TRULY great trilogies in boxing are rare. In the heavyweight division, even more so. More than 60 years ago, however, Floyd Patterson and Ingemar Johansson gave us one of the very best. Those three ring battles encapsulate the strengths and weaknesses of Patterson; a heavyweight champion who is too often remembered for his defeats to Sonny Liston.
Boxing fans today are used to many professional fighters launching their careers following a successful Olympic campaign. The 1952 Helsinki Games was that launchpad for Floyd. He was part of a remarkable US boxing team. Five of the team reached the finals, and all five won gold medals. All five were also African American, another historic achievement.
Floyd completed as a middleweight in the Games. The final marked his 45th contest as an amateur and he won the fight in just 20 seconds. At just 17, he was an Olympic gold medallist and ready to turn professional.
Johansson competed at the same Games, but his experience was altogether different. He was disqualified in the heavyweight final, against Ed Sanders, for ‘not giving his best.’ A losing finalist would, of course, normally be awarded the silver medal, but due to the nature of the loss, this was not granted to him. Though he would eventually get that medal, 30 years later in 1982, it was a humiliation at the time.
Floyd famously became the youngest ever heavyweight world champion at just 21. His early professional fights were contested at light-heavyweight. However, guided by Cus D’Amato, the decision was made for Patterson to
