Floyd Patterson Dead at 71

Boxing stars mourn Patterson

May 12 2006 at 02:14AM

New York - Former heavyweight boxing champion Floyd Patterson, who became the youngest boxer to gain the title when he knocked out Archie Moore in 1956, died on Thursday, the New York State Athletic Commission said. He was 71.

Patterson, who had suffered from Alzheimer's disease and prostate cancer, died at his home in New Paltz, New York.

Patterson was small for a heavyweight and employed a peek-a-boo style with his gloves held high in front of his face, using his quickness to defeat heftier opponents.

After an amateur career that included an Olympic gold medal as a middleweight in 1952, Patterson turned professional. On November 30, 1956, he claimed the world heavyweight title by knocking out Moore in the fifth round.



Patterson was 21 at the time, making him the youngest heavyweight champion until 20-year-old Mike Tyson beat Trevor Berbick for the title in 1986. Patterson and Tyson were both trained by Cus D'Amato.

Following four title defences, Patterson lost the crown in 1959 when he was knocked down seven times in the third round in losing to Sweden's Ingemar Johansson in New York.

One year later, Patterson became the first heavyweight champion to regain the crown when he returned to the Polo Grounds to knock out Johansson in the fifth round.

Patterson won a third bout against Johansson in 1961, stopping the big Swede in the sixth round.

He made one more successful defence before losing the title to fellow American Sonny Liston by a first-round knockout in 1962.

Patterson, born in Waco, North Carolina, and raised in New York City's Brooklyn borough, fought three more times for the heavyweight title. He was knocked out again in the first round by Liston in 1963, was stopped after a 12-round beating by Muhammad Ali in 1965, and lost a 15-round decision to Jimmy Ellis in 1968.

He retired in 1972 at age 37 with a professional record of 55-8-1.

Patterson also served a stint as New York state athletic commissioner.

Patterson once revealed his motivation when he said: "The fighter loses more than his pride in the fight - he loses part of his future. He's a step closer to the slum he came from."

Reuters