Floyd Patterson Appreciation Thread

This is quite good. Witty.

 

Floyd was always my favorite, as well, but I think you guys are making him into a god, and he did have faults. He was vain. He was needy for admiration. He was an absentee husband to Sandra, his first wife. Consider the whole man, not simply an object to place on a pedestal. I am happy to see how much Floyd is respected and appreciated here, but let's not lose all perspective.

 

Patterson wasn't a real HW. The shaky chin and losses are much easier to overlook with that understanding. Liston and Clay were simply too big and powerful for him. He's pretty much a Tyson prototype and he had amazing heart and always brought the action. Outside of the ring he was a surprisingly articulate and soft spoken guy... Became life long friends with Ingemar Johansson after their trilogy. I don't know how any boxing fan could not like/appreciate him.

 

Some great reading on this thread. I've always loved Floyd. Bit to young to have known about him till long after he retired but his style, power and sheer heart always resonated with me. What a fighter.

 

I've often wondered how great Patterson could have been at 175. Could he have made 175 long enough to make his mark before outgrowing and moving up? Or did he move up at the right time?

Great fighter and man either way.

 

Floyd Patterson was an amazing talent. Won the Olympic gold AND the heavyweight title at a very young age. Remained in the ring ratings for most of his career. Beat a long list of quality opponents. His style was exciting to watch as well. Had a lot of heart. He really achieved a lot considering that he was on the smaller side of a division where the average guy was rapidly getting bigger. I’ve often read or heard that he was a nice guy outside the ring. Raised a son who wasn’t his own and coached him to a boxing career.

 

In other words he was an imperfect human being like all of us.

 

His chin was very suspect, not going to insult people’s intelligence by claiming otherwise, but he also had some balance issues that contributed to a few of his knockdowns.

 

"I hope you fellows give Sonny a chance, there’s good in all men, and I think if you look closely, you will find that there’s lots of good in Sonny Liston.”
- Floyd Patterson on Sonny Liston

“There's a big difference between having fear in you and being a coward, I can have fear in me, too, and that kind of fear is good. Then I'd go into the ring and because I had this fear I'd try to take the other guy out as quick as I could. Patterson had fear in him but he wasn't no coward... He got in there with me, and he did his best."
- Sonny Liston on Floyd Patterson