Floyd Patterson RIP

[Chuck Nessa]

After 8 years of Alzheimer's.

[JSngry]

Helluva fighter.

Helluva sad way to go.

[Dave James]

Patterson was a class act. Today's fight game could use a boatload of Floyds.

Up over and out.

[ValerieB]

Patterson was a class act. Today's fight game could use a boatload of Floyds.

Amen, Amen to that, Dave James!!

[connoisseur series500]

Helluva fighter.

Not quite sure I agree with you, Jim.

Floyd was full of heart and was an outstanding gentleman in the ring; but he was also clearly an average (at best!) Heavyweight Champion.

Rocky Marciano would have beaten him; Ezzard Charles and Jersey Joe would have beaten him if they were true contemporaries.

Liston destroyed him twice; Ali destroyed him. A very average Ingemar Johannsen had him down more times than I can count; and actually won one of the fights.

The only fighter of any pedigree Floyd was able to beat was Archie Moore.

I don't happen to know if he fought Eddie Maachen or any of the other marginal contenders of the time, but Floyd did have some boxing skills. He had a glass jaw.

Ali taunted him terribly, and Floyd didn't deserve that beating.

He was very much loved by boxing fans; and he was one of the sport's last gentlemen; but unfortunately, he was not a great champion. (His adopted son/nephew Floyd Tracy Patterson didn't turn out to be a very good fighter either.)

RIP Floyd! We loved you anyway!

[connoisseur series500]

I did a google search and found that Floyd did indeed beat Eddie Machen by decision. He also won a descion over George Chuvalo--another marginal contender.

In the meantime, he was only able to obtain one draw in two fights with Jerry Quarry (he lost the other fight.) He also lost to Jimmy Ellis, who was a decent fighter, but was nobody special.

[Chuck Nessa]

Geez Connie, can't wait for the nice things you say when I die.

[connoisseur series500]

Geez Connie, can't wait for the nice things you say when I die.

Wow, did I come off that harsh? Like I said, he was one of the last great gentlemen of the sport. He just wasn't a great fighter. I loved the guy too.

[Dan Gould]

I did a google search and found that Floyd did indeed beat Eddie Machen by decision. He also won a descion over George Chuvalo--another marginal contender.

In the meantime, he was only able to obtain one draw in two fights with Jerry Quarry (he lost the other fight.) He also lost to Jimmy Ellis, who was a decent fighter, but was nobody special.

Given the time period, I would have to assume that the loss to Quarry came at the end of his career, long after his prime. For what its worth, also, ESPN refers to the Ellis loss as a "disputed decision". There's no doubt that Patterson wasn't a great heavyweight ... but it ought to be remembered that he was hardly a heavyweight to begin with! The man won Gold at Helsinki in 1952 as a Middleweight! To go from there to heavyweight champion, twice, is a tremendous accomplishment. He wasn't Top 10 all-time, but he was a pretty darn good fighter, all things considered. He was undersized, but oversized when it came to heart and guts.

And its very sad how his final years went.

[connoisseur series500]

Well said, Dan.

Floyd even lost to Joey Maxim (lt heavyweight) on the way up. He did move up in weight over the years but he was the youngest heavyweight champion in history, I believe, which means that he was a true--if not a very big--heavyweight. It wasn't as if he moved up in weight later in his career as he grew fatter and didn't want to train as hard.

Note that Floyd lost to Ingemar Johanassen when Ingo weighed 195 lbs. Floyd was then the bigger man at 198 lbs.

Floyd lucked out in that there was a dearth of good heavyweight fighters at the time. When he did face a big monster like Sonny Liston, he was rendered helpless in one round.

But I'm tired of appearing as if I'm picking on this good fighter. He was gentlemanly, and extremely brave. He was a true hero. Sonny Liston was a bigger and stronger man, but he quit fights. Floyd never did. He had the heart of a champion.

[CJ Shearn]

RIP Floyd, I met him once. I agree with conn that he may not have been great, but I'll always remember that left hook that sent Ingemar Johansson down, with his leg shaking and all.

[Jazzmoose]

Given the time period, I would have to assume that the loss to Quarry came at the end of his career, long after his prime.

Had to be. I had no idea Quarry was old enough to have fought Patterson.

[AllenLowe]

Chuck was a great guy, but the records he put out didn't really sell that well -

[Neal Pomea]

I liked Lowe a lot but he wasn't a very good boxer...

[Chuck Nessa]

Though he thought he was a decent packager.

[AllenLowe]

and he had a very large package -

[Chuck Nessa]

and he had a very large package -

Can you find anyone to confirm?

[AllenLowe]

well I'd take a picture - but I'd need one of those large format cameras - or one with a wide angle lens -

[Jazzmoose]

Tweezers not included...

[alocispepraluger102]

from an article about floyd in 'the times' a couple days ago:

As Dave Anderson wrote in 1972 in The Times:

"He projects the incongruous image of a gentle gladiator, a martyr persecuted by the demons of his profession. But his mystique also contains a morbid curiosity. Any boxing fan worth his weight in The Ring record books wants to be there for Floyd's last stand. Until then, Floyd Patterson keeps boxing, the windmills of his mind turned by his own breezes."

[jmjk]

I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Floyd as a kid. My father used to service the oil burners in Floyd's house, guesthouse, and gym, and Dad took me with him on a few of those occasions to watch (we lived in the same town as Floyd, New Paltz, NY).

One time his wife made me breakfast and then asked if I'd like to see some stuff in the basement. I was probably only 7 or 8 years old, so I didn't understand how world famous Floyd was, or that many people would give a lot to hear his stories or see the old gloves, robes, sports mags and newpapers Floyd showed me. To me, he was just a really nice man who owned the house my father was working in for the day. It was really only later that my Dad told me he was a superstar in the sports world!

Rest in peace, Floyd, and thanks for making me feel at home.

[Brownian Motion]

After 8 years of Alzheimer's.

The New York Times

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June 14, 2006

Mike Quarry, 55, Light-Heavyweight Boxer, Dies

By RICHARD GOLDSTEIN

Mike Quarry, a leading light-heavyweight boxer of the 1970's and a younger brother of the heavyweight contender Jerry Quarry, died Sunday in La Habra, Calif. He was 55.

The cause was boxing-induced dementia, his sister Wilma Pearson told The Associated Press. Jerry Quarry, who had also been afflicted with brain damage from repeated blows to the head, died in 1999 at age 53.

On the night of June 27, 1972, the boxing doubleheader billed by Muhammad Ali as the Soul Brothers vs. the Quarry Brothers — Jerry was sometimes called the Great White Hope — filled the Convention Center at Las Vegas.

It was the marquee moment for Mike Quarry, who challenged Bob Foster for his light-heavyweight title before the heavyweight nontitle bout between Jerry Quarry and Ali. Mike Quarry was undefeated in 36 fights, but he was knocked out by Foster's left hook in the fourth round. Jerry Quarry was knocked out by Ali in the seventh round.

Mike Quarry was overshadowed by Jerry, but he had a formidable career. Known as a counterpuncher more than a slugger, he won 63 bouts (17 by knockouts), lost 13 and fought to 6 draws, fighting professionally from 1969 to 1982.

By the late 1970's, the end of his boxing days seemed near. When he fought Mike Rossman on May 11, 1977, at Madison Square Garden — their third matchup — he sustained a deep cut around his right eye in the opening round. He could not see out of the eye and was taking a beating when his brother Jerry, working in his corner, stopped the fight after the sixth round.

Mike Quarry was sobbing afterward, his chances of contending again for a light-heavyweight title seemingly at an end. "I'm finished for life," he said in his dressing room.

Jerry Quarry said: "He's finished, all right. I'll never let him fight again. Not if I can help it."

But Mike Quarry returned to the ring the next January. He fought nine times after that bout with Rossman and was knocked out three times.

Quarry, a native of Bakersfield, Calif., put on boxing gloves at age 8 and was fighting in the amateur ranks in 1968 while a junior in high school. Jerry was a headliner and their father, Jack, had been an amateur boxer.

"I've never thought about being anything else but a fighter," Mike told The Los Angeles Times then. "With our family, you just got in on the track and followed — or were pulled along."

After about two dozen amateur bouts, Mike Quarry turned pro.

In addition to his sister Wilma Pearson, he is survived by his wife, Ellen; his mother, Arwanda; his sisters Diana and Janet; and his brother Bobby, who also boxed professionally, The Associated Press said.

Long after his career ended, Quarry said that the Foster bout should have been his last.

"I had kind of a death wish," he told The A.P. in 1995. "Looking back, I know I should have quit after that fight. That's when my heart went out of boxing."

[Dan Gould]

Sad news, and a sad family history, but this doesn't deserve its own thread? Why put it in with Floyd Patterson? Perhaps we should rename the thread "RIP, (Boxer's Name Here)"?

[Cali]

Floyd even lost to Joey Maxim (lt heavyweight) on the way up.

Floyd lucked out in that there was a dearth of good heavyweight fighters at the time. When he did face a big monster like Sonny Liston, he was rendered helpless in one round.

Sorry to get to this thread so late, but I want to be fair to Floyd Patterson. To say Patterson was mediocre is unfair. First of all, at the time of his reign, Floyd was said to have the fastest hands of any heavyweight in history. He was carefully guided by Cus D'mato because he did have what some called a glass chin. However, except in the Liston fights, Floyd always got up when he was knocked down.

In the loss to Maxim, whom Floyd fought when he was 19 years old and still fighting 8-rounders, it was roundly viewed as a very bad decision. All 11 ringside sportswriters had Patterson winning. This info can be found on boxrec.com.

As far as a "dearth of good heavyweight fighters at the time", remember he followed Marciano, and there was a "dearth of good heavyweights" when Marciano fought. Marciano was lucky to come along when the good heavyweights were past their primes (Louis, Walcott, Charles (who was a blown up light-heavyweight)). He was knocked down in his last fight by Archie Moore, a light-heavyweight who Patterson knocked out in 5 rounds. And it was said by people who knew Marciano that he retired so that he wouldn't have to fight Patterson. He didn't think he could beat him.

Eddie Machen was a former # 1 contender, who, incidently, was also knocked out by Ingemar Johansson and lost a close decision to Sonny Liston. Floyd defeated Machen.

And getting knocked out by Liston! Well, duh. Liston had knocked out 11 of his last 12 opponents leading up to the Patterson fight (Machen was the exception). In fact before Ali (AKA Cassius Clay) fought him, Liston was thought to be invincible.

I'm not saying Patterson was the greatest heavyweight champion, but it appears that he would have beaten most of the champions who preceded him.

[Chuck Nessa]

Thanks for your post.