Floyd Patterson: The Fighting Life of Boxing's Invisible Champion
4.5/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
"A well-researched and overdue tribute. Like one of Patterson's reliable left hooks, Stratton sharply recounts the life of an important, but often forgotten, two-time world heavyweight champion." — Gary Andrew Poole, author of PacMan: Behind the Scenes with Manny Pacquiao
In 1956, Floyd Patterson became, at age twenty-one, the youngest boxer to claim the title of world heavyweight champion. Later, he was the first ever to lose and regain that honor.
Here, the acclaimed author W. K. Stratton chronicles the life of "the Gentle Gladiator" — an athlete overshadowed by Ali's theatrics and Liston's fearsome reputation, and a civil rights activist overlooked in the Who's Who of race politics. From the Gramercy Gym and wildcard manager Cus D’Amato to the final rematch against Ali in 1972, Patterson's career spanned boxing's golden age. He won an Olympic gold medal, had bouts with Moore and Johansson, and was interviewed by James Baldwin, Gay Talese, and Budd Schulberg. A complex, misunderstood figure — he once kissed an opponent at the end of a match — he was known for his peekaboo stance and soft-spoken nature.
Floyd Patterson was boxing’s invisible champion, but in this deeply researched and beautifully written biography he comes vividly to life and is finally given his due — as one of the most artful boxers of his time and as one of our great sportsmen, a man who shaped the world in and out of the ring.
W.K. Stratton
W.K. (Kip) Stratton is the author of four books, including Backyard Brawl, Chasing the Rodeo, and Boxing Shadows. He has written for GQ, Sports Illustrated, Outside, Texas Observer, the Dallas Morning News, and others. He lives near Austin, Texas.
Read more from W.K. Stratton
The Wild Bunch: Sam Peckinpah, a Revolution in Hollywood, and the Making of a Legendary Film Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Floyd Patterson: The Fighting Life of Boxing's Invisible Champion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to Floyd Patterson
Related ebooks
When Boxing Mattered Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJoe Louis: The Rise and Fall of the Brown Bomber Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Mad and the Bad: Boxing Tales of Murder, Madness and Mayhem Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsResurrection: The Miracle Season That Saved Notre Dame Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Come Out Smokin': Joe Frazier: The Champ Nobody Knew Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStanding Tall: The Kevin Everett Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Undefeated: The Oklahoma Sooners and the Greatest Winning Streak in College Football Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsClose Encounters with the Gloves Off: Boxing's Greats Recall the Inside Stories of Their Big Fights Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSudden Death: UConn Football's 2009-2010 Improbable Odyssey Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhat If the Babe Had Kept His Red Sox?: And Other Fascinating Alternate Histories from the World of Sports Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Year at the Fights Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBig Red: Baseball, Fatherhood, and My Life in the Big Red Machine Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5New York Fight Nights: A Century of Iconic Big Apple Bouts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStriking Gridiron: A Town's Pride and a Team’s Shot at Glory During the Biggest Strike in American History Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5In the Locker Room: Tales of the Pittsburgh Steelers from the Playing Field to the Broadcast Booth Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMaking March Madness: The Early Years of the NCAA, NIT, and College Basketball Championships, 1922-1951 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCeltic Pride: How Coach Kevin Boyle Took St. Patrick to the Top of High School Basketball Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRickey: The Life and Legend of an American Original Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Broken Dreams: Another Year Inside Boxing Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBig Sexy: Bartolo Colón: In His Own Words Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWar and Peace: My Story Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Tiger Wore Spikes: An Informal Biography of Ty Cobb Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Fight of the Century: Ali vs. Frazier March 8, 1971 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Perfect Game: How Villanova’s Shocking 1985 Upset of Mighty Georgetown Changed the Landscape of College Hoops Forever Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsReach for the Stars: The Iowa High School State Wrestling Tournament Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBoxing Nostalgia: The Good, the Bad and the Weird Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Big 50: Philadelphia Eagles: The Men and Moments that Made the Philadelphia Eagles Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Cut: A NFL Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Underbelly Hoops: Adventures in the CBA - A.K.A. The Crazy Basketball Association Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Sports Biographies For You
The TB12 Method: How to Achieve a Lifetime of Sustained Peak Performance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Winning Ugly: Mental Warfare in Tennis--Lessons from a Master Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Yes Please Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Things That Make White People Uncomfortable Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Birth of The Endless Summer: A Surf Odyssey Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Endure: How to Work Hard, Outlast, and Keep Hammering Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Path Lit by Lightning: The Life of Jim Thorpe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Baseball 100 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Straight Shooter: A Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Most Beautiful Thing: The True Story of America's First All-Black High School Rowing Team Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5MOX Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wooden on Leadership: How to Create a Winning Organizaion Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5We Were Dreamers: An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ball Four Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Horse God Built: The Untold Story of Secretariat, the World's Greatest Racehorse Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, and Priorities of a Winning Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Summary of Kobe Bryant's The Mamba Mentality Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSlash Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tiger Woods Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Imaginary Girlfriend Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLeBron Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Eight Men Out: The Black Sox and the 1919 World Series Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Seven Deadly Sins: My Pursuit of Lance Armstrong Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Glory of Their Times: The Story of the Early Days of Baseball Told by the Men Who Played It Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Finding Gobi: A Little Dog with a Very Big Heart Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Last Season Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Woman Who Would Be King: The MADUSA Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Floyd Patterson
3 ratings0 reviews