After his trilogy with Ingemar Johansson, Floyd Patterson defended his title on December 4th, 1961 in Toronto, Canada. Floyd easily disposed of Tom McNeeley in four rounds, but pressure was mounting on him to fight the number one contender, Sonny Liston.
After a dispute between his managers Jimmy Jacobs and Cus D’Amato, Floyd removed D’Amato from his business affairs, and agreed to take on the challenge of the brutish Liston on September 25, 1962 in Chicago. Many people were predicting a Patterson win by decision, while the others called it as a knockout for the bigger and stronger Liston.
The fight itself was short, and one-sided. Many thought Patterson would use his quickness and speed to outbox Sonny, but he never got the chance. Liston swarmed Floyd, and knocked him out with a pair of hooks, making it the third fastest KO in boxing history at the time.
Patterson’s public opinion dropped dramatically after the first round disaster, and he returned to New York in shame wearing sunglasses, and a beard as a disguise. Liston was now the champion, and boxing being what it was, would probably fight Patterson again in a rematch, to prove the first time was no fluke.
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