Floyd Patterson
Chronology
| 1935 | Born January 4 in Waco, North Carolina, and grows up in poverty |
| 1936 | Family moves to Brooklyn, New York |
| 1945 | Sent to Wiltwyck School for Boys for stealing |
| 1945-49 | Discovers boxing while at Wiltwyck, overcomes some of his shyness and self-esteem problems |
| 1949 | Begins association with Cus D'Amato at Gramercy Gym. D'Amato becomes his trainer |
| 1950 | Enters and wins first Amateur Athletic Union tournament bout |
| 1951 | Meets future wife Sandra Hicks |
| 1952 | Wins Golden Gloves Championship at Madison Square Garden as well as the AAU Championship in Boston |
| 1952 | Wins gold medal at the Olympics in Helsinki |
| 1952 | Turns professional and wins pro debut at age of 17 |
| 1956 | Marries Sandra Hicks for the first time (would remarry her later that year after his conversion to Catholicism) |
| 1959 | Knocked down seven times in three rounds by Ingemar Johansson, Floyd's career appears to be over |
| 1960 | Returns to ring and defeats Johannson, knocking the Swede out with vicious left hook |
| 1965 | Loses to Muhammad Ali in a twelve round bid to retain the heavyweight championship |
| 1968 | Leaves the ring for two years after losing to WBA Champion Jimmy Ellis |
| 1972 | Fights Muhammad Ali in what would be his last professional fight |
| 1972 | Announces his retirement |
| 1976 | Takes an interest in 11-year old boxer named Tracy Harris, whom he'd eventually adopt |
| 1994 | Informed by Harris that he no longer wants Patterson to manage him |
| 1995 | Named athletic commissioner of the State of New York by Governor George Pataki |
| 1998 | Steps down from athletic commission, citing memory loss as reason for no longer being able to fulfill duties |
| 1998 | Moves permanently to his 17-acre farm in New Paltz, NY |
Additional topics
- Floyd Patterson - Awards And Accomplishments
- Floyd Patterson - After The Gold
- Other Free Encyclopedias
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