Floyd Patterson
A Boxer and a Gentleman
$29.95
In stock
About the Book
Floyd Patterson delivered a number of knockout punches during his Hall of Fame career, but it might have been the fights he won outside the ring that made him great. Born in 1935, he overcame poverty and prejudice to become the youngest world heavyweight champion in history—and he would later become the first man to regain the crown after losing it. Muhammad Ali called Patterson the most skillful fighter he ever faced. This first complete biography of the former heavyweight champion covers Patterson’s meteoric rise as a boxer while giving equal attention to his life away from sport, including his work as a civil rights activist in the 1960s. Joining Ali and Joe Frazier as boxers who used their celebrity to bring attention to social issues, he became an icon of the movement.
About the Author(s)
Bibliographic Details
Alan H. Levy
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 297
Bibliographic Info: 15 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2008
pISBN: 978-0-7864-3950-8
Imprint: McFarland
Table of Contents
Introduction 1
I. I Never Seemed Not Scared 9
II. I Didn’t Know Where I Was or What I Was Doing 16
III. He’ll Be the Champ 28
IV. Champ 45
V. Frustrations on Top 59
VI. Ingemar 81
VII. It’s Never Been Done 95
VIII. On Top of the Boxing World 109
IX. Sonny 124
X. Sunglasses and Fake Whiskers 139
XI. Four Seconds Longer 160
XII. Muhammad and the Rabbit 174
XIII. Nowhere To Go 199
XIV. California Rules 212
XV. Robbed in Stockholm 219
XVI. Just One More Shot 232
XVII. Contentment 246
Chapter Notes 267
Bibliography 281
Index 285
Book Reviews & Awards
- A Library Journal Starred Review
- “wonderfully written…first full biography…an excellent study…a superior source on professional boxing from the mid–1950s through the mid–1970s. Highly recommended”—Library Journal
- “a welcome addition”—The Midwest Book Review
- “very worthwhile…recommended”—Boxing Monthly
- “extremely well researched and written…highly recommend[ed]”—Cyber Boxing Zone
