Muhammad Ali vs. Floyd Patterson

Muhammad Ali vs. Floyd Patterson
Date	November 22, 1965
Venue	Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
Title(s) on the line	WBC, NYSAC and The Ring heavyweight titles
Tale of the tape
Boxer
Boxer	Muhammad Ali
Nickname	"The Greatest"
Hometown	Louisville, Kentucky
Pre-fight record	21–0 (17 KO)
Age	23 years, 10 months
Height	6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight	210 lb (95 kg)
Style	Orthodox
Recognition	WBC, NYSAC and The Ring; Heavyweight Champion
Result
	Ali won via 12th round TKO

Muhammad Ali vs. Floyd Patterson was a professional boxing match contested on November 22, 1965, for the WBC, NYSAC and The Ring championship.^[1]

Background

Patterson won the world heavyweight title in 1956, and became the first fighter to win it back in 1960 (after losing to Ingemar Johansson in 1959). Patterson lost the title again in a 1962 fight against top contender Sonny Liston in a 1st-round knockout. In a 1963 rematch, Patterson lost again in the 1st round. Liston later lost the title to Muhammad Ali (then still known as Cassius Clay) in 1964. Meanwhile, Patterson went on to win fights against top contenders Eddie Machen and George Chuvalo. Patterson was now the number-one challenger for the title held by Ali.

The fight

On November 22, 1965, Patterson fought Ali for the first time. Patterson lost by technical knockout at the end of the 12th round, going into the fight with an optimistic view. Patterson suffered from a ruptured sacroiliac joint in his lower back which greatly reduced his mobility after the first round, and his corner worked on his back in between rounds to help reduce the pain.^[2] Ali relentlessly jabbed Patterson from the second round until the referee stopped the fight in the 12th round. A New York Times reporter said the fight was like watching someone "pulling the wings off a butterfly."^[3] In the post-fight interview, Ali praised Patterson for being able to take punches and said Patterson's age counted against him.

Aftermath

Rematch

On September 20, 1972, Patterson fought Ali for the second time. At age 37, Patterson was stopped due to a cut eye at the end of the 7th round.^[4] The defeat proved to be Patterson's last fight, although there was never an announcement of retirement.

Undercard

Confirmed bouts:^[5]

Broadcasting

Country	Broadcaster
United Kingdom	BBC

References

^ "Muhammad Ali vs. Floyd Patterson". boxrec.com. BoxRec. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
^ Decker, Bill (1965-11-23). "Patterson Refuses to Use Back Spasm as Alibi in Game but Losing Fight; INJURY IS EVIDENT IN FOURTH ROUND". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
^ Sports Illustrated, 13 June 2016, pp. 39.
^ Staff, B. N. (2019-09-20). "On This Day: Muhammad Ali defeats Floyd Patterson again". Boxing News. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
^ "BoxRec - event".

Preceded by vs. Sonny Liston II	Muhammad Ali's bouts 22 November 1965	Succeeded by vs. George Chuvalo
Preceded by vs. Tod Herring	Floyd Patterson's bouts 22 November 1965	Succeeded by vs. Henry Cooper

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[1] "Muhammad Ali vs. Floyd Patterson". boxrec.com. BoxRec. Retrieved 6 June 2024.

[2] Decker, Bill (1965-11-23). "Patterson Refuses to Use Back Spasm as Alibi in Game but Losing Fight; INJURY IS EVIDENT IN FOURTH ROUND". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-01-31.

[3] Sports Illustrated, 13 June 2016, pp. 39.

[4] Staff, B. N. (2019-09-20). "On This Day: Muhammad Ali defeats Floyd Patterson again". Boxing News. Retrieved 2024-01-31.

[5] "BoxRec - event".

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