[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 62 (Thursday, May 18, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E874]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               IN TRIBUTE TO THE LIFE OF FLOYD PATTERSON

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 18, 2006

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in tribute to the life and legacy of 
Floyd Patterson, a giant of our time. He emerged not only as a 
heavyweight boxing champion, but as a champion for morality and an 
exemplar of courage. Patterson's life achievements span throughout the 
world, though his most notable accomplishments are in the sport of 
boxing. Patterson defeated opponents in the ring and those challengers 
he had to overcome outside the ring, particularly the likes of poverty 
and social marginality.
  Patterson was born January 4, 1935, in a dilapidated cabin in rural 
Waco, NC. He later as a small boy moved to a poor neighborhood in 
Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, New York. His early years were met by 
challenges in school and emotional unrest. At the age of 11 he was sent 
to Wiltwyck School for Boys, an institution for emotionally disturbed 
youths in upstate New York. In a later account of Patterson, he said 
the school and a particular teacher, Vivien Costen, saved his life. At 
Wiltwyck he first discovered his interest with boxing and it was 
encouraged by his teachers.
  In 1947 he returned to Brooklyn. At age 14 he began working out with 
his brothers at Gramercy gym on New York's Lower East Side. The gym was 
owned by the legendary Constantine ``Cus'' D'Amato, who later would 
become Patterson's manager. At age 16, Patterson won the New York 
Golden Gloves middleweight title at Madison Square Garden. He was 
successful in winning 11 amateur championships in the Golden Gloves and 
the Amateur Athletic Union. In 1952 at the Olympics in Helsinki he won 
a gold medal and later that year, at age 17, he turned pro.
  In 1965, the Washington Post described him as ``a quietly confident 
young man with a school boyish air who likes ice cream, sweet potatoes 
and cream-colored cars.'' D'Amato was protective and careful with the 
progression of his career. However, when Rocky Marciano retired, 
D'Amato navigated a channel for his young fighter to the number one 
contender spot. On June 8, 1956, Patterson defeated Tommy ``Hurricane'' 
Jackson even though he suffered a broken hand 2 weeks before the fight. 
The victory positioned him to fight for the heavyweight title. On 
November 30, 1956, Patterson knocked out Archie Moore in Chicago to 
become the youngest world heavyweight champion.

  Patterson has been described as a good guy in the bad world of 
boxing. His fans loved him--the way he fought and his admirable 
personality and quiet spirit. Cus D'Amato, his trainer, called him ``a 
kind stranger.'' Red Smith, the New York Times sports columnist, called 
him ``the man of peace who loves to fight'' Patterson once said of 
himself, ``You can hit me and I won't think much of it, but you can say 
something and hurt me very much.''
  Patterson's career as a boxer has set the standard for greatness in 
the world of boxing. He became the first to hold the heavyweight title 
twice. He suffered a hard loss to Swedish boxer Ingemar Johansson at 
Yankee Stadium on June 26, 1959, but regained the title a year later 
when he knocked out Johansson in the fifth round. Patterson said that 
it was the most gratifying moment in his life. He successfully defended 
his title until he fought ``Sonny'' Liston in September 25, 1962 in 
Chicago. Overall, Patterson finished 55-8-1 with 40 knockouts. 
Patterson was voted into the United States Olympic Committee Hall of 
Fame in 1987 and he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of 
Fame in 1991.
  After he retired, Patterson became a passionate advocate for the 
sport of boxing. At a congressional subcommittee hearing he said, ``I 
would not like to see boxing abolished. I come from the ghetto, and 
boxing is a way out. It would be pitiful to abolish boxing because you 
would be taking away the one way out.'' Patterson was a member of the 
New York State Athletic Commission, which supervises the sport of 
boxing in the state and from 1995 to 1998 he chaired the Commission.
  Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to highlight and celebrate the 
accomplishments of Floyd Patterson, an American hero.




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