Vintage boxing artwork
THE RING ALMANAC
THE RING ALMANAC
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Heavyweight · Television Era (1960–1989)

Floyd Patterson

Top 100 · #52 · 58.6 points
55
Wins
8
Losses
1
Draws
40
KOs
73%
KO %
Born
1935
Died
2006
Nationality
USA
Career
1952–1972

The first heavyweight to regain the world title, with lightning hand speed and his 'peek-a-boo' guard.

Titles & Honours

Career Timeline

1952–1972
  1. Milestone

    Olympic Gold (1952)

    Year from profile honours.

    View title / honour details
  2. Milestone

    First recorded professional bout

    vs Eddie Godbold · W KO

    View fight record
  3. Milestone

    25th recorded win

    vs Dave Whitlock · KO. Newspaper decisions excluded.

    View fight record
  4. Title history

    Title reign begins

    World Heavyweight Champion (1956–1959, 1960–1962). Year from profile title history; exact title-winning bout not identified.

    View title / honour details
  5. Signature fight

    vs Archie Moore

    W KO · Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.. Archive selection: one of the first three wins over distinct fighters profiled here, not an expert-selected signature fight.

    View fight record
  6. Title history

    Title reign begins

    World Heavyweight Champion (1956–1959, 1960–1962). Year from profile title history; exact title-winning bout not identified.

    View title / honour details
  7. Signature fight

    vs Ingemar Johansson

    W KO · Polo Grounds, New York City, New York, U.S.. Archive selection: one of the first three wins over distinct fighters profiled here, not an expert-selected signature fight.

    View fight record
  8. Milestone

    50th recorded win

    vs Terry Daniels · UD. Newspaper decisions excluded.

    View fight record
  9. Milestone

    Latest recorded bout

    vs Muhammad Ali · L RTD. Not necessarily the retirement date.

    View fight record

Derived from the current archive and profile honours. Title-reign years are not exact bout dates; title claims are not independently verified. Signature fights use existing profile selections, or clearly labelled wins over other archived fighters when no selections exist. Year-only dates retain their original precision.

Photo Archive

Ingemar Johansson knocks out Floyd Patterson and becomes boxing heavyweight champion of the world.
Ingemar Johansson knocks out Floyd Patterson and becomes boxing heavyweight champion of the world.
Former boxing champ Floyd Patterson made his acting debut in this episode of the television program The Wild Wild West. Patterson played a landowner who was in danger of losing his property.
Former boxing champ Floyd Patterson made his acting debut in this episode of the television program The Wild Wild West. Patterson played a landowner who was in danger of losing his property.
Boxer Floyd Patterson posing outside
Boxer Floyd Patterson posing outside
Floyd Patterson
Floyd Patterson
I took this photograph of the grave of Floyd Patterson in New Paltz Rural Cemetery (NY) on Tuesday, July 31, 2007.
I took this photograph of the grave of Floyd Patterson in New Paltz Rural Cemetery (NY) on Tuesday, July 31, 2007.

5 archival photographs under their original licences.

Fight-by-Fight Record

DateResultOpponentMethodRoundVenue
1952-09-12WEddie GodboldKO4St. Nicholas Arena , New York City, New York , U.S.
1952-10-06WSammy WalkerTKO2Eastern Parkway Arena , New York City, New York, U.S.
1952-10-31WLester JohnsonTKO3Madison Square Garden , New York City, New York, U.S.
1952-12-29WLalu SabotinTKO5Eastern Parkway Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
1953-01-28WChester MieszalaTKO5Chicago Stadium , Chicago, Illinois , U.S.
1953-04-13WDick WagnerSD8Eastern Parkway Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
1953-06-01WGordon WallaceTKO3Eastern Parkway Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
1953-10-19WWes BascomUD8Eastern Parkway Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
1953-12-14WDick WagnerTKO5Eastern Parkway Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
1954-02-15WYvon DurelleUD8Eastern Parkway Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
1954-03-30WSammy BrownTKO2Turner's Arena , Washington, D.C. , U.S.
1954-04-19WAlvin WilliamsUD8Eastern Parkway Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
1954-05-10WJesse TurnerUD8Eastern Parkway Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
1954-06-07LJoey MaximUD8Eastern Parkway Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
1954-07-12WJacques Royer CrecyTKO7St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
1954-08-02WTommy HarrisonTKO1Eastern Parkway Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
1954-10-11WEsau FerdinandUD8St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
1954-10-22WJoe GannonUD8Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
1954-11-19WJimmy SladeUD8Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
1955-01-07WWillie TroyTKO5Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
1955-01-17WDon GrantTKO5Eastern Parkway Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
1955-03-17WEsau FerdinandTKO10Civic Auditorium , Oakland, California , U.S.
1955-06-23WYvon DurelleRTD5Newcastle, New Brunswick , Canada
1955-07-06WArchie McBrideKO7Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
1955-09-08WAlvin WilliamsTKO8Moncton , New Brunswick, Canada
1955-09-29WDave WhitlockKO3Winterland Arena , San Francisco , California, U.S.
1955-10-13WCalvin BradKO1Grand Olympic Auditorium , Los Angeles , California, U.S.
1955-12-08WJimmy SladeTKO7Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
1956-03-12WJimmy WallsTKO2New Britain, Connecticut , U.S.
1956-04-10WAlvin WilliamsKO3Memorial Hall , Kansas City, Missouri , U.S.
1956-06-08WTommy JacksonSD12Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
1956-11-30WArchie MooreKO5Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
1957-07-29WTommy JacksonTKO10Polo Grounds , New York City, New York, U.S.
1957-08-22WPete RademacherKO6Sick's Stadium , Seattle, Washington , U.S.
1958-08-18WRoy HarrisRTD12Wrigley Field , Los Angeles, California, U.S.
1959-05-01WBrian LondonKO11Fairgrounds Coliseum , Indianapolis, Indiana , U.S.
1959-06-26LIngemar JohanssonTKO3Yankee Stadium , New York City, New York, U.S.
1960-06-20WIngemar JohanssonKO5Polo Grounds, New York City, New York, U.S.
1961-03-13WIngemar JohanssonKO6Exhibition Hall , Miami Beach, Florida , U.S.
1961-12-04WTom McNeeleyKO4Maple Leaf Gardens , Toronto, Ontario , Canada
1962-09-25LSonny ListonKO1Comiskey Park , Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
1963-07-22LSonny ListonKO1Las Vegas Convention Center , Winchester, Nevada , U.S.
1964-01-06WSanto AmontiTKO8Stockholm , Sweden
1964-07-05WEddie MachenPTS12Råsunda Stadium , Stockholm, Sweden
1964-12-12WCharlie PowellKO6Hiram Bithorn Stadium , San Juan , Puerto Rico
1965-02-01WGeorge ChuvaloUD12Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
1965-05-14WTod HerringTKO3Johanneshovs Isstadion, Stockholm, Sweden
1965-11-22LMuhammad AliTKO12Las Vegas Convention Center, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.
1966-09-20WHenry CooperKO4Empire Pool , London , England
1967-02-13WWillie JohnsonKO3Municipal Auditorium , Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
1967-03-30WBill McMurrayKO1Civic Arena , Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania , U.S.
1967-06-09DJerry QuarryMD12Memorial Coliseum , Los Angeles, California, U.S.
1967-10-28LJerry QuarryMD12Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
1968-09-14LJimmy EllisPTS15Råsunda Stadium, Stockholm, Sweden
1970-09-15WCharley GreenKO10Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
1971-01-16WLevi ForteKO2Convention Center , Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
1971-03-29WRoger RussellTKO9Philadelphia Arena , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , U.S.
1971-05-26WTerry DanielsUD10Cleveland Arena , Cleveland, Ohio , U.S.
1971-07-17WCharley PoliteUD10Erie Arena, Erie, Pennsylvania , U.S.
1971-08-21WVic BrownUD10Peace Bridge Arena , Fort Erie, Ontario , Canada
1971-11-23WCharlie HarrisKO6Multnomah County Exposition Center , Portland, Oregon , U.S.
1972-02-11WOscar BonavenaUD10Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
1972-07-14WPedro AgostoTKO6Singer Bowl , New York City, New York, U.S.
1972-09-20LMuhammad AliRTD7Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.

Showing 64 of 64 recorded fights · last updated 2026-10-11. Imported record tables are not independently verified and may be incomplete. Early-era logs include newspaper decisions (NWS), which are not counted in the official totals above.

Record notes

Fight record last retrieved: 2026-10-11. Title histories remain subject to archival review.

Historical-era totals differ between record-keeping conventions (newspaper decisions, exhibitions).

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