Muhammad Ali vs. Floyd Patterson II

Muhammad Ali vs. Floyd Patterson II
Date	September 20, 1972
Venue	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Title(s) on the line	NABF heavyweight title
Tale of the tape
Boxer
Boxer	Muhammad Ali
Nickname	"The Greatest"
Hometown	Louisville, Kentucky
Purse	$250,000
Pre-fight record	38–1 (27 KO)
Age	30 years, 8 months
Height	6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight	218 lb (99 kg)
Style	Orthodox
Recognition	NABF heavyweight champion; Former undisputed heavyweight champion
Result
	Ali defeats Patterson 7th round corner retirement

Muhammad Ali vs. Floyd Patterson II was a professional boxing match contested on September 20, 1972, for the NABF championship.

Background

After his decision victory over Oscar Bonavena in February 1972, Floyd Patterson signed to face fellow former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali at Madison Square Garden on 28 August. The two had faced off seven years earlier when Ali had dominated Patterson in a performance described as like watching someone "pulling the wings off a butterfly.

Patterson had been set to rematch Ali in 1967 but Ali's ban from boxing ended those hopes. The fight was pushed back to 20 September.^[1]

The fight

For the first two rounds Ali danced around Patterson, controlling the range with the jab, while Patterson found occasional success with a lunging left hook. Ali landed a flush overhand right in the third, while Patterson's hooks forced Ali to keep a tight guard. A series of hooks from Ali in the sixth caused swelling above Patterson's left eye which kept him on the back foot throughout the seventh as the eye swelled shut.

After the ringside doctor inspected eye between rounds, referee Arthur Mercante stopped Patterson from coming out for the eighth giving Ali a RTD (retired) victory.^[2]

Aftermath

This defeat was Patterson's last fight, although he never formally announced his retirement.

Undercard

Confirmed bouts:^[3]

Broadcasting

Country	Broadcaster
Mexico	Telesistema Mexicano
Philippines	ABS-CBN
United Kingdom	ITV^[4]
United States	ABC

References

^ Levy, Alan Howard (2008). Floyd Patterson: a boxer and a gentleman. Jefferson, N.C: McFarland & Co. pp. 242–244. ISBN 9780786439508. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
^ Staff, B. N. (2019-09-20). "On This Day: Muhammad Ali defeats Floyd Patterson again". Boxing News. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
^ "BoxRec - event".
^ VINTAGE BOXING™️ (22 October 2023). "Muhammad Ali vs Floyd Patterson 2 (1972) ITV 1080p 60fps". youtube.com. Youtube. Retrieved 2 July 2024.

External links

Muhammad Ali vs Floyd Patterson (Full fight)

Preceded by vs. Al Lewis	Muhammad Ali's bouts 20 September 1972	Succeeded by vs. Bob Foster
Preceded by vs. Pedro Agosto	Floyd Patterson's bouts 20 September 1972	Retired

[1] Levy, Alan Howard (2008). Floyd Patterson: a boxer and a gentleman. Jefferson, N.C: McFarland & Co. pp. 242–244. ISBN 9780786439508. Retrieved 6 June 2024.

[2] Staff, B. N. (2019-09-20). "On This Day: Muhammad Ali defeats Floyd Patterson again". Boxing News. Retrieved 2024-01-31.

[3] "BoxRec - event".

[4] VINTAGE BOXING™️ (22 October 2023). "Muhammad Ali vs Floyd Patterson 2 (1972) ITV 1080p 60fps". youtube.com. Youtube. Retrieved 2 July 2024.

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