Jimmy Slade
UD 8 | Nov 19, 1954
18 Win (17-1) vs Joe Gannon
UD 8 | Oct 22, 1954
17 Win (16-1) vs Esau Ferdinand
UD 8 | Oct 11, 1954
16 Win (15-1) vs Tommy Harrison
TKO 1 (8), 1:29 | Aug 2, 1954
15 Win (14-1) vs Jacques Royer Crecy
TKO 7 (8) | Jul 12, 1954
14 Loss (13-1) vs Joey Maxim
UD 8 | Jun 7, 1954
13 Win (13-0) vs Jesse Turner
UD 8 | May 10, 1954
12 Win (12-0) vs Alvin Williams
UD 8 | Apr 19, 1954
11 Win (11-0) vs Sammy Brown
TKO 2 (10), 1:40 | Mar 30, 1954
10 Win (10-0) vs Yvon Durelle
UD 8 | Feb 15, 1954
9 Win (9-0) vs Dick Wagner
TKO 5 (8), 2:29 | Dec 14, 1953
8 Win (8-0) vs Wes Bascom
UD 8 | Oct 19, 1953
7 Win (7-0) vs Gordon Wallace
TKO 3 (8), 0:52 | Jun 1, 1953
6 Win (6-0) vs Dick Wagner
SD 8 | Apr 13, 1953
5 Win (5-0) vs Chester Mieszala
TKO 5 (6), 1:25 | Jan 28, 1953
4 Win (4-0) vs Lalu Sabotin
TKO 5 (8), 1:30 | Dec 29, 1952
3 Win (3-0) vs Lester Johnson
TKO 3 (6), 1:26 | Oct 31, 1952
2 Win (2-0) vs Sammy Walker
TKO 2 (6), 0:47 | Oct 6, 1952
1 Win (1-0) vs Eddie Godbold
KO 4 (6), 1:39 | Sep 12, 1952
Born January 4, 1935, into a poor family in Waco, North Carolina, Patterson was one of eleven children. Savannah Joe Patterson was his first cousin from out of Arkansas, he went and visited during the early summer years. He experienced an insular and troubled childhood. His family moved to Brooklyn, New York, where Floyd was a truant and a petty thief. At age 10, he was sent to the Wiltwyck School for Boys, a reform School in West Park, New York, which he credited with turning his life around. He stayed there for almost two years. He attended high school in New Paltz, New York where he succeeded in all sports.
Patterson took up boxing at age fourteen, and was training with the Bedford-Stuyvesant Boxing Association Gym. Three years later, he won the gold medal in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics as a middleweight. In 1952, he won the National Amateur Middleweight Championship and New York Golden Gloves Middleweight Championship. At that time he was spotted by Cus D’Amato, and trained at the Gramercy Gym.
Patterson’s younger brother Raymond (born 1942) also became a professional heavyweight boxer and has lived in Gothenburg, Sweden, since 1965.
Patterson turned pro and steadily rose through the ranks, his only early defeat being an eight-round decision to former Light Heavyweight Champion Joey Maxim on June 7, 1954, at the Eastern Parkway Arena in Brooklyn, New York.
Although Patterson fought around the light heavyweight limit for much of his early career, he and manager Cus D’Amato always had plans to fight for the Heavyweight Championship. In fact, D’Amato made these plans clear as early as 1954, when he told the press that Patterson was aiming for the heavyweight title. However, after Rocky Marciano announced his retirement as World Heavyweight Champion on April 27, 1956, Patterson was ranked by The Ring magazine as the top light heavyweight contender. After Marciano’s announcement, Jim Norris of the International Boxing Club stated that Patterson was one of the six fighters who would take part in an elimination tournament to crown Marciano’s successor. The Ring then moved Patterson into the heavyweight rankings, at number five.