After the controversial second win over Sonny Liston on May 25, 1965, Ali chose Floyd Patterson as his next opponent. The bout was set for November 22 at the beautiful new Las Vegas Convention Center. Patterson had been knocked out twice by Liston, but had put together five straight victories coming into his shot at the title with Ali.
Ali weighed in at 210 lbs. compared to Patterson’s 196 3/4, and was a heavy betting favorite going in. Unfortunately, Floyd suffered a ruptured joint in his lower back after the first round, which almost crippled him for the rest of night with. His cornermen worked on him furiously after each round, but between his injured back, and Muhammad’s incredible skills, he never had a chance.
Ali landed jabs and combinations at will, and it’s a testament to Floyd’s courage that he lasted until the 12th round, when the referee mercifully called an end to the one-sided affair. Personally, I believe Ali liked Patterson, and took it easy on him, knowing that he couldn’t defend himself. If you look at the films of the fight, I think most people would agree.
After becoming a part of the “Black Muslims”, it wasn’t long after that the FBI and the United States government starting going after him, with intentions of drafting him into the armed services. His team decided to have him fight outside of the country, and his first bout was in Toronto, Canada on March 29, 1966 vs. George Chuvalo at Maple Leaf Gardens. Chuvalo was tough, bruiser of a heavyweight, and the fight went the full 15 round distance. Even though Ali won most every round, it was a good chance for him to show his toughness and endurance, regardless of the fact it was against a totally outclassed opponent.
Ali’s promoter Bob Arum sent the champ to England for a rematch with Henry Cooper two months later, on May 21, 1966. Ali badly cut Cooper’s left eye, and it was over in just six rounds. What is pathetic to me, is the fact the Heavyweight Champion of the World had to flee his own country because of his religious beliefs. I always thought in America, you have the freedom to believe what you want to, but in this case it was a corrupt government trying to sabotage a man’s career unjustly.
All these years later, it still pisses me off that Ali wound up losing 3 and 1/2 years of his athletic prime, because of a stupid, useless war in Vietnam the United States was only there for to make money. I don’t write about politics in my blog, but in this case, the historical evidence backs up all of my claims.
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