A Heavyweight War At MSG

The popularity of boxing has waxed and waned over the decades, but the 1950s saw a new source of anxiety emerge for professional prizefighting: television. With boxing featured on free TV on a regular basis, live cards saw their attendance figures drop and people in the fight game began to worry about their livelihoods. Add in the fact the heavyweight division had been in the doldrums since the retirement of Rocky Marciano, with unpopular champions like Sonny Liston and Muhammad Ali turning off the general public, and it appeared to some that boxing’s days as a major attraction and a lucrative business might be in serious trouble.

But in February of 1965 the unexpected happened: a non-title match-up that didn’t appear to merit much attention outside of the hardcore fight crowd became a major event with keen interest from sports fans and the mainstream media. The huge success of the battle between former champion Floyd Patterson and top contender George Chuvalo showed that boxing, despite everything, still had a strong hold on the public imagination.

Perhaps this had something to do with the storyline of Floyd Patterson’s search for redemption. He was Marciano’s successor but, unlike “The Rock From Brockton,” who became a huge draw at the box office, Floyd had never aroused the public’s passion. Polite and mild mannered, he seemingly possessed none of the viciousness expected in a top prizefighter. When he was demolished in less than one round by a hulking ex-con and leg-breaker for the mob named Charles “Sonny” Liston, the public felt pity for Floyd, a feeling which only deepened when word came of how after his defeat the shamed ex-champion used a fake beard and glasses to exit unobserved from Chicago’s Comiskey Park.

In the Las Vegas rematch ten months later, Liston, astonishingly, again disposed of Patterson inside of a single round, the former two-time champ lasting just four seconds longer than he had in Chicago. Sports fans could be forgiven for thinking back-to-back knockouts meant the end of Floyd’s career, but he returned to the ring just six months later. However, the shame which had motivated him to wear a cheap disguise after that first defeat to Liston no doubt played its part in his electing to commence his comeback thousands of miles away, on a different continent. He notched three consecutive victories in Sweden, where, because of his battles with Ingemar Johansson, he was popular; a fourth victory took place in Puerto Rico.

So perhaps the public’s interest in the Patterson vs Chuvalo match had to do with it being a homecoming for the former champ. Or maybe it was the fact it was an intriguing duel of top contenders, with the winner promised a title shot by current champion Muhammad Ali. Whatever the reason, Madison Square Garden was sold-out, almost three hundred press credentials had been issued, and on fight night scalpers were doing brisk business along Eighth Avenue. At ringside a who’s who of former champions and celebrities were seated, including Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, and Gene Tunney. The odds favoured Patterson slightly at seven-to-five.

Thankfully, Patterson vs Chuvalo lived up to the hype. For twelve action-packed rounds, the former champion and the rising contender gave the big crowd a hell of a show, battling with an intensity and at a pace rarely seen in heavyweight bouts. Chuvalo concentrated on landing his heavy artillery to Patterson’s ribs, forcing the former champion to give ground. His advantages in weight and strength compelled Floyd to alter his strategy; instead of bringing his left hook into play behind an aggressive attack, he had to box and move, his quicker hands allowing him to take advantage of openings and counter Chuvalo’s body punches with stinging combinations.

Chuvalo shook Patterson with solid shots in the fourth and sixth rounds while the former champ repeatedly landed sharp right hands. In the eighth Floyd connected with a series of flush rights that had the crowd roaring, but Chuvalo never wavered, his granite chin solid as ever.

By the late rounds, it was clear Patterson had the edge. George’s body attack, while effective, just wasn’t paying the big dividends he expected. Still, round ten was maybe Chuvalo’s best of the fight as he unleashed a continuous volley of punches, almost knocking Floyd down, but Patterson recovered and the pace in the last two rounds was blistering, the former champ’s hand speed giving him a narrow advantage. The judges’ cards, while close, were unanimous for Floyd, but all agreed, Patterson vs Chuvalo was a fight with two winners, both men’s standing enhanced by its furious action. It would later be hailed by The Ring as 1965’s “Fight Of The Year.”

Afterwards Chuvalo complained that referee Zack Clayton prevented him from executing his strategy. “Every time I started to get going, the referee would break us up. He just wouldn’t let me fight my fight.” The loss was heartbreaking for the Canadian warrior, who had yet to receive a chance at the world title. For Patterson, his big win was a measure of sweet vindication after the shame of his knockout defeats to Liston. Muhammad Ali would follow through on his promise and defend his crown against Patterson the following November, stopping Floyd after twelve  rounds in a far less exciting and one-sided affair.           — Michael Carbert