Floyd Patterson

May 14, 2012
In this deftly written biography, sports writer Stratton examines one of the most complex fighters ever to wear the heavyweight crown. Raised in the Brooklyn ghetto of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Floyd Patterson struggled with family poverty and his own intense awkwardness. A series of arrests landed him in a progressive reform school. At Witwyck, Patterson started boxing and soon afterward caught the eye of trainer Cus D’Amato, the paranoid Svengali of the New York City fight scene. Under D’Amato’s guidance, Patterson won a gold medal in the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, and went on to become the youngest heavyweight champion in history (and later, the first heavyweight champion to regain the title). Patterson was a true eccentric—he’d help his opponents up after knocking them down, and when KO’d by Sonny Liston in Chicago, he left the arena wearing a fake beard and mustache. By focusing on historical context, Stratton clarifies how Patterson could be trumpeted as a hero of the civil rights movement, then labeled an “Uncle Tom” a few years later. For the most part, this is familiar territory, but Stratton is a knowledgeable and pleasant guide. Patterson’s accomplishments have been overshadowed by those of Muhammad Ali, who defeated the smaller man twice. Stratton reminds us of Floyd Patterson’s remarkable talent, morality, and determination.

July 1, 2012
Meet the nicest boxer ever. A winner, then loser, then winner of the World Heavyweight Championship, boxer Floyd Patterson (1935-2006) was either born in the wrong era or chose the wrong profession. His dignified demeanor and thoughtful approach to life might have served him better in either the more genteel 1930s or in the halls of academia. Nonetheless, he was an impressive ring warrior of the '50s and '60s. After a troubled childhood defined by petty crime, Patterson hooked up with legendary ring guru Cus D'Amato, who molded his student into the 1952 Olympic gold medalist. Once he turned pro, Patterson moved up in weight classes, eventually battling heavyweight legends Ingemar Johansson, Sonny Liston and, most memorably, Muhammad Ali. But Patterson was far more than a mere fighting machine. Veteran sportswriter Stratton (Dreaming Sam Peckinpah, 2011, etc.) chronicles Patterson's triumphs and failures with a palpable affection and admiration for the boxer. While such reverence for one's subject can often lead to an off-putting sense of sycophancy, readers will welcome it here, if only because a gentleman like Patterson deserves it. Readers will root for Patterson to overcome a serious bout of depression, and they will feel his pain as an angry Ali all but tortured him in an infamous 1965 bout. Stratton's attention to detail is impressive, and he seems to have uncovered every little tidbit about Patterson's life both in and out of the ring, making this warm biography a must for boxing fanatics. An engaging, breezy portrait of an underappreciated boxing giant.

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Starred review from July 1, 2012

To borrow from Winston Churchill, Floyd Patterson (1935-2006) was a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. In a tough man's game, he was known to pause midbattle to help an opponent search for a lost mouthpiece or to bestow a kiss on a beaten foe at the end of a match. Berated by Muhammad Ali as an Uncle Tom, he was one of the first prominent African American athletes to speak out against prejudice and demand that arenas be integrated. As heavyweight champion (1956-59 and 1960-62) he was always magnanimous in victory, yet donned disguises and fled into hiding after defeats. VERDICT Stratton (Boxing Shadows) offers boxing fans a solidly researched, popularly written study of a complex, good man. A clear winner.--Jim Burns, Jacksonville P.L., FL

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2012
If late heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson is best remembered as just one more chump along Muhammad Ali's journey to immortalitythe fighters battled in 1965 and 1972, Ali scoring two lopsided victoriessportswriter Stratton (Backyard Brawl, 2002) convincingly argues Patterson's case as an important, if not great, boxer: gold medalist at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki, youngest boxer ever to gain the undisputed heavyweight title, the first to win it back (from Ingemar Johansson in a memorable rivalry), and vanquisher of some of the top contenders of the day, including George Chuvalo in a match that garnered Ring magazine's 1965 fight-of-the-year award. Equally important, Stratton places Patterson at the nexus of the American civil rights movement of the 1950s and '60s, the fighter not only representing the American black community on the global athletic stage but also taking a strong public stand against segregation in the Deep South, even risking his life to do so. The result is an even-handed, surprisingly readable account of one of America's neglected sports figures.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)