Floyd Patterson

Floyd Patterson (1935-2006), American professional boxing champion, an Olympic gold medalist and the first to lose and then regain the heavyweight title.

Born in Waco, North Carolina, Patterson moved with his family to Brooklyn, New York, as a young boy and had a difficult childhood. He was sent to the Wiltwyck School, where he learned to box. When he returned to New York City he entered Golden Gloves competitions, winning national titles in 1951 and 1952 as a middleweight. At the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland, he won all of his fights and the gold medal. After the Olympics, he turned professional.

In his first 36 professional fights Patterson lost only once, and in 1956 he beat Archie Moore for the heavyweight title. Patterson became the youngest heavyweight champion and the first Olympic gold medalist to hold the title. He made four successful title defenses before losing to Sweden's Ingemar Johansson in 1959. Johansson knocked Patterson down seven times before the fight was stopped. A year later Patterson knocked out Johansson in the fifth round and became the first boxer to regain the heavyweight title.

Patterson defended his title successfully until losing to Sonny Liston in 1962. Patterson continued to fight but never won another title. In his last fight, in 1972, he was knocked out by Muhammad Ali. Patterson later served as a sports official in the state of New York.