BoxRec

Floyd had a fanatical following that transcended boxing. Few athletes have ever been admired or loved as much as he was. This was a fighter we didn't just like. This was a fighter we absolutely adored. His passing hurts us. He was a very special fighter, for sure.

I never particularly admired Patterson as a fighter, but I always thought he seemed like a decent person. He was a shy youth and had some problems which he overcame - and fair play to him for that achievement.

He was also seen as a "good guy" versus "bad guys" in Liston who was seen as a crime-linked figure and an Ali who was seen by many at the time to be a brash upstart who didn't know his place (not necessarily my views, by the way, just a reflection of that time)

I felt particularly sad when I heard he had died.... maybe it's because when he was young, I too was young (well, younger than him!), and it was just a reminder that time catches up with everyone.

J

john2345 wrote:I never particularly admired Patterson as a fighter, but I always thought he seemed like a decent person. He was a shy youth and had some problems which he overcame - and fair play to him for that achievement.

He was also seen as a "good guy" versus "bad guys" in Liston who was seen as a crime-linked figure and an Ali who was seen by many at the time to be a brash upstart who didn't know his place (not necessarily my views, by the way, just a reflection of that time)

I felt particularly sad when I heard he had died.... maybe it's because when he was young, I too was young (well, younger than him!), and it was just a reminder that time catches up with everyone.

J

Good points, John. I, too, think that Patterson is more liked for being a great bloke than a great fighter.

Some on this board seem to want to rewrite history though. Last week we heard he was the fastest heavyweight ever and someone claimed he gave Ali 'hell' in their rematch. Of course, the internet is a great place for wannabe experts and alleged boxing historians.

I think a big part of the Patterson mystique was that he was the first man to regain the title, and like John 2345 stated he was always seen as a good guy going up against bad guys. Liston was seen as a menace to society and Ali was highly unpopular at the time. Patterson was a genuinly nice man who was well liked by the general public, although he did take some heat from some of the more militant segments of the black community at times.

Collins2000 wrote:Some on this board seem to want to rewrite history though. Last week we heard he was the fastest heavyweight ever

That's because he was... It has nothing to do with his death... That is general consensus among the majority of boxing experts, and has been since Patterson fought.

When you're laying people out with 4-5 power punch combos that happen in less than a second... It's pretty fornicating obvious.

Actually it was Mike Tyson who was still the youngest heavyweight champion ever at 20 and 5 months and the youngest undisputed heavyweight champion ever at 21 years and 2 months. Floyd Patterson was the second youngest undisputed heavyweight ever at 21 and 10 months, but I still just like Patterson when he fought in the ring.

kovit wrote:Actually it was Mike Tyson who was still the youngest heavyweight champion ever at 20 and 5 months and the youngest undisputed heavyweight champion ever at 21 years and 2 months. Floyd Patterson was the second youngest undisputed heavyweight ever at 21 and 10 months, but I still just like Patterson when he fought in the ring.

By the time Tyson beat Spinks he was older than Patterson, before that only the WBC, WBA and IBF didn't dispute his title claim.

They still want to claim Michael Spinks the world heavyweight champion, but the IBF stripped him of his title for fighting Gerry Cooney than facing Tony Tucker who would win the IBF title before losing his belt to Tyson.

With the respect of the late former two time heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson he was still the youngest man to regain his world heavyweight title at age 25 and 5 months. The rest of the former heavyweight champions are a lot older than Patterson nobody did that since. You know what also sad, Justin Hughes the brother of the Cleveland Cavaliers star Larry Hughes passed away on the same day as Floyd Patterson. Patterson was the nicest heavyweight champion ever or all time.

So if Calzaghe got stripped for not fighting Allan Green, he would no longer be the champion?

Or if Taylor got stripped for not fighting Sam Soliman, he would no longer be the champion?

kovit wrote: Patterson was the nicest heavyweight champion ever or all time.

Overall, or inch-for-inch?