* Successor to:-Rocky Marciano *

latterson set
D win crown

, By LESTER RODNEY

NEW YORK

| Floyd Patterson; 21 and headed for the world heavy-
ght boxing championship, stood there in his dressing

m, calm and unruffled and ready to answer questions
to him by the sports writers.

| Outside, the excited rumbling of the departing

10 fans, largest fight crowd
le Madison Square Garden
Vision studio” in years,
Starting to die away. Half-
_through the 12th and
fround this crowd had be-
to clap and cheer in trib-
to the skilled, hard-punch-
Brooklyn boxer and the
Feame Tommy “Hurri-
© Jackson.
atterson, soft-spoken and
ulate, showed few effects
he gruelling grind against
2pponent who fought the
lest when he was hurt the
There was a swelling
; one eye... and then the
' Question.
What did you think of
sler’s vote for Jackson?”
Ssler, the referee, voted
Jackson; the two ringside
fes for Patterson.)
atterson smiled a_ bit,
iSged and said; ‘“That’s
Way he saw it, I guess.”
atterson had won big. Just
e bounds over the light-
weight limit of 175, he
jBiven away 15% pounds,
ht and reach to his un.
Odox Opponent, had refus-
0 become discouraged and
Oralized when his blister-
attack Staggered and be-

fuddled Jackson but couldn’t
put him down and instead
brought Jackson swarming
back all over him, and -had
gone the full 12-round dist-
ance, two rounds further than
he had ever gone before.

In addition, as it turned out
after with X-rays, he had suf-
fered a slight fracture of a
knuckle on his right hand
half-way through the fight,
but he didn’t even mention the
hurt hand to the writers at
first. I had the fight scored 8
for Floyd, 3 for Tommy and 1
even. Most writers, I discover-
ed gave Patterson 9 and a
couple even gave him 10
rounds.

Was this your toughest fight? ~

He thought about it and
then nodded yes. It was a
strange kind of fight where
you could win big and still
have your toughest fight, but
Jackson is that kind of fighter.

Were you going all out for
the early KO?

“TI didn’t feel like I had to
win by KO to win. Of course,
I was prepared to try to knock
him out if the opportunity
presented, but I was ready to
go the distance... You know,

Chief stumbling block in Floyd Patterson’s march to the heavyweight throne left

vacant by the retirement of Rocky Marciano is ancient, ringwise Archie Moore, shown
above winning the lightheavyweight title from Joey Maxim. Some experts think Moore is
still too much for Patterson to handle at this stage of the youngster’s career. But Floyd
is confid:nt he can dump Archie for the count, just as Marciano did.

I read in the newspapers that
I had to win in about five
rouncs, but I think this proves
I can go the championship

distance. I was strong at the
end of 12,”

One of Floyd Patterson’s kayo

victims was Archie McBride

Floyd, you asked, thinking
ahead in your career, do you
think a tough fight like this
one makes you a better fighter:
do you learn something by it?

He hesitated, then said,
“Yes, I have so much to learn.
How to pace myself properly,
how to pick my shots better.”

In what way did he feel this
fight improved him, made him
feel like a better fighter?

“Well,” he said, “let’s say it
proves I’m not easily dis-
couraged. I was supposed to
be untested in some ways. It
doesn’t prove I can take a
punch because he — he’s not
known as a puncher.”

It Was a nice touch, saying
Jackson was “not known” as
a puncher rather than belittl-
ing Jackson’s punch himself.

Floyd, you asked, how do
you feel about Archie Moore?
What’s your estimation of him?

‘There was no _ hesitation
whatsoever in this reply.

“T think he’s a helluva fight-
er.”

He’s almost double your age,
it was suggested.

“That'll help a little,” he
smiled, “but he has that ex-
perience, and is still great...
Now, when I had Jackson hurt
several times and had the feel-
ing one more good punch
might have ended it, I think
maybe at a moment like that
Archie would know how to

finish it. Like I said, I have a

lot to learn. I certainly don’t
underestimate Archie,”

In Jackson’s room, the de-
feated fighter was prone,, be-
ing rubbed down. His -face re-
flected the beating he had
taken so courageously.

Jackson looked up through
puffy eyes to answer the ques-
tion as to whether he had
been hit harder. “I fought way
better fighters,” he said. “Buc-
ceroni and Baker. Nah, he
never hurt me. Moore will kill
him.”

You couldn’t help thinking,
leaving the doughty battler’s
dressing room, that here was
someone who had no future
in this business but bells in
the head, since he couldn’t
punch or box and could never
become champ, and that those
who had him must know this
but he would go on-because he
was a crowd. pleaser who
could take it and make a fight
look terrific by his endurance
and courage...

The X-rays of Floyd’s hand
suggest the possfbility that the
Patterson-Moore fight for-the
title may not come off as plan-
ned this fall.

If that is so, it would be dead
wrong to hold Archie away
another year. Not after all the
delays he had to put up with
over the long lean years. If
Patterson can’t fight this fall,
Archie Moore ought to be im-
mediately proclaimed heavy-
weight champion. Patterson
can wait. He’ll get there. For
sure,

July 2%, 1956 —PACIFIC TRIBUNE — PAGE 15