After his loss to Ali in November of 1965, Floyd continued on, and traveled to London to take on Henry Cooper. He knocked him out, which put himself right back in title contention, mostly because Ali was stripped of his belts when he refused induction into the armed service in April of 1967.
The WBA began an eight man tournament to name his successor, and Floyd was included in the mix. He fought Jerry Quarry to a draw, and in a rematch four months later, lost a close 12 round decision. In his third and final shot at the heavyweight crown, Floyd lost a controversial 15 round decision to Jimmy Ellis in 1968, despite breaking his nose, and knocking him down.
Patterson fought on, defeating seven mediocre opponents in a row. He had one last major win in his career, a 10 round decision win over Oscar Bonavena in February of 1972. He also defeated Pedro Agosto in July of that same year, which set up the last bout of his professional life.
Floyd fought a rematch with Muhammad Ali at Madison Square Garden in New York, on September 20, 1972. He was stopped on cuts after seven rounds, and it ended a long and successful career for the quiet, and likeable two-time heavyweight champion of the world.
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