Editing Floyd Patterson (section)

===After the title===
Following these defeats, Patterson went through a depression. However, he eventually recovered and began winning fights again, including top victories over [[Eddie Machen]] and [[George Chuvalo]]; the Chuvalo match won ''The Ring''{{'}}s "[[The Ring magazine Fight of the Year|Fight of the Year]]" award.<ref>{{cite news |title=On This Day: Floyd Patterson and George Chuvalo clash in unforgettable non-title fight |url=http://www.boxingnewsonline.net/on-this-day-floyd-patterson-and-george-chuvalo-clash-in-unforgettable-non-title-fight/ |work=Boxing News |date=February 1, 2018 |access-date=July 16, 2018}}</ref>

==== Muhammad Ali ====
{{Main|Muhammad Ali vs. Floyd Patterson}}

Patterson was now the number-one challenger for the title held by [[Muhammad Ali]]. On November 22, 1965, in Las Vegas, in yet another attempt to be the first to win the world heavyweight title three times, he went into the fight with an injured [[Sacroiliac joint|sacro{{shy}}iliac joint]] which worsened after the first round and greatly reduced his mobility in a bout in which Ali was clearly dominant.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/boxing/2006-05-11-floyd-patterson-obit_x.htm |work=USA Today |title=Ex-heavyweight boxer Floyd Patterson, 71, dies |first=Chuck |last=Johnson |date=2006-05-11 |access-date=2010-05-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1965/11/23/archives/patterson-refuses-to-use-back-spasm-as-alibi-in-game-but-losing.html | title=Patterson Refuses to Use Back Spasm as Alibi in Game but Losing Fight; INJURY IS EVIDENT IN FOURTH ROUND | work=The New York Times | date=23 November 1965 | last1=Decker | first1=Bill }}</ref> Ali called Patterson an "Uncle Tom" for refusing to call him Muhammad Ali (Patterson continued to call him Cassius Clay) and for his outspokenness against black Muslims.<ref>Hauser, Thomas (November 2, 2003) [https://web.archive.org/web/20070316002449/http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,,1072751,00.html Ali: The Legacy]. ''The Guardian''</ref> Before the match, Patterson had said:

<blockquote>"This fight is a crusade to reclaim the title from the Black Muslims. As a Catholic, I am fighting Clay as a patriotic duty. I am going to return the crown to America."</blockquote>

Ali hit Patterson repeatedly with jabs from the second round until the referee stopped the fight in the 12th round.<ref>Schwartz, Larry [https://www.espn.com/sportscentury/features/00242468.html A Great Champion]. ESPN.com.</ref><ref>[https://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Muhammad_Ali_vs._Floyd_Patterson Muhammad Ali vs. Floyd Patterson]. Boxrec</ref> In the post-fight interview, Ali praised Patterson for being able to take punches and said Patterson's age counted against him.

==== End of career ====
Patterson remained a legitimate contender. In 1966 he traveled to England and knocked out British boxer [[Henry Cooper (boxer)|Henry Cooper]] in the fourth round at Wembley Stadium.

[[File:Floyd Patterson Wild Wild West 1968.JPG|thumb|upright=1.15|Patterson tried his hand at acting. He is seen in this 1968 ''[[The Wild Wild West]]'' episode as a landowner who is in danger of losing his property.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0748555/ |title="The Wild Wild West" The Night of the Juggernaut |publisher=IMDb |access-date=July 16, 2018}}</ref>]]
When Ali was stripped of his title for refusing induction into the military, the [[World Boxing Association]] staged an eight-man tournament to determine his successor. Patterson fought [[Jerry Quarry]] to a draw in 1967. In a rematch four months later, Patterson lost a controversial 12-round decision to Quarry. Subsequently, in a final attempt at winning the title a third time, Patterson lost a controversial 15-round referee's decision to [[Jimmy Ellis (boxer)|Jimmy Ellis]] in Stockholm, in 1968, despite breaking Ellis's nose and scoring a disputed knockdown.

In September 1969 he divorced his first wife, Sandra Hicks Patterson, who wanted him to quit boxing, while he still had hopes for another title shot.

Patterson continued on, defeating [[Oscar Bonavena]] in a close fight over ten rounds in early 1972.

At age 37, Patterson was stopped after seven rounds with a cut eye while still competitive in a rematch with Muhammad Ali for the [[North American Boxing Federation|NABF]] heavyweight title on September 20, 1972.<ref>[https://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Muhammad_Ali_vs._Floyd_Patterson_(2nd_meeting) Muhammad Ali vs. Floyd Patterson (2nd meeting)]. Boxrec</ref> The defeat proved to be Patterson's last fight, although there was never an announcement of retirement.