Hall of Fame

Floyd Patterson won the middleweight gold medal at the Olympic Games Helsinki 1952 and became the youngest heavyweight championship in history four years later at the age of 21. Patterson was born in Waco, North Carolina, as the third of 11 children. He began boxing under legendary trainer Cus D’Amato in Manhattan and won back-to-back New York Golden Globes titles in 1951 and 1952. Patterson logged five knockouts in five bouts for his gold medal, and began boxing professionally after the Games as a light heavyweight boxer. He finished his career with a record of 55-8-1, including 40 knockouts. Patterson was also the first to hold the world heavyweight championship twice. Outside of boxing, he was a member of the New York State Athletic Commission from 1977-84, and was later named chairman of the organization in 1995. Patterson passed away on May 11, 2006 due to the effects of Alzheimer’s disease and prostate cancer in New Paltz, New York.