Muhammad Ali vs. Floyd Patterson II was a professional boxing match contested on September 20, 1972, for the NABF championship.
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Date | September 20, 1972 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Venue | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Title(s) on the line | NABF heavyweight title | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tale of the tape | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Result | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ali defeats Patterson 7th round corner retirement |
Background
editAfter his decision victory over Oscar Bonavena in February 1972, Floyd Patterson signed to face fellow former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali at Madison Square Garden on 28 August. The two had faced off seven years earlier when Ali had dominated Patterson in a performance described as like watching someone "pulling the wings off a butterfly.
Patterson had been set to rematch Ali in 1967 but Ali's ban from boxing ended those hopes. The fight was pushed back to 20 September.[1]
The fight
editFor the first two rounds Ali danced around Patterson, controlling the range with the jab, while Patterson found occasional success with a lunging left hook. Ali landed a flush overhand right in the third, while Patterson's hooks forced Ali to keep a tight guard. A series of hooks from Ali in the sixth caused swelling above Patterson's left eye which kept him on the back foot throughout the seventh as the eye swelled shut.
After the ringside doctor inspected eye between rounds, referee Arthur Mercante stopped Patterson from coming out for the eighth giving Ali a RTD (retired) victory.[2]
Aftermath
editThis defeat was Patterson's last fight, although he never formally announced his retirement.
Undercard
editConfirmed bouts:[3]
Broadcasting
editCountry | Broadcaster |
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Mexico | Telesistema Mexicano |
Philippines | ABS-CBN |
United Kingdom | ITV[4] |
United States | ABC |
References
edit- ^ Levy, Alan Howard (2008). Floyd Patterson: a boxer and a gentleman. Jefferson, N.C: McFarland & Co. pp. 242–244. ISBN 9780786439508. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
- ^ Staff, B. N. (2019-09-20). "On This Day: Muhammad Ali defeats Floyd Patterson again". Boxing News. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
- ^ "BoxRec - event".
- ^ VINTAGE BOXING™️ (22 October 2023). "Muhammad Ali vs Floyd Patterson 2 (1972) ITV 1080p 60fps". youtube.com. Youtube. Retrieved 2 July 2024.