Editing Floyd Patterson (section)

====Patterson vs. Liston I & II====
{{Main|Sonny Liston vs. Floyd Patterson|Sonny Liston vs. Floyd Patterson II}}

Leading up to the fight, Liston was the major betting-line favorite, though ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' predicted that Patterson would win in 15 rounds. [[James J. Braddock|Jim Braddock]], [[Jersey Joe Walcott]], [[Ezzard Charles]], [[Rocky Marciano]] and [[Ingemar Johansson]] picked Patterson to win. The fight also carried a number of social implications. Liston's connections with the mob were well known and the [[National Association for the Advancement of Colored People|NAACP]] was concerned about having to deal with Liston's visibility as World Champion and had encouraged Patterson not to fight Liston, fearing that a Liston victory would tarnish the civil rights movement.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?page=boyd/080508 |title=Esquire covers commemorate boxing's prime |work=ESPN.com |date=May 8, 2008}}</ref> Patterson said [[John F. Kennedy]] also did not want him to fight Liston.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ex-champ-floyd-patterson-dies-at-71/ |title=Ex-Champ Floyd Patterson Dies At 71 |date=May 11, 2006 |work=CBS News}}</ref>

In [[David Remnick bibliography|David Remnick's]] book, ''King of the World,'' he calls Patterson a "sensitive" champion. Patterson was very open about his fears and feelings going into a fight, which was new behavior in the world of boxing. He was regarded as a very polite, well-mannered, and likeable champion. This contrasted the media's portrayal of Liston, whose mob ties and criminal history made it easy to paint as the villain of the fight. In the media, Patterson was painted as the good guy, and Liston was the antagonist. This rhetoric surrounded the fight, raising the stakes and putting pressure on Patterson to retain his title.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Remnick |first=David |title=King of the world: Muhammad Ali and the Rise of an American Hero |publisher=Random House |year=1998 |isbn=0-375-70229-6 |location=New York |pages=3–25}}</ref>

Patterson lost his title to Liston in Chicago on September 25, 1962, by a first-round knockout in front of 18,894 fans. The two fighters were a marked contrast. In the ring, Liston's size and power proved too much for Patterson's guile and agility. However, Patterson did not use his speed to his benefit. According to ''Sports Illustrated'' writer Gilbert Rogin, Patterson did not punch enough and frequently tried to clinch with Liston. Liston battered Patterson with body shots and then shortened up and connected with two double hooks high on the head. The result at the time was the third-fastest knockout in boxing history.<ref>Gregory, Sam. [https://web.archive.org/web/20050210024913/http://www.thesweetscience.com/boxing-article/705/sonny-liston-facts/ "Sonny Liston: The Facts"]. thesweetscience.com</ref> After being knocked out, Patterson left [[Comiskey Park]] in Chicago wearing dark glasses and a fake beard for the drive back to New York. After the fight, questions were raised on whether the fight was fixed to set up a more lucrative rematch. Overnight, Patterson seemed to lose his public support as a result of his swift knockout.<ref>Rogin, Gilbert (October 8, 1962) [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1147918/index.htm "The Facts About The Big Fight"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101123125852/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1147918/index.htm |date=2010-11-23 }}. sportsillustrated.cnn.com</ref> Despite the defeat, Patterson received $2 million, to be paid over 17 years.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=September 26, 1962|page=1|title=Patterson's $2-Mil. 'One-Night-Stand'|last=Arneel|first=Gene|url=https://archive.org/details/sim_variety_1962-09-26_228_5/mode/2up?view=theater|access-date=May 3, 2024|via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref>

The rematch was set for April 1963; however, Liston injured his knee swinging a golf club and the fight was delayed three months to July 22<!--, 1963-->. It was the first million-dollar purse with both fighters receiving $1,434,000 each.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Guiness World Championship Boxing Book|last=Morrison|first=Ian|year=1990|publisher=Guiness Publishing Limited|page=151|isbn=0-85112-900-5|url=https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldcha0000morr/page/150/mode/2up?view=theater&q=gate|access-date=May 3, 2024|via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref> In Las Vegas that night, Patterson attempted to become the first boxer to win the heavyweight title three times, but Liston once again knocked him out in the first round. Patterson lasted four seconds longer than in the first bout. The Liston fights were the only times Patterson was actually counted out in his 20-year professional career.