Check this out, this is fascinating, this is how the Ancient Romans were able to get wild animals like Lions and Tigers into the Colosseum for the Gladiators to fight. The animals were kept in cages underneath the Colosseum arena floor, and when it came time to introduce the animal into the arena itself, they were raised up through the floor using a lever and pulley system, where they were then introduced into the Colosseum itself for battle.
The ancient Romans were notorious for holding public executions of criminals in the Colosseum as well, and they would tie the criminals hands behind his back and let the lions have at them, they called it "condemnation to beasts". This an ancient Roman mosaic depicting it.
There's a theory that the ancient Romans would flood the Colosseum with water and actually hold small naval battles in it, I don't know if it's true or not, but it is depicted in the film "Gladiator 2", and it's quite stunning to say the least. The film even goes so far as to suggest that the ancient Romans would place sharks in the water as well, adding an element of danger to the naval battles.
The ancient Roman Colosseum usually doesn't have an arena floor, but they rebuild it from time to time to for demonstration purposes. This is the size of the arena floor in the ancient Roman Colosseum, you can see people standing on the arena floor, so this is what it would have looked like to see actual Gladiators standing down there if you were a spectator. There would have been plenty of room for small vessels for naval battles, that's for sure.
Speaking of building, dang I'm having a good time building this thread, I love building threads. It's true, I do consider myself the sort of the Renaissance man of this forum, my mind is always working, studying different things in life, sports, history, space, archaeology, music, you name it, I'm probably researching it. There's a lot to life, a lot to learn, a lot of fascinating things out there.
I just want to say something. My dear friend Eric Renaud, aka @thisistheshow, he was a member here on the forum, a truly good human being, the most down to Earth guy you could ever meet, had a Heart of Gold, and he tragically passed away back in December 2023. I miss you buddy, you will never be forgotten, this place just isn't the same without you and I carry you with me everyday.
It's insane how fast artificial intelligence is developing, China held an artificial intelligence robot Soccer match recently, a Soccer match played by small AI robots.
It's crazy because Google is now utilizing artificial intelligence to answer questions, if you type a question into the Google search box, Google AI will give you an answer, it's insane.
Tapper is a classic 1983 arcade game where the player takes on the role of a bartender serving beer to patrons in a bar. The game involves quickly pouring and sliding mugs of beer down the bar, collecting empty mugs, and preventing them from sliding off the end, all while managing increasingly impatient customers. The original version was marketed towards bars and featured a Budweiser theme, but was later re-themed as Root Beer Tapper for family-friendly arcades due to concerns about alcohol advertising to minors, this is the original Budweiser version.
I've shown the famous Y.A. Tittle photos before, the ones where Tittle is on his knees in the end zone with blood dripping down his face. The photos was taken on Sept. 20, 1964, and they are Two of the most famous sports images ever taken. It was a game between the New York Giants and the Pittsburgh Steelers, and 6'7", 279 lbs Steelers lineman "Big John" Baker had just leveled Tittle, causing Tittle to throw a pick six. It was a clean hit, but he smashed Tittle, giving him a concussion, bruised ribs, and opening up Two cuts on his forehead head which started to bleed. After the hit, Tittle rose to his knees, and sat there for a second, staring straight ahead into oblivion and then hanging his head down, and then looking straight up into the sky, the image of him looking straight up into the sky wasn't photographed. There were three press photographers there that day and they all captured images and Two of the three image became famous, the image with him staring straight ahead photographed by Dozier Mobley, and the image with him hanging his head down photographed by Morris Berman. The moment produced Two of the most iconic photos in sports history, and adding to the mystique of the images was the background, a handful of fans sitting on lawn chairs at field level and mostly empty end zone bleachers.
These are some of the other photos captured by the press photographers after the John Baker hit on Y.A. Tittle. The very bottom photo is Y.A. Tittle on the sidelines after the hit and you can see a band-aid over one of the cuts on his head.
This is a photo of the John Baker hit that caused those iconic photos to happen, you can actually see Tittle's feet being lifted off the ground from the impact of the hit.
Y.A. Tittle is another one of my favorite quarterbacks, he was tough as old leather boots, and he was pretty darn good too. Known for his competitiveness, toughness, grit, and leadership, Tittle was the centerpiece of several prolific offenses throughout his 17-year professional career, 1948-64. Traded from the 49ers to the Giants after the 1960 season, Tittle revitalized the Giants franchise. In his Four seasons in New York (1961-64), he led the Giants to Three consecutive Eastern Conference titles and NFL Championship appearances (1961-63), though a title alluded him. At the end of his career, far from fading, he twice set the NFL's single-season touchdown record, 33 TD in 1962, and 36 TD in 1963, earning the 63' season MVP. In 1963 Tittle commanded an explosive offense that averaged 32 points per game, topping the league. He led in completion percentage, yards per attempt, and passer rating, finishing with 3,145 yards, 36 passing TDs, and a 104.8 rating. His performance solidified his status as one of the era's greatest quarterbacks and earned him first team all-pro recognition. His number 14 jersey was retired in 1965 and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971. These are a few of my favorite photos of Y.A. Tittle, it really shows how tough he was and how tough the era was. This is a different photo of Tittle from the famous photos in the above post, he was actually busted open a few times during games.
These are some of my favorite football photos of all-time, Y.A. Tittle absolutely covered in mud. This photo was taken at the Mud Bowl between the New York Giants and St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on Nov. 15, 1964. The teams played to a 10-10 tie that day.
Long before Mike Tyson utilized the peek-a-boo style, there was Floyd Patterson, Cus D'Amato trained and taught both, D'Amato was famous for utilizing and teaching his fighters the peek-a-boo style. Patterson was the first man to win, lose, and then regain the world heavyweight championship. His nickname was "The Gentleman of Boxing", because he was a total gentleman, but boy could he unleash absolute hell when that bell rang, some of the fastest, most powerful, and vicious combination punching you'll ever see in a boxing ring.
Here are some photos of Floyd Patterson with famous trainer Cus D'Amato, this was D'Amato years before he would discover Mike Tyson. Like I said before, D'Amato taught his fighters to use the peek-a-boo style, Floyd Patterson, Jose Torres, and later Mike Tyson all used this style and were trained by D'Amato. Patterson got into a lot of trouble as a youth, he was one of 11 children and he got into trouble, stealing and things like that, so his parents sent him to a reform school when he was a teenager. That's where Cus D'Amato found him in 1949 and taught him boxing, and D'Amato was a big influence on his life. You have to remember, during those days the Mafia, in particular Lucchese family soldier Frankie Carbo and his right hand man Blinky Palermo, had their tentacles all over the sport, they corrupted the sport and they corrupted a lot of great fighters, Cus D'Amato was street wise and he knew how to handle the mobsters and he kept them away from Floyd Patterson, protected Patterson and developed him into one heck of a great fighter. He was a natural middleweight, he won the Gold medal in the middleweight division at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, so the fact that he was able to move up to heavyweight and win the crown twice is pretty darn good. He was one of the smallest heavyweights in history.
This is a photo of Floyd Patterson, Joe Frazier, and Muhammad Ali together and you can see how small Patterson is at the end on the left, which makes it all the more impressive what Patterson was able to accomplish in the heavyweight division. Patterson is often remembered for his losses to Sonny Liston and Muhammad Ali, which is a shame because he was really too small to ever beat Liston or Ali. But I'll say this for Patterson, he had guts, Liston was one of the most feared and hardest punchers to ever grace a boxing ring, and he knocked Patterson out brutality, twice, and Patterson wanted him a third time, Patterson had a set, that's for sure.
Floyd Patterson is most famous for his three fights with Ingemar Johansson, these weren't fights, they were life and death struggles. Ingemar Johansson was a Swedish heavyweight with a murderous punch, his right hand was known as the "Hammer of Thor." The trilogy took place from 1959-61, and they are three of the greatest fights you'll ever see, they were action packed and had it all, 12 knockdowns, three brutal knockouts, the title changing hands twice, heart, grit, toughness, determination, they really showcased why us boxing fans love this sport and keep coming back for more.
Floyd Patterson walks away after knocking out Ingemar Johansson
Floyd Patterson vs Ingemar Johansson: An Unlikely Trilogy
By BN Staff
Published Sep 14 2022
TRULY great trilogies in boxing are rare. In the heavyweight division, even more so. More than 60 years ago, however, Floyd Patterson and Ingemar Johansson gave us one of the very best. Those three ring battles encapsulate the strengths and weaknesses of Patterson; a heavyweight champion who is too often remembered for his defeats to Sonny Liston.
Boxing fans today are used to many professional fighters launching their careers following a successful Olympic campaign. The 1952 Helsinki Games was that launchpad for Floyd. He was part of a remarkable US boxing team. Five of the team reached the finals, and all five won gold medals. All five were also African American, another historic achievement.
Floyd completed as a middleweight in the Games. The final marked his 45th contest as an amateur and he won the fight in just 20 seconds. At just 17, he was an Olympic gold medallist and ready to turn professional.
Johansson competed at the same Games, but his experience was altogether different. He was disqualified in the heavyweight final, against Ed Sanders, for ‘not giving his best.’ A losing finalist would, of course, normally be awarded the silver medal, but due to the nature of the loss, this was not granted to him. Though he would eventually get that medal, 30 years later in 1982, it was a humiliation at the time.
Floyd famously became the youngest ever heavyweight world champion at just 21. His early professional fights were contested at light-heavyweight. However, guided by Cus D’Amato, the decision was made for Patterson to aim for the heavyweight title. In the wake of Rocky Marciano’s decision to retire as undefeated champion, Floyd secured a shot at the vacant crown against Archie Moore.
“Ancient” Archie – the great light-heavyweight king – was the bookmakers favourite going into the Patterson match. He had been fighting professionally since before Floyd was born and had dropped Marciano in Rocky’s last fight. The contest would have the unusual distinction of crowning either the oldest or the youngest world heavyweight champion.
Two knockdowns in the fifth round secured a stoppage win for Floyd. The new world heavyweight champion decided against attending a victory party, instead heading back to see his wife and new baby daughter, born earlier that day.
Defences followed against Tommy “Hurricane” Jackson, professional debutant Pete Rademacher, Roy Harris and Brian London. If Floyd’s stock was high after his victory over Moore, the goodwill drained with each passing defence. Although all were won by stoppage victory, it was often felt that these less than stellar opponents took Patterson further than they should have been allowed to. Patterson was also knocked down in both the Rademacher and Harris fights, suggesting a fragility that could come back to haunt him against bigger punchers later. Furthermore, it seemed that more worthwhile challengers were being overlooked.
By the tail end of 1959, unbeaten European champion, Johansson, was the highest ranked contender. He would become Floyd’s fifth challenger, in a fight that took place at Yankee Stadium on June 26, 1959. Johansson outweighed Patterson by 14lbs. Despite this, Floyd was a significant favourite with the bookmakers. Ingemar’s best weapon was widely known: his powerful right hand, variously known as his Toonder and Lightning, the Hammer of Thor, and Ingo’s Bingo. Regardless, it was absent – perhaps by design – when the press watched Johansson train. Unimpressed, 63 of 69 polled sportswriters favoured Patterson to retain his title.
Patterson wasn’t so sure. “I never have seen Johansson fight,” he said. “I don’t care whether he used the right hand in training or not. For all I know it’s his best punch. How soon it will end depends upon Johansson. If he lets me, I will end it early. If he doesn’t, he might even end it early.”
Patterson-Johansson was delayed a day by rain in New York. The city was in blackout as the poor weather continued the next day and only eased off shortly before the first fights of the evening were due to start. Yankee Stadium could seat 80,000 but the soggy conditions contributed to a crowd of only 18,215. Nat Fleischer, in A Pictorial History of Boxing, commented on the disappointing ticket sales that were boosted by more than $1 million revenue from closed circuit television. “This was the dawning of an age when money was to be made, not from the live audience, but from TV”. In the end, thanks to the closed circuit cash injection, Patterson was paid over $600,000, more than his predecessor Marciano had made in a single fight.
The first round was quiet. Johansson continually fired out jabs that kept Patterson at bay. The jab on its own was little more than an irritant, as Ingemar waited for the opportune moment to follow with the right hand. Patterson was reduced to bobbing and weaving. What little offence he threw was out of range. At the end of the round Johansson finally followed up a jab with a right hand which, despite exciting the television commentator, had little effect.
The second round was more of the same, although Johansson threw the right with greater regularity, suggesting he was growing in confidence. Patterson, seemingly frustrated by Ingemar’s jab, appeared to be relying on getting lucky with one of his leaping left hooks.
The third round, however, more than made up for a lack of action in the previous two, but it was catastrophic for Floyd. He was on the floor early as Ingo’s Bingo paid off. Floyd rose, appearing confused and, following the count, started to walk towards the corner, presumably thinking the round or the fight was over. As he walked away, Johansson moved in and connected with a left to the jaw and a right to the back of the head. Patterson went down again, and the fight was as good as over from here. Five more knockdowns followed, as a dazed and confused Patterson repeatedly crumpled to the floor and bravely rose, only to walk back into the fire. Following the seventh knockdown of the round, with Patterson’s legs and balance completely gone, referee Ruby Goldstein waved it off. Floyd was an ex-champion and Ingemar had become only the fourth undefeated fighter to win the world heavyweight title. Those who felt that Patterson was a protected and vulnerable champion felt vindicated. It was Floyd’s turn to feel humiliation.
The dark clouds that had surrounded Yankee Stadium in the hours before the main event continued to hang over Patterson long after the fight had ended. Always an introverted figure, he retreated deeper as he struggled to come to terms with defeat. In his biography of Patterson, author W. K. Stratton quotes Milton Gross, the first reporter to visit Floyd after the fight, as saying that, “there was a subdued sadness in his eyes and in his voice.”
Years later, Patterson told Peter Heller, for his book, In This Corner, that the first Johansson fight had come too soon after his previous defence.
“I had fought 21 days before that, and I went right back into training. I only took two days off. By the time the fight came around, I just didn’t have that drive, that will.”
Floyd went on to tell Heller that an intervention from a former foe helped lift his spirits.
“Archie Moore sent me a beautiful letter indicating that this could be a blessing in disguise. In other words, in order to be the first to win it back, you’ve got to lose it.”
Over time the darkness lifted and almost exactly a year later, on June 20 1960, Johansson and Patterson would meet again, this time at the famed Polo Grounds.
Floyd was understandably an underdog going into the rematch, but there were some key differences going into the fight. First, it was the only time that Patterson admitted hating an opponent. He had a thirst for revenge. Secondly, trainer Dan Florio had decided that fundamental changes were needed to the peek-a-boo style that Patterson had used up to this point in his career. Cus D’Amato was also noticeable by his absence. Neither fighter employed a manager for the fight with Johansson being ‘advised’ by Edwin Ahlquist. Finally, Floyd would weigh in at 190lbs, his heaviest to that point.
The pattern of the fight was set in the first round, with Ingemar again trying again to establish his jab, but it was clear early on that Floyd would not be as passive in this encounter. He was more aggressive, again with leaping left hooks and often the two would fall into clinches, with Patterson seemingly the happier of the two when in close.
Despite some success in the first round for Floyd, Johansson landed the best punch of the fight thus far in the second round. It was a right hand again that got Floyd’s attention, causing him to back off and remain a little more cautious for the remainder of the session.
Rounds three and four were more of the same, with Floyd not allowing Johansson to dictate the fight with his jab. Early in the fifth round, Patterson landed a powerful right hand of his own up close, as he continued to close the distance. This was shortly followed by a sweet left hook that floored the champion. Johansson bravely got to his feet, but as the action commenced was clinging on as Patterson unleashed a barrage of punches. Floyd landed a lovely hook to the body which seemed to hurt Ingemar, then followed it with another left to the chin. Johansson went down again. The referee’s count was a formality, as the Swede remain motionless, other than one leg which trembled involuntarily.
Floyd was caught between trying to check on his fallen opponent and his corner team trying to celebrate with him and raise him aloft. Eight former heavyweight champions had previously tried to regain their crowns, and all had failed. Patterson, already the youngest heavyweight champion of all time, was now the first ever to regain the title.
This was the only time that Floyd acknowledged taking rage into the ring with him. Years later, Patterson spoke to W.C. Heinz about the emotion of going in against the man who had torn the title away from him. “I just hope that I’ll never be as vicious again.”
Floyd Patterson would not meet Sonny Liston to defend his heavyweight title until September 1962, but that was not the first time they shared a ring. In the moments before the rubber match between Patterson and Johansson, in Miami Beach on March 13 1961, Sonny was introduced to the crowd. He took a bow from the ring, along with former champions Max Schmeling, Joe Louis and Rocky Marciano.
Both combatants weighed the heaviest of their careers, but whereas the extra weight perhaps strengthened Floyd, Johansson appeared too bulky.
Maybe Ingemar knew from the outset that he was not in condition to go 15 rounds, as he set off more aggressively than in the two previous meetings. Whereas he had used the right hand sparingly previously, on this night he was looking to land the Hammer of Thor early. It soon appeared to have paid off as halfway through the first round he floored the champion. Floyd regained his feet, but a flurry of punches had him down again. With still a minute to go Floyd was up but seemingly on the verge of another humiliating defeat. However, as Johansson went in for the finish, Patterson caught him with a stunning left hook to put him on the canvas. Johansson beat the count to end one of the great first rounds in heavyweight history.
Both men had moments of success over the next few rounds in what was a ragged performance from both boxers, with Floyd marginally establishing superiority as Johansson tired. Neither man had been the full 15 rounds in their respective careers, and it looked a safe bet they would not be going the distance on this evening.
Johansson sat breathing heavily on his stool prior to the sixth. Despite this, he started the round more brightly than Floyd. Midway through the round, Patterson seemed to start voluntarily retreating, as if feeling the effects of the pace or Ingemar’s punches. Any hopes of a turn in the tide for Johansson were quickly dispelled when, with less than a minute to go, a chopping right hand from the champion had the Swede on his knees. As he listened to referee, Bill Regan’s count, Ingemar slipped back onto the seat of his shorts, illustrating the extent of the trouble he was in. He attempted to beat the count, almost falling forward into the chest of the referee as he did so. Regan waved the fight off as his count reached ten, although boos from the crowd suggested that some felt it was a hasty ending. Ingemar, however, was a beaten and exhausted man and Patterson had brought a conclusive end to the trilogy at 2-46 of the sixth round.
Howard Cosell was quick to interview the victor. Patterson, forever honest, admitted to being “very groggy” and close to defeat in that sensational first round. Cosell then asked Floyd about the challenge of the man who would go on to cast a shadow over Patterson’s legacy. Would the champion be facing Sonny Liston next? It is hard to imagine any other champion other than the enigmatic Floyd coming back with this response.
“Sonny Liston is the number one contender, and I’ve always said that if there is another man out there that can very honestly beat me in a fair and square fight, as much as it hurts, I’d rather see him win the title than myself.”
Despite his win, the press were not impressed with Patterson as champion. He was too susceptible to right hands and too easily and frequently floored. A. J. Liebling considered him at that point, a second-rate heavyweight champion. He was not the only writer of the time who believed that both Patterson and Johansson were two of the poorest of all world heavyweight champions.
It is well known that Floyd tried to escape the scene of his defeat to Liston incognito, with the aid of a fake beard and moustache. He also had this disguise prepared prior to the second Johansson fight. Although not required on that occasion, it highlights his insecurities.
If Patterson holds the unenviable record for the most frequently floored heavyweight champion, then he must also hold the record for being the champion who most often got back to his feet to beat the count.
The three Patterson – Johansson fights, without question, are one of the legendary boxing trilogies from the sport’s golden age. The heavyweight title changing hands twice, multiple knockdowns, underdog victories, conclusive knockouts, contrasting characters, it had it all.
Despite recording some notable wins in the post-Liston phase of his career, the win in the return bout with Johansson, an immediate rematch following a crushing defeat, was likely the summit of his 20-year professional career.
Patterson was a man who preferred a life away from the spotlight, ironic given that what he achieved under the glare of the ring lights.
This is one of my favorite photos from the Patterson-Johansson trilogy, an overhead shot of Patterson's left exploding into the face of Johansson, and it was featured on the cover of Ring Magazine in 1961.
Floyd Patterson was also famous for the "Gazelle punch", it was his signature punch, and it was basically a powerful left hook characterized by a leaping, forward motion as if springing like a gazelle. It involved a bending of both knees to generate power and a forward leap towards the opponent. Patterson used this punch, which he considered a "sure kill," to close the distance and land a knockout blow, he is seen here utilizing the Gazelle punch to take Johansson out.
One thing about Floyd Patterson, he was one of the nicest men to ever enter a boxing ring, a complete gentleman, he conducted himself everyday like he was under 24 hour surveillance, that was the kind of man he was, hence the nickname "The Gentleman of Boxing", and "The Gentle Gladiator." I particularly like "The Gentle Gladiator" nickname, it's one of the coolest nicknames I've heard. Red Smith once called Patterson "the man of peace who loves to fight," and indeed Patterson, who had always seemed too kind a soul for the prize ring, kept on fighting until 1972, finally retiring at age 37. Time for some Floyd Patterson career photos.
Comments
Nitschke in pursuit.
Nitschke was missing four of his front row teeth, he purposely kept it that way to intimidate his opponents.
I would not want to look up and see him running towards me.
When Dinosaurs roamed the Earth, Nitschke was a carnivore.
You can see the meanness and viciousness in his face, kind of reminds you of that famous Jack Lambert photo.
Music break.
Dak Prescott when it's garbage time and the game is over.
Check this out, this is fascinating, this is how the Ancient Romans were able to get wild animals like Lions and Tigers into the Colosseum for the Gladiators to fight. The animals were kept in cages underneath the Colosseum arena floor, and when it came time to introduce the animal into the arena itself, they were raised up through the floor using a lever and pulley system, where they were then introduced into the Colosseum itself for battle.
The ancient Romans were notorious for their art, mosaics and frescos, and they depicted scenes of Gladiators fighting animals in their art.
An ancient Roman mosaic depicting a Gladiator fighting a Tiger.
An ancient Roman fresco depicting a Gladiator fighting a lion.
The ancient Romans were notorious for holding public executions of criminals in the Colosseum as well, and they would tie the criminals hands behind his back and let the lions have at them, they called it "condemnation to beasts". This an ancient Roman mosaic depicting it.
Ohhhhhh!
There's a theory that the ancient Romans would flood the Colosseum with water and actually hold small naval battles in it, I don't know if it's true or not, but it is depicted in the film "Gladiator 2", and it's quite stunning to say the least. The film even goes so far as to suggest that the ancient Romans would place sharks in the water as well, adding an element of danger to the naval battles.
The ancient Roman Colosseum usually doesn't have an arena floor, but they rebuild it from time to time to for demonstration purposes. This is the size of the arena floor in the ancient Roman Colosseum, you can see people standing on the arena floor, so this is what it would have looked like to see actual Gladiators standing down there if you were a spectator. There would have been plenty of room for small vessels for naval battles, that's for sure.
This is what it usually looks like without the arena floor.
This is what it looks like up close, the area underneath the Arena floor.
And you can see here how they rebuild the arena floor.
Speaking of building, dang I'm having a good time building this thread, I love building threads. It's true, I do consider myself the sort of the Renaissance man of this forum, my mind is always working, studying different things in life, sports, history, space, archaeology, music, you name it, I'm probably researching it. There's a lot to life, a lot to learn, a lot of fascinating things out there.
I just want to say something. My dear friend Eric Renaud, aka @thisistheshow, he was a member here on the forum, a truly good human being, the most down to Earth guy you could ever meet, had a Heart of Gold, and he tragically passed away back in December 2023. I miss you buddy, you will never be forgotten, this place just isn't the same without you and I carry you with me everyday.
It's insane how fast artificial intelligence is developing, China held an artificial intelligence robot Soccer match recently, a Soccer match played by small AI robots.
It's crazy because Google is now utilizing artificial intelligence to answer questions, if you type a question into the Google search box, Google AI will give you an answer, it's insane.
Tapper is a classic 1983 arcade game where the player takes on the role of a bartender serving beer to patrons in a bar. The game involves quickly pouring and sliding mugs of beer down the bar, collecting empty mugs, and preventing them from sliding off the end, all while managing increasingly impatient customers. The original version was marketed towards bars and featured a Budweiser theme, but was later re-themed as Root Beer Tapper for family-friendly arcades due to concerns about alcohol advertising to minors, this is the original Budweiser version.
I've shown the famous Y.A. Tittle photos before, the ones where Tittle is on his knees in the end zone with blood dripping down his face. The photos was taken on Sept. 20, 1964, and they are Two of the most famous sports images ever taken. It was a game between the New York Giants and the Pittsburgh Steelers, and 6'7", 279 lbs Steelers lineman "Big John" Baker had just leveled Tittle, causing Tittle to throw a pick six. It was a clean hit, but he smashed Tittle, giving him a concussion, bruised ribs, and opening up Two cuts on his forehead head which started to bleed. After the hit, Tittle rose to his knees, and sat there for a second, staring straight ahead into oblivion and then hanging his head down, and then looking straight up into the sky, the image of him looking straight up into the sky wasn't photographed. There were three press photographers there that day and they all captured images and Two of the three image became famous, the image with him staring straight ahead photographed by Dozier Mobley, and the image with him hanging his head down photographed by Morris Berman. The moment produced Two of the most iconic photos in sports history, and adding to the mystique of the images was the background, a handful of fans sitting on lawn chairs at field level and mostly empty end zone bleachers.
The Dozier Mobley photo
The Morris Berman photo
These are some of the other photos captured by the press photographers after the John Baker hit on Y.A. Tittle. The very bottom photo is Y.A. Tittle on the sidelines after the hit and you can see a band-aid over one of the cuts on his head.
This is a photo of the John Baker hit that caused those iconic photos to happen, you can actually see Tittle's feet being lifted off the ground from the impact of the hit.
Y.A. Tittle is another one of my favorite quarterbacks, he was tough as old leather boots, and he was pretty darn good too. Known for his competitiveness, toughness, grit, and leadership, Tittle was the centerpiece of several prolific offenses throughout his 17-year professional career, 1948-64. Traded from the 49ers to the Giants after the 1960 season, Tittle revitalized the Giants franchise. In his Four seasons in New York (1961-64), he led the Giants to Three consecutive Eastern Conference titles and NFL Championship appearances (1961-63), though a title alluded him. At the end of his career, far from fading, he twice set the NFL's single-season touchdown record, 33 TD in 1962, and 36 TD in 1963, earning the 63' season MVP. In 1963 Tittle commanded an explosive offense that averaged 32 points per game, topping the league. He led in completion percentage, yards per attempt, and passer rating, finishing with 3,145 yards, 36 passing TDs, and a 104.8 rating. His performance solidified his status as one of the era's greatest quarterbacks and earned him first team all-pro recognition. His number 14 jersey was retired in 1965 and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971. These are a few of my favorite photos of Y.A. Tittle, it really shows how tough he was and how tough the era was. This is a different photo of Tittle from the famous photos in the above post, he was actually busted open a few times during games.
These are some of my favorite football photos of all-time, Y.A. Tittle absolutely covered in mud. This photo was taken at the Mud Bowl between the New York Giants and St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on Nov. 15, 1964. The teams played to a 10-10 tie that day.
Some more photos of Y.A. Tittle covered in mud, this is from the 1964 NFL Championship game between the New York Giants and the Cleveland Browns.
Some great photos of Tittle with the Giants.
Blood and mud.
Great shot of Y.A. Tittle leaving the dugout.
Great action shot of Tittle slinging it.
Great player was Yelberton Abraham Tittle Jr., aka Y.A. Tittle.
Long before Mike Tyson utilized the peek-a-boo style, there was Floyd Patterson, Cus D'Amato trained and taught both, D'Amato was famous for utilizing and teaching his fighters the peek-a-boo style. Patterson was the first man to win, lose, and then regain the world heavyweight championship. His nickname was "The Gentleman of Boxing", because he was a total gentleman, but boy could he unleash absolute hell when that bell rang, some of the fastest, most powerful, and vicious combination punching you'll ever see in a boxing ring.
Here are some photos of Floyd Patterson with famous trainer Cus D'Amato, this was D'Amato years before he would discover Mike Tyson. Like I said before, D'Amato taught his fighters to use the peek-a-boo style, Floyd Patterson, Jose Torres, and later Mike Tyson all used this style and were trained by D'Amato. Patterson got into a lot of trouble as a youth, he was one of 11 children and he got into trouble, stealing and things like that, so his parents sent him to a reform school when he was a teenager. That's where Cus D'Amato found him in 1949 and taught him boxing, and D'Amato was a big influence on his life. You have to remember, during those days the Mafia, in particular Lucchese family soldier Frankie Carbo and his right hand man Blinky Palermo, had their tentacles all over the sport, they corrupted the sport and they corrupted a lot of great fighters, Cus D'Amato was street wise and he knew how to handle the mobsters and he kept them away from Floyd Patterson, protected Patterson and developed him into one heck of a great fighter. He was a natural middleweight, he won the Gold medal in the middleweight division at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, so the fact that he was able to move up to heavyweight and win the crown twice is pretty darn good. He was one of the smallest heavyweights in history.
This is a photo of Floyd Patterson, Joe Frazier, and Muhammad Ali together and you can see how small Patterson is at the end on the left, which makes it all the more impressive what Patterson was able to accomplish in the heavyweight division. Patterson is often remembered for his losses to Sonny Liston and Muhammad Ali, which is a shame because he was really too small to ever beat Liston or Ali. But I'll say this for Patterson, he had guts, Liston was one of the most feared and hardest punchers to ever grace a boxing ring, and he knocked Patterson out brutality, twice, and Patterson wanted him a third time, Patterson had a set, that's for sure.
Floyd Patterson is most famous for his three fights with Ingemar Johansson, these weren't fights, they were life and death struggles. Ingemar Johansson was a Swedish heavyweight with a murderous punch, his right hand was known as the "Hammer of Thor." The trilogy took place from 1959-61, and they are three of the greatest fights you'll ever see, they were action packed and had it all, 12 knockdowns, three brutal knockouts, the title changing hands twice, heart, grit, toughness, determination, they really showcased why us boxing fans love this sport and keep coming back for more.
Floyd Patterson walks away after knocking out Ingemar Johansson
Floyd Patterson vs Ingemar Johansson: An Unlikely Trilogy
By BN Staff
Published Sep 14 2022
TRULY great trilogies in boxing are rare. In the heavyweight division, even more so. More than 60 years ago, however, Floyd Patterson and Ingemar Johansson gave us one of the very best. Those three ring battles encapsulate the strengths and weaknesses of Patterson; a heavyweight champion who is too often remembered for his defeats to Sonny Liston.
Boxing fans today are used to many professional fighters launching their careers following a successful Olympic campaign. The 1952 Helsinki Games was that launchpad for Floyd. He was part of a remarkable US boxing team. Five of the team reached the finals, and all five won gold medals. All five were also African American, another historic achievement.
Floyd completed as a middleweight in the Games. The final marked his 45th contest as an amateur and he won the fight in just 20 seconds. At just 17, he was an Olympic gold medallist and ready to turn professional.
Johansson competed at the same Games, but his experience was altogether different. He was disqualified in the heavyweight final, against Ed Sanders, for ‘not giving his best.’ A losing finalist would, of course, normally be awarded the silver medal, but due to the nature of the loss, this was not granted to him. Though he would eventually get that medal, 30 years later in 1982, it was a humiliation at the time.
Floyd famously became the youngest ever heavyweight world champion at just 21. His early professional fights were contested at light-heavyweight. However, guided by Cus D’Amato, the decision was made for Patterson to aim for the heavyweight title. In the wake of Rocky Marciano’s decision to retire as undefeated champion, Floyd secured a shot at the vacant crown against Archie Moore.
“Ancient” Archie – the great light-heavyweight king – was the bookmakers favourite going into the Patterson match. He had been fighting professionally since before Floyd was born and had dropped Marciano in Rocky’s last fight. The contest would have the unusual distinction of crowning either the oldest or the youngest world heavyweight champion.
Two knockdowns in the fifth round secured a stoppage win for Floyd. The new world heavyweight champion decided against attending a victory party, instead heading back to see his wife and new baby daughter, born earlier that day.
Defences followed against Tommy “Hurricane” Jackson, professional debutant Pete Rademacher, Roy Harris and Brian London. If Floyd’s stock was high after his victory over Moore, the goodwill drained with each passing defence. Although all were won by stoppage victory, it was often felt that these less than stellar opponents took Patterson further than they should have been allowed to. Patterson was also knocked down in both the Rademacher and Harris fights, suggesting a fragility that could come back to haunt him against bigger punchers later. Furthermore, it seemed that more worthwhile challengers were being overlooked.
By the tail end of 1959, unbeaten European champion, Johansson, was the highest ranked contender. He would become Floyd’s fifth challenger, in a fight that took place at Yankee Stadium on June 26, 1959. Johansson outweighed Patterson by 14lbs. Despite this, Floyd was a significant favourite with the bookmakers. Ingemar’s best weapon was widely known: his powerful right hand, variously known as his Toonder and Lightning, the Hammer of Thor, and Ingo’s Bingo. Regardless, it was absent – perhaps by design – when the press watched Johansson train. Unimpressed, 63 of 69 polled sportswriters favoured Patterson to retain his title.
Patterson wasn’t so sure. “I never have seen Johansson fight,” he said. “I don’t care whether he used the right hand in training or not. For all I know it’s his best punch. How soon it will end depends upon Johansson. If he lets me, I will end it early. If he doesn’t, he might even end it early.”
Patterson-Johansson was delayed a day by rain in New York. The city was in blackout as the poor weather continued the next day and only eased off shortly before the first fights of the evening were due to start. Yankee Stadium could seat 80,000 but the soggy conditions contributed to a crowd of only 18,215. Nat Fleischer, in A Pictorial History of Boxing, commented on the disappointing ticket sales that were boosted by more than $1 million revenue from closed circuit television. “This was the dawning of an age when money was to be made, not from the live audience, but from TV”. In the end, thanks to the closed circuit cash injection, Patterson was paid over $600,000, more than his predecessor Marciano had made in a single fight.
The first round was quiet. Johansson continually fired out jabs that kept Patterson at bay. The jab on its own was little more than an irritant, as Ingemar waited for the opportune moment to follow with the right hand. Patterson was reduced to bobbing and weaving. What little offence he threw was out of range. At the end of the round Johansson finally followed up a jab with a right hand which, despite exciting the television commentator, had little effect.
The second round was more of the same, although Johansson threw the right with greater regularity, suggesting he was growing in confidence. Patterson, seemingly frustrated by Ingemar’s jab, appeared to be relying on getting lucky with one of his leaping left hooks.
The third round, however, more than made up for a lack of action in the previous two, but it was catastrophic for Floyd. He was on the floor early as Ingo’s Bingo paid off. Floyd rose, appearing confused and, following the count, started to walk towards the corner, presumably thinking the round or the fight was over. As he walked away, Johansson moved in and connected with a left to the jaw and a right to the back of the head. Patterson went down again, and the fight was as good as over from here. Five more knockdowns followed, as a dazed and confused Patterson repeatedly crumpled to the floor and bravely rose, only to walk back into the fire. Following the seventh knockdown of the round, with Patterson’s legs and balance completely gone, referee Ruby Goldstein waved it off. Floyd was an ex-champion and Ingemar had become only the fourth undefeated fighter to win the world heavyweight title. Those who felt that Patterson was a protected and vulnerable champion felt vindicated. It was Floyd’s turn to feel humiliation.
The dark clouds that had surrounded Yankee Stadium in the hours before the main event continued to hang over Patterson long after the fight had ended. Always an introverted figure, he retreated deeper as he struggled to come to terms with defeat. In his biography of Patterson, author W. K. Stratton quotes Milton Gross, the first reporter to visit Floyd after the fight, as saying that, “there was a subdued sadness in his eyes and in his voice.”
Years later, Patterson told Peter Heller, for his book, In This Corner, that the first Johansson fight had come too soon after his previous defence.
“I had fought 21 days before that, and I went right back into training. I only took two days off. By the time the fight came around, I just didn’t have that drive, that will.”
Floyd went on to tell Heller that an intervention from a former foe helped lift his spirits.
“Archie Moore sent me a beautiful letter indicating that this could be a blessing in disguise. In other words, in order to be the first to win it back, you’ve got to lose it.”
Over time the darkness lifted and almost exactly a year later, on June 20 1960, Johansson and Patterson would meet again, this time at the famed Polo Grounds.
Floyd was understandably an underdog going into the rematch, but there were some key differences going into the fight. First, it was the only time that Patterson admitted hating an opponent. He had a thirst for revenge. Secondly, trainer Dan Florio had decided that fundamental changes were needed to the peek-a-boo style that Patterson had used up to this point in his career. Cus D’Amato was also noticeable by his absence. Neither fighter employed a manager for the fight with Johansson being ‘advised’ by Edwin Ahlquist. Finally, Floyd would weigh in at 190lbs, his heaviest to that point.
The pattern of the fight was set in the first round, with Ingemar again trying again to establish his jab, but it was clear early on that Floyd would not be as passive in this encounter. He was more aggressive, again with leaping left hooks and often the two would fall into clinches, with Patterson seemingly the happier of the two when in close.
Despite some success in the first round for Floyd, Johansson landed the best punch of the fight thus far in the second round. It was a right hand again that got Floyd’s attention, causing him to back off and remain a little more cautious for the remainder of the session.
Rounds three and four were more of the same, with Floyd not allowing Johansson to dictate the fight with his jab. Early in the fifth round, Patterson landed a powerful right hand of his own up close, as he continued to close the distance. This was shortly followed by a sweet left hook that floored the champion. Johansson bravely got to his feet, but as the action commenced was clinging on as Patterson unleashed a barrage of punches. Floyd landed a lovely hook to the body which seemed to hurt Ingemar, then followed it with another left to the chin. Johansson went down again. The referee’s count was a formality, as the Swede remain motionless, other than one leg which trembled involuntarily.
Floyd was caught between trying to check on his fallen opponent and his corner team trying to celebrate with him and raise him aloft. Eight former heavyweight champions had previously tried to regain their crowns, and all had failed. Patterson, already the youngest heavyweight champion of all time, was now the first ever to regain the title.
This was the only time that Floyd acknowledged taking rage into the ring with him. Years later, Patterson spoke to W.C. Heinz about the emotion of going in against the man who had torn the title away from him. “I just hope that I’ll never be as vicious again.”
Floyd Patterson would not meet Sonny Liston to defend his heavyweight title until September 1962, but that was not the first time they shared a ring. In the moments before the rubber match between Patterson and Johansson, in Miami Beach on March 13 1961, Sonny was introduced to the crowd. He took a bow from the ring, along with former champions Max Schmeling, Joe Louis and Rocky Marciano.
Both combatants weighed the heaviest of their careers, but whereas the extra weight perhaps strengthened Floyd, Johansson appeared too bulky.
Maybe Ingemar knew from the outset that he was not in condition to go 15 rounds, as he set off more aggressively than in the two previous meetings. Whereas he had used the right hand sparingly previously, on this night he was looking to land the Hammer of Thor early. It soon appeared to have paid off as halfway through the first round he floored the champion. Floyd regained his feet, but a flurry of punches had him down again. With still a minute to go Floyd was up but seemingly on the verge of another humiliating defeat. However, as Johansson went in for the finish, Patterson caught him with a stunning left hook to put him on the canvas. Johansson beat the count to end one of the great first rounds in heavyweight history.
Both men had moments of success over the next few rounds in what was a ragged performance from both boxers, with Floyd marginally establishing superiority as Johansson tired. Neither man had been the full 15 rounds in their respective careers, and it looked a safe bet they would not be going the distance on this evening.
Johansson sat breathing heavily on his stool prior to the sixth. Despite this, he started the round more brightly than Floyd. Midway through the round, Patterson seemed to start voluntarily retreating, as if feeling the effects of the pace or Ingemar’s punches. Any hopes of a turn in the tide for Johansson were quickly dispelled when, with less than a minute to go, a chopping right hand from the champion had the Swede on his knees. As he listened to referee, Bill Regan’s count, Ingemar slipped back onto the seat of his shorts, illustrating the extent of the trouble he was in. He attempted to beat the count, almost falling forward into the chest of the referee as he did so. Regan waved the fight off as his count reached ten, although boos from the crowd suggested that some felt it was a hasty ending. Ingemar, however, was a beaten and exhausted man and Patterson had brought a conclusive end to the trilogy at 2-46 of the sixth round.
Howard Cosell was quick to interview the victor. Patterson, forever honest, admitted to being “very groggy” and close to defeat in that sensational first round. Cosell then asked Floyd about the challenge of the man who would go on to cast a shadow over Patterson’s legacy. Would the champion be facing Sonny Liston next? It is hard to imagine any other champion other than the enigmatic Floyd coming back with this response.
“Sonny Liston is the number one contender, and I’ve always said that if there is another man out there that can very honestly beat me in a fair and square fight, as much as it hurts, I’d rather see him win the title than myself.”
Despite his win, the press were not impressed with Patterson as champion. He was too susceptible to right hands and too easily and frequently floored. A. J. Liebling considered him at that point, a second-rate heavyweight champion. He was not the only writer of the time who believed that both Patterson and Johansson were two of the poorest of all world heavyweight champions.
It is well known that Floyd tried to escape the scene of his defeat to Liston incognito, with the aid of a fake beard and moustache. He also had this disguise prepared prior to the second Johansson fight. Although not required on that occasion, it highlights his insecurities.
If Patterson holds the unenviable record for the most frequently floored heavyweight champion, then he must also hold the record for being the champion who most often got back to his feet to beat the count.
The three Patterson – Johansson fights, without question, are one of the legendary boxing trilogies from the sport’s golden age. The heavyweight title changing hands twice, multiple knockdowns, underdog victories, conclusive knockouts, contrasting characters, it had it all.
Despite recording some notable wins in the post-Liston phase of his career, the win in the return bout with Johansson, an immediate rematch following a crushing defeat, was likely the summit of his 20-year professional career.
Patterson was a man who preferred a life away from the spotlight, ironic given that what he achieved under the glare of the ring lights.
This is one of my favorite photos from the Patterson-Johansson trilogy, an overhead shot of Patterson's left exploding into the face of Johansson, and it was featured on the cover of Ring Magazine in 1961.
Floyd Patterson was also famous for the "Gazelle punch", it was his signature punch, and it was basically a powerful left hook characterized by a leaping, forward motion as if springing like a gazelle. It involved a bending of both knees to generate power and a forward leap towards the opponent. Patterson used this punch, which he considered a "sure kill," to close the distance and land a knockout blow, he is seen here utilizing the Gazelle punch to take Johansson out.
One thing about Floyd Patterson, he was one of the nicest men to ever enter a boxing ring, a complete gentleman, he conducted himself everyday like he was under 24 hour surveillance, that was the kind of man he was, hence the nickname "The Gentleman of Boxing", and "The Gentle Gladiator." I particularly like "The Gentle Gladiator" nickname, it's one of the coolest nicknames I've heard. Red Smith once called Patterson "the man of peace who loves to fight," and indeed Patterson, who had always seemed too kind a soul for the prize ring, kept on fighting until 1972, finally retiring at age 37. Time for some Floyd Patterson career photos.