Muhammad Ali vs. Floyd Patterson II
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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 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Muhammad Ali vs. Floyd Patterson II was a professional boxing match contested on September 20, 1972, for the NABF championship.
Background[edit]
After 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 would be later pushed back to 20 September.[1]
The fight[edit]
For the first two rounds Ali would danced around Patterson, controlling the range with the jab, whilst Patterson would find occasional success with a lunging left hook. Ali would land a flush overhand right in the third, while Patterson's hooks would force Ali to keep a tight guard. A series of hooks from Ali in the sixth, would cause a swelling above Patterson's left eye which would keep him on the back foot throughout the seventh as the eye swelled shut.
After the ringside doctor inspected eye between rounds, referee Arthur Mercante didn't allow Patterson to come out for the eighth giving Ali a RTD victory.[2]
Aftermath[edit]
This defeat proved to be Patterson's last fight, although there was never an announcement of retirement.
Undercard[edit]
Confirmed bouts:[3]
Broadcasting[edit]
| Country | Broadcaster |
|---|---|
 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".
